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I'm working on a fresh Laravel 12.12.0 project and facing a strange issue that I can't resolve. Whenever I try to run any Artisan command (like php artisan serve, php artisan route:list, or php artisan config:clear), I receive the following error:

Illuminate\Contracts\Container\BindingResolutionException
Target class [files] does not exist.

The exception traces back to: vendor\laravel\framework\src\Illuminate\Container\Container.php:1019

What I've Tried

  • Verified that I'm not using app('files') or similar in my own code.
  • Searched for files across the whole project, and didn't find any
    custom binding.
  • Ran composer dump-autoload, config:clear, cache:clear, etc.
  • Checked config/app.php: I only have the default providers: App\Providers\AppServiceProvider::class, App\Providers\RouteServiceProvider::class.
  • My AppServiceProvider.php and RouteServiceProvider.php are untouched or standard.
  • No custom bindings for files.

Question

Where might this files binding be coming from, and what could be triggering Laravel to try to resolve it?

Is it possible a dependency or misconfigured script in composer.json (which was modified) is causing this?

Any direction on debugging this would be hugely appreciated!

Screenshot of the error in terminal

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  • 1
    From what I can infer from the error, you have a method that has either a files type (object) or a $files parameter name, and it is being loaded by the service container, so the service container will try to fulfill that missing param (dependency injection by the service container), but there is nothing called files that will resolve to it. Try checking the Laravel logs, and you will find the full stacktrace, check which file was the last one run that is not inside vendor and you have control over, that one is having the issue Commented May 7 at 20:52
  • Are you sure this problem is in any way related to Composer or files? If not, please remove these tags Commented May 8 at 11:13

2 Answers 2

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If you are using Laravel 11 or higher, providers are no longer registered in config/app.php under the providers section. Instead, you must register them in bootstrap/providers.php.

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Comments

-2

This error occurs when Laravel cannot resolve the files dependency, which is a core Filesystem service that Laravel's service providers should automatically register. The issue typically arises due to:

  1. Corrupted or incomplete Composer dependencies

    • If vendor/ is missing key Laravel components or autoloading is broken, the files binding won't be available.

    • This can happen after a partial/failed installation or incorrect manual changes.

  2. Misconfigured or cached service providers

    • Cached configurations or compiled services might reference a non-existent binding.

  3. Conflicts in composer.json

    • Modified composer.json (e.g., removed required packages or altered dependencies) can break Laravel's core services.

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Reinstall Dependencies

Start by ensuring all dependencies are properly installed:

rm -rf vendor composer.lock
composer install

Why? This forces a fresh download of all packages and regenerates composer.lock.

2.Clear Caches and Autoload

Laravel and Composer caches might be stale:

php artisan cache:clear   
composer dump-autoload
  • Note: If artisan commands fail, skip this step and proceed below.

3.Verify Core Laravel Packages

Ensure laravel/framework is installed:

composer show laravel/framework

Expected output should show version 12.12.0 (or your installed version). If missing, run:

composer require laravel/framework
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3 Comments

Please share more details. What makes you think that any of these commands actualls helps? Keep in mind that a good explanation helps others to learn from your answer
The Target class [files] does not exist error in Laravel 12.12.0 typically occurs when Laravel's core service providers aren't being registered properly. The 'files' binding refers to the Filesystem component which should be registered during the application bootstrap process. so my thought is re-install composer will work.
Please add all clarification to your answer by editing it

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