DDEV for Craft CMS Development

Companion Skills — Always Load Together

When this skill triggers, also load:

• craftcms — Plugin/module development. Required when DDEV commands involve Craft CLI (ddev craft make, ddev craft migrate, ddev craft project-config).
• craft-php-guidelines — PHP coding standards. Required when DDEV commands involve code quality tooling (ddev composer check-cs, ddev composer phpstan, ddev craft pest/test).

Documentation

• DDEV docs: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/
• Craft CMS quickstart: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/quickstart/#craft-cms
• Configuration reference: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/configuration/config/
• Custom commands: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/extend/custom-commands/
• Additional services: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/extend/additional-services/
• Vite integration: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/developer-tools/#nodejs

When unsure about a DDEV feature, WebFetch the relevant docs page.

Common Pitfalls

• Using ddev exec composer install instead of ddev composer install — DDEV shorthand commands handle path resolution and environment setup. Always use the shorthand.
• Forgetting ddev craft up does both migrate/all and project-config/apply — no need to run them separately after pulls or deploys.
• Exposing the Vite dev server with ports instead of webextraexposedports — ports causes conflicts when running multiple DDEV projects. webextraexposedports routes through Traefik and works with HTTPS.
• Running ddev composer global require — global packages install inside the container and vanish on restart. Install project-level dependencies only.
• Setting nodejs_version but running npm install on the host — Node must run inside the container via ddev npm to match the configured version.
• Editing .ddev/config.yaml while containers are running without restarting — changes to config require ddev restart to take effect.
• Using ddev import-db without --target-db=db on multi-database setups — the default target is db, but if you've configured additional databases, be explicit.
• Adding #ddev-generated to custom commands you've customized — DDEV overwrites files with this comment during updates. Only use it for add-on-managed commands. Custom commands you maintain should omit it.
• Running composer install on the host then ddev composer check-cs/ddev composer phpstan — if the host PHP version differs from DDEV's (e.g., host PHP 8.4, DDEV PHP 8.3), vendor/composer/platform_check.php fails. Always run ddev composer install so vendor/ matches the container's PHP version.

Craft CLI First, Raw SQL Last

Always prefer Craft CLI commands over raw database queries:

ddev craft users/list-admins         # not: ddev mysql -e "SELECT * FROM users WHERE admin=1"
ddev craft project-config/get system # not: reading project.yaml manually
ddev craft resave/entries            # not: UPDATE queries on content tables
ddev craft elements/delete           # not: DELETE FROM elements

Only fall back to ddev mysql when no CLI equivalent exists (e.g., checking table schemas, debugging specific rows, TRUNCATE cache for stuck mutex locks). Craft CLI commands handle project config, search index updates, and event firing that raw SQL skips.

Shorthand Commands

Always use DDEV shorthand over ddev exec:

ddev composer install          # not ddev exec composer install
ddev craft up                  # not ddev exec php craft up
ddev npm install               # not ddev exec npm install
ddev craft make service        # scaffolding

Craft CMS Project Type

# .ddev/config.yaml
name: my-craft-site
type: craftcms
docroot: web
php_version: "8.3"
database:
  type: mysql
  version: "8.0"
nodejs_version: "20"

DDEV auto-injects: CRAFTDBSERVER, CRAFTDBUSER, CRAFTDBPASSWORD, CRAFTDBDATABASE, PRIMARYSITEURL. These are injected into the container via .ddev/.env.web and can be opted out of with disablesettingsmanagement: true in .ddev/config.yaml.

New Project Bootstrap

The canonical flow for a fresh DDEV + Craft project:

mkdir my-craft-site && cd my-craft-site
ddev config --project-type=craftcms --docroot=web   # writes .ddev/config.yaml
ddev start
ddev composer create-project craftcms/craft         # Craft's setup wizard runs automatically

ddev composer create-project launches Craft's interactive install wizard on completion. If it doesn't run (or you need to re-run it), use ddev craft install. Swap craftcms/craft for a community starter project to bootstrap from one instead.

