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[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) 4. / 5. ctw/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin ActiveComposer-plugin[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) ctw/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin ============================================= Composer plugin that relaxes the upper bound of the PHP platform, or of any package requirement, for an allowlist of packages, so dependencies capped to an older PHP (e.g. ~8.4.0) or an older dependency major (e.g. laminas/laminas-servicemanager ^3) resolve on a newer one without --ignore-platform-req, forking, or editing vendor. 2.0.2(2w ago)028↓50%BSD-3-ClausePHPPHP ^8.4CI passing Since Jun 27Pushed 2w agoCompare [ Source](https://github.com/jonathanmaron/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/ctw/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin)[ RSS](/packages/ctw-ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin/feed)WikiDiscussions master Synced 2w ago READMEChangelogDependencies (10)Versions (6)Used By (0) Composer Lenient Plugin ======================= [](#composer-lenient-plugin) [![Latest Stable Version](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/5db61969cebec835659151eedb9fbfd79e7a354d8da05a63a67cfc66d1d96e02/68747470733a2f2f706f7365722e707567782e6f72672f6374772f6374772d636f6d706f7365722d706c7567696e2d636f6d706f7365726c656e69656e74706c7567696e2f762f737461626c65)](https://packagist.org/packages/ctw/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin)[![GitHub Actions](https://github.com/jonathanmaron/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/jonathanmaron/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin/actions/workflows/ci.yml) **Install Composer packages that cap their `php` requirement on a newer PHP — without `--ignore-platform-req`, without forking, and without editing anything in `vendor/`.** `ctw/ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin` is a Composer 2 plugin that relaxes the **upper bound** of the `php` platform requirement for an explicit allowlist of packages, at dependency-solver pool-build time. It lets a package that is capped at, say, `~8.4.0` install cleanly on **PHP 8.5, 8.6, and later**, while every other platform check stays fully enforced and your real PHP version is never faked. Since **2.x** the same mechanism widens **any package requirement**, not only `php` — for example letting a package that declares `laminas/laminas-servicemanager: ^3` also resolve against `^4` while upstream finishes a not-yet-released major bump. `php` and package requirements share one uniform config format; see [Configuration](#configuration) below. Does this fix your problem? --------------------------- [](#does-this-fix-your-problem) If `composer install` or `composer update` fails on a newer PHP with a message like this: ``` Your requirements could not be resolved to an installable set of packages. Problem 1 - Root composer.json requires laminas/laminas-tag ^2.11 -> satisfiable by laminas/laminas-tag[2.13.0]. - laminas/laminas-tag 2.13.0 requires php ~8.1.0 || ~8.2.0 || ~8.3.0 || ~8.4.0 -> your php version (8.5.7) does not satisfy that requirement. ``` …then yes. The package's code runs fine on your PHP, but its declared `php` constraint has an **upper bound** (`~8.4.0`, ` **Use with care:** widening a non-`php` requirement only changes resolution — it does not make incompatible *code* work. Use it when you have evidence the package already runs against the newer version (for instance, upstream's own CI exercises it on an unreleased branch), and remove the rule once a properly-tagged release ships. > **See also:** [README\_LAMINAS.md](README_LAMINAS.md) — a real-world walkthrough of using this plugin to run five Laminas packages on PHP 8.5, including how it compares to the alternatives. Bootstrapping (first install only) ---------------------------------- [](#bootstrapping-first-install-only) A plugin cannot rewrite the solver pool until it is itself installed and active, so the very first update — the one that physically installs this plugin — still needs the flag once: ``` # 1. Installs and activates the plugin (flag required this one time). composer update -W --ignore-platform-req=php+ # 2. Plugin is active and rewrites the pool, baking the relaxed # constraint into composer.lock. No flag. composer update -W ``` After that, every `composer install` and `composer update` runs **without**`--ignore-platform-req`, because the relaxed `php` constraint already lives in the lock file. Verifying --------- [](#verifying) After the second update, the lock carries the widened constraint: ``` php -r '$l=json_decode(file_get_contents("composer.lock"),true); foreach($l["packages"] as $p){ if($p["name"]==="laminas/laminas-tag"){ echo $p["require"]["php"],"\n"; } }' # ~8.1.0 || ~8.2.0 || ~8.3.0 || ~8.4.0 || ^8.5 ``` Run an update with `-v` to see exactly what was relaxed: ``` ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin: relaxed php for laminas/laminas-tag -> ~8.1.0 || ~8.2.0 || ~8.3.0 || ~8.4.0 || ^8.5 ``` FAQ --- [](#faq) **Why does `composer install` say "your php version does not satisfy that requirement" on a newer PHP, even though the library works?