Cannot redeclare class

Error Message

Cannot redeclare class App\Models\Post

Cause

The same class is being defined twice, usually due to caching issues, autoload problems, or manual includes of files that are already autoloaded.

Solution

Clear all caches: php artisan optimize:clear. Run composer dump-autoload. Check for duplicate class definitions.

Code Example

Fix

# Clear all caches
php artisan optimize:clear
composer dump-autoload

# If using config cache
php artisan config:clear
php artisan route:clear

# Check for duplicate files
find . -name "Post.php" -type f

Debugging Steps

Run composer dump-autoload
Run php artisan optimize:clear
Search for duplicate class definitions
Check for manual require/include statements

Prevention

Never manually include files that are autoloaded. Use namespaces properly. Clear caches after code changes. Trust Composer's autoloader.