Common Commands

ddev start                     # Start the project
ddev stop                      # Stop the project
ddev restart                   # Restart containers
ddev ssh                       # SSH into web container
ddev describe                  # Show project info and URLs
ddev launch                    # Open the project in a browser
ddev launch -m                 # Open Mailpit (also --mailpit)
ddev logs                      # View container logs
ddev import-db --file=dump.sql # Import database
ddev export-db --file=dump.sql # Export database
ddev xdebug on                 # Enable Xdebug
ddev craft db/backup           # Craft database backup

Post-Install Auto-Run

Composer scripts auto-run craft up after install/update:

{
    "scripts": {
        "post-craft-update": [
            "@php craft install/check && php craft up --interactive=0 || exit 0"
        ],
        "post-update-cmd": "@post-craft-update",
        "post-install-cmd": "@post-craft-update"
    }
}

No need to manually run ddev craft migrate/all or ddev craft project-config/apply — ddev craft up does both, and it auto-runs after ddev composer install/update.

Add-ons

ddev add-on get ddev/ddev-redis       # Install Redis
ddev add-on list                       # List installed add-ons
ddev add-on remove ddev/ddev-redis    # Remove add-on

Mailpit is built into DDEV core — no add-on installation needed. Outgoing mail is captured automatically. Access the web UI with ddev mailpit, or ddev describe shows its URL (e.g. https://{project}.ddev.site:8026).

Sharing a Local Site

ddev share                     # Expose the project on a temporary public URL

ddev share defaults to the ngrok provider, which requires a free ngrok.com account and a configured ngrok auth token. (cloudflared is an alternative provider via --provider=cloudflared, no account required, but ngrok is the default.)

Custom Commands

Place scripts in .ddev/commands/web/ (container) or .ddev/commands/host/ (host):

#!/usr/bin/env bash
## Description: Run ECS code style check
## Usage: check-cs
## Example: ddev check-cs

cd /var/www/html && composer check-cs

Note: omit #ddev-generated on custom commands you maintain — DDEV overwrites files with that comment during updates. Only add-on-managed commands should include it.

Composer Path Repos and Volume Mounts

When developing plugins locally, Composer path repos symlink the plugin into vendor/. For this to work inside DDEV's Docker container, the host path must be volume-mounted so the symlink resolves.

Setup

1. composer.json — use the local host path:

{
    "repositories": [
        {
            "type": "path",
            "url": "/Users/Shared/dev/craft-plugins/v5/*"
        }
    ]
}

1. docker-compose override — mount the same path into the container. Create .ddev/docker-compose.mounts.yaml:

services:
  web:
    volumes:
      - /Users/Shared/dev/craft-plugins:/Users/Shared/dev/craft-plugins

The mount path inside the container must match the host path exactly — Composer creates absolute symlinks that must resolve in both contexts. Replace /Users/Shared/dev/craft-plugins with your actual plugin directory path.

1. Require the plugin: ddev composer require vendor/plugin-handle:@dev

Common mistakes

• Using a Docker-internal path in composer.json url — the path must be the host filesystem path, not /var/www/...
• Forgetting the volume mount — ddev composer install succeeds but the symlink points nowhere inside the container
• Setting "platform": {"php": "8.3"} in composer.json config — don't. DDEV handles the PHP version via .ddev/config.yaml. Platform overrides cause dependency resolution mismatches between host and container, and prevent DDEV from managing version upgrades cleanly.

Browser Debugging with Chrome DevTools MCP

The Chrome DevTools MCP server gives Claude Code direct browser access — inspect pages, read console logs, check network requests, capture screenshots, and interact with the DOM.

Installation

claude mcp add chrome-devtools -- npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

Quit and reopen Claude Code to load the new MCP server. Requires Chrome or Chromium running — the MCP server handles the DevTools Protocol connection automatically.

