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AI Toolchain for Contribution

When to Use

Use this when setting up your AI development environment for Drupal contribution and you want to configure tools for responsible, well-guarded AI-assisted development.

Decision

Priority Tool/Practice Purpose
Essential phpcs + DrupalPractice standard Catches AI coding standard violations automatically
Essential phpstan Catches type errors, undefined methods, wrong return types
Essential Pre-commit hooks Blocks commits that fail standards before they reach the MR
Recommended drupal-check Catches deprecated API usage that AI commonly introduces
Recommended Dev-guides / API docs Authoritative reference to counteract training data bias
Recommended Project-specific config (CLAUDE.md, skills) Loads conventions and standards into AI context
Optional IDE integration (phpcs in editor) Catches violations as you write, not just at commit

Pattern

Pre-commit hook setup:

# Install phpcs with Drupal standards
composer require --dev drupal/coder dealerdirect/phpcodesniffer-composer-installer

# Create pre-commit hook
cat > .git/hooks/pre-commit << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
FILES=$(git diff --cached --name-only --diff-filter=ACM | grep -E '\.(php|module|install|theme)$')
if [ -n "$FILES" ]; then
    vendor/bin/phpcs --standard=Drupal,DrupalPractice $FILES
    if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
        echo "Fix coding standards before committing."
        exit 1
    fi
fi
EOF
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit

Context management:

When Action
Session start Load relevant dev-guide for the API you're working with; specify Drupal version explicitly
During session Keep focused — one issue per session; verify AI suggestions against docs before proceeding
After 2+ corrections on same issue Start fresh session
Between sessions Clear context; review produced code with fresh eyes before submitting

Mapping workflow to disclosure level:

Your Workflow Likely Disclosure Level
AI autocompletes variable names and snippets while you write AI Assisted Code
You discuss the approach with AI, it suggests code, you write and adapt AI Assisted Code
You ask AI to write a function, review every line, test thoroughly AI Generated Code
You ask AI to write the whole patch, glance at it, submit Vibe Coded — reconsider

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: Not configuring standards enforcement → Right: Relying on CI to catch standards violations wastes review cycles; catch them locally
  • Wrong: Loading too much context → Right: AI doesn't read everything; load the specific guide or standard relevant to the current task
  • Wrong: Using AI's built-in "knowledge" instead of docs → Right: AI's training data is stale; for API specifics, reference current documentation
  • Wrong: Forgetting to specify the Drupal version → Right: Without explicit version, AI will blend code from multiple Drupal versions

See Also