**Because the library declares an *upper* bound on `php` (for example `~8.4.0`), and Composer enforces it literally. The code may be compatible, but Composer will not cross a declared cap. **How do I install a package that does not officially support my PHP version?**Add the package to this plugin's `packages` allowlist and run `composer update`. The plugin widens only that package's `php` constraint; nothing else changes. **Is this safe? Does it patch files in `vendor/`?**No files are patched. The change is made in memory during dependency resolution and recorded in `composer.lock`. Your real PHP version is never spoofed, and every other platform requirement (extensions, other packages' `php`) stays enforced. **Does it affect deploys and CI?**Yes — positively. Because the relaxed constraint is baked into `composer.lock`, deploy and CI runs use a plain `composer install` with no `--ignore-platform-req` flag. **Can I use it for the next PHP, like 8.6 or 8.7?**Yes. Set `"allow": "^8.6"` (or whatever you need). The default is `^8.5`, which permits 8.5 through the 8.x line but stops before 9.0, since a major release may introduce breaking changes. Testing ------- [](#testing) ``` composer install composer test ``` The suite builds real `Composer\Package` objects and asserts the relaxed `php` constraint with `Composer\Semver\Semver`, so it exercises actual Composer semantics rather than mocking the constraint logic. Caveats ------- [](#caveats) - The plugin only **widens** a requirement, and only by an OR (`|| `). It never narrows or removes a constraint. - Widening a non-`php` requirement changes only *resolution*; it cannot make incompatible code work. Use such a rule only when the package already runs against the newer version, and drop it once a tagged release ships. - Only the packages a rule names are affected; every rule's allowlist is deliberately explicit. - Rules target tagged upstream releases. Branch/dev aliases are out of scope, as the affected packages resolve to plain tags. Keywords -------- [](#keywords) Composer plugin · ignore-platform-req alternative · `your php version does not satisfy that requirement` · install package on PHP 8.5 / 8.6 · relax php platform constraint · php upper bound · unsupported PHP version · `config.platform.php` alternative · force composer install on newer PHP · `--ignore-platform-reqs`. License ------- [](#license) See [LICENSE.md](LICENSE.md). ### Health Score 44 — FairBetter than 90% of packages Maintenance96 Actively maintained with recent releases Popularity10 Limited adoption so far Community6 Small or concentrated contributor base Maturity55 Maturing project, gaining track record Bus Factor1 Top contributor holds 100% of commits — single point of failure How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window. **Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores. **Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement. **Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability. ### Release Activity Cadence Every ~9 days Total 4 Last Release 18d ago Major Versions 1.0.0 → 2.0.02026-07-17 PHP version history (2 changes)1.0.0PHP ^8.3 2.0.0PHP ^8.4 ### Community Maintainers ![](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/18d8bc9bdee8ab1b0cfccce6a06d2438acbed3a58b0046c4834c5678f6769342?d=identicon)[jonathanmaron](/maintainers/jonathanmaron) --- Top Contributors [![jonathanmaron](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/298462?v=4)](https://github.com/jonathanmaron "jonathanmaron (37 commits)") --- Tags compatibilityphpplugincomposerplatformcomposer-plugindependency-resolutionphp-versionplatform-requirementplatform-checkignore-platform-reqignore-platform-reqsphp-constraintupper-boundconstraint-relaxationrequirement-relaxation ### Code Quality TestsPHPUnit ### Embed Badge ![Health badge](/badges/ctw-ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin/health.svg) ``` [![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/ctw-ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/ctw-ctw-composer-plugin-composerlenientplugin) ``` ### Alternatives [vaimo/composer-patches Applies a patch from a local or remote file to any package that is part of a given composer project. 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