What it enables

When to use

• Front-end template debugging — 404s, missing assets, broken layouts, SEOmatic meta tag verification
• CP template verification — plugin settings pages render correctly, editable tables work, slideout editors load
• Garnish/JS debugging — modals, drag-sort, disclosure menus initialize without console errors
• Sprig/htmx debugging — watch network requests for htmx swaps, verify response HTML fragments
• Auth flow testing — walk through login, registration, password reset end-to-end
• Read-only mode verification — confirm settings pages display correctly with allowAdminChanges off
• Visual regression — screenshot before/after template changes

CP authentication pattern

DDEV sites are accessible at https://{project}.ddev.site. To inspect CP pages:

1. Navigate to https://{project}.ddev.site/{cpTrigger}
2. Log in with admin credentials
3. Navigate to the plugin/settings page to inspect
4. Check console for JS errors, inspect DOM for correct markup

Project setup

The craft-project-setup skill offers to install Chrome DevTools MCP during scaffolding. If installed later, run claude mcp add chrome-devtools -- npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest from the project root — this writes to the project's .claude.json, keeping it project-level.

Running a Plugin's Own Test Suite

When a plugin is symlinked into a host project, run its suite from the plugin's own directory inside the container:

ddev exec --dir /var/www/html/vendor/acme/my-plugin vendor/bin/pest
ddev exec --dir /var/www/html/vendor/acme/my-plugin composer test

--dir sets the working directory, and that is the load-bearing part. markhuot/craft-pest-core reads its environment overrides from getcwd().'/phpunit.xml(.dist)' only — it does not parse a --configuration= flag. So the shared-root form:

# UNSAFE — runs the tests, but against the project's live database
ddev craft pest -- --configuration=vendor/acme/my-plugin/phpunit.xml.dist

…discovers and executes the plugin's tests while silently ignoring the plugin's own CRAFTDBDATABASE pin. Combined with a suite that hasn't bound the RefreshesDatabase trait (rollback is opt-in), that writes test data permanently into your development database. Treat the shared-root invocation as unsafe for any craft-pest-core suite.

The full mechanism, the isolation checklist, and the CI equivalent are in the craft-pest skill (references/isolation.md).

For plugins mounted via a Composer path repo, the --dir path is the symlink target inside the container — see [Composer Path Repos and Volume Mounts](#composer-path-repos-and-volume-mounts) for making that path resolve.

Troubleshooting

ddev poweroff                  # Stop all DDEV projects
ddev debug router              # Debug router configuration
ddev debug capabilities        # Check Docker capabilities
ddev delete --omit-snapshot    # Remove project without snapshot

A general-config edit isn't taking effect (ddev-injected env var wins)

DDEV auto-injects Craft env vars (including PRIMARYSITEURL, and CRAFTDB) into the container via .ddev/.env.web, and regenerates that file on every ddev start/restart unless disablesettingsmanagement: true is set in .ddev/config.yaml. Because a real container environment variable beats a cms/.env dotenv value, and CRAFT_ env vars beat config/general.php (see the craftcms skill's config-bootstrap.md), a value you edit in .env or general.php can be silently overridden by what ddev injected.

Two symptoms and fixes:

• Wrong site URL / scheme. PRIMARYSITEURL follows ddev's primary URL, whose scheme is often http; if Craft resolves an unexpected base URL, that injected var is the likely source. Point Craft's site URL at a differently-named env var (e.g. SITEURL) in your site config so ddev's PRIMARYSITEURL doesn't shadow it, or override PRIMARYSITE_URL deliberately.
• A .env change reverts after restart. If you edited .ddev/.env.web by hand, it's regenerated on restart — put durable overrides in .ddev/config.yaml (webenvironment) or set disablesettings_management: true to own the file yourself.

When a config value "won't change," check the resolved environment (ddev exec printenv | grep CRAFT_, and .ddev/.env.web) before editing PHP again.