Narrow Cake\ORM\Association::find() return to SelectQuery<TargetEntity>

extension.neon

@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ services:
 		factory: CakeDC\PHPStan\Type\RepositoryFirstArgIsTheReturnTypeExtension(Cake\ORM\Association)
 		tags:
 			- phpstan.broker.dynamicMethodReturnTypeExtension
+	-
+		class: CakeDC\PHPStan\Type\AssociationFindDynamicReturnTypeExtension
+		tags:
+			- phpstan.broker.dynamicMethodReturnTypeExtension
 	-
 		class: CakeDC\PHPStan\Type\ComponentLoadDynamicReturnTypeExtension
 		tags:

src/Traits/EntityClassFromTableClassTrait.php

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ * @license   MIT License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)
+ */
+
+namespace CakeDC\PHPStan\Traits;
+
+use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
+
+/**
+ * Resolves the entity class FQCN that belongs to a given table class FQCN,
+ * using the standard CakePHP convention (`Foo\Model\Table\BarsTable` →
+ * `Foo\Model\Entity\Bar`).
+ */
+trait EntityClassFromTableClassTrait
+{
+    /**
+     * @param string $className Fully-qualified table class name.
+     * @return string|null Fully-qualified entity class name, or null if the
+     *  input does not match the `*\Model\Table\*Table` convention.
+     */
+    protected function getEntityClassByTableClass(string $className): ?string
+    {
+        $parts = explode('\\', $className);
+        $count = count($parts);
+        $nameIndex = $count - 1;
+        $folderIndex = $count - 2;
+        if ($count < 3 || $parts[$folderIndex] !== 'Table') {
+            return null;
+        }
+        $name = str_replace('Table', '', $parts[$nameIndex]);
+        $name = Inflector::singularize($name);
+        $parts[$folderIndex] = 'Entity';
+        $parts[$nameIndex] = $name;
+
+        return implode('\\', $parts);
+    }
+}

src/Type/AssociationFindDynamicReturnTypeExtension.php

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ * @license   MIT License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)
+ */
+
+namespace CakeDC\PHPStan\Type;
+
+use Cake\ORM\Association;
+use Cake\ORM\Query\SelectQuery;
+use CakeDC\PHPStan\Traits\EntityClassFromTableClassTrait;
+use CakeDC\PHPStan\Traits\RepositoryReferenceTrait;
+use PhpParser\Node\Expr\MethodCall;
+use PHPStan\Analyser\Scope;
+use PHPStan\Reflection\MethodReflection;
+use PHPStan\Type\DynamicMethodReturnTypeExtension;
+use PHPStan\Type\Generic\GenericObjectType;
+use PHPStan\Type\ObjectType;
+use PHPStan\Type\Type;
+
+/**
+ * Narrows the return type of {@see Association::find()} to
+ * `SelectQuery<TargetEntity>`.
+ *
+ * Cake core declares `Association::find()` as
+ * `\Cake\ORM\Query\SelectQuery<EntityInterface|array>` — it does not propagate
+ * the target table's `TEntity` template parameter. As a result, chains such as
+ * `$this->Articles->Users->find()->first()` resolve to `EntityInterface|null`
+ * instead of `User|null`, forcing every call-site to add inline `@var`
+ * annotations.
+ *
+ * This extension reads the association's target table type — once
+ * {@see \CakeDC\PHPStan\PhpDoc\TableAssociationTypeNodeResolverExtension} has
+ * converted the intersection `BelongsTo&UsersTable` into the generic
+ * `BelongsTo<UsersTable>` — derives the entity class via the standard CakePHP
+ * naming convention, and replaces the return type with
+ * `SelectQuery<UserEntity>`.
+ *
+ * Hydration-disabled queries are not detected here; PHPStan cannot follow
+ * `$query->disableHydration()` calls regardless of which extension produces
+ * the type, so narrowing to the entity is at least as accurate as the current
+ * `EntityInterface|array` union and strictly better for the common hydrated
+ * case.
+ */
+class AssociationFindDynamicReturnTypeExtension implements DynamicMethodReturnTypeExtension
+{
+    use EntityClassFromTableClassTrait;
+    use RepositoryReferenceTrait;
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function getClass(): string
+    {
+        return Association::class;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function isMethodSupported(MethodReflection $methodReflection): bool
+    {
+        return $methodReflection->getName() === 'find';
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param \PHPStan\Reflection\MethodReflection $methodReflection
+     * @param \PhpParser\Node\Expr\MethodCall $methodCall
+     * @param \PHPStan\Analyser\Scope $scope
+     * @return \PHPStan\Type\Type|null
+     */
+    public function getTypeFromMethodCall(
+        MethodReflection $methodReflection,
+        MethodCall $methodCall,
+        Scope $scope,
+    ): ?Type {
+        $tableClass = $this->getReferenceClass($scope, $methodCall);
+        if ($tableClass === null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $entityClass = $this->getEntityClassByTableClass($tableClass);
+        if ($entityClass === null || !class_exists($entityClass)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return new GenericObjectType(SelectQuery::class, [new ObjectType($entityClass)]);
+    }
+}

src/Type/RepositoryEntityDynamicReturnTypeExtension.php

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@
 
 use Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface;
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
-use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 use CakeDC\PHPStan\Traits\BaseCakeRegistryReturnTrait;
+use CakeDC\PHPStan\Traits\EntityClassFromTableClassTrait;
 use CakeDC\PHPStan\Traits\RepositoryReferenceTrait;
 use CakeDC\PHPStan\Utility\CakeNameRegistry;
 use PhpParser\Node\Expr\MethodCall;
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 class RepositoryEntityDynamicReturnTypeExtension implements DynamicMethodReturnTypeExtension
 {
     use BaseCakeRegistryReturnTrait;
+    use EntityClassFromTableClassTrait;
     use RepositoryReferenceTrait;
 
     /**
@@ -108,25 +109,4 @@ public function getTypeFromMethodCall(
 
         return null;
     }
-
-    /**
-     * @param string $className
-     * @return string|null
-     */
-    protected function getEntityClassByTableClass(string $className): ?string
-    {
-        $parts = explode('\\', $className);
-        $count = count($parts);
-        $nameIndex = $count - 1;
-        $folderIndex = $count - 2;
-        if ($count < 3 || $parts[$folderIndex] !== 'Table') {
-            return null;
-        }
-        $name = str_replace('Table', '', $parts[$nameIndex]);
-        $name = Inflector::singularize($name);
-        $parts[$folderIndex] = 'Entity';
-        $parts[$nameIndex] = $name;
-
-        return implode('\\', $parts);
-    }
 }

tests/TestCase/Type/AssociationFindDynamicReturnTypeExtensionTest.php

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ * @license   MIT License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)
+ */
+
+namespace CakeDC\PHPStan\Test\TestCase\Type;
+
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+
+class AssociationFindDynamicReturnTypeExtensionTest extends TestCase
+{
+    /**
+     * Association::find()->first()/firstOrFail() must narrow to the target
+     * table's entity type.
+     *
+     * @return void
+     */
+    public function testAssociationFindNarrowsToTargetEntity(): void
+    {
+        $output = $this->runPhpStan(__DIR__ . '/Fake/AssociationFindCorrectUsage.php');
+        static::assertStringContainsString('[OK] No errors', $output);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Run PHPStan on a file and return the output.
+     *
+     * @param string $file File to analyze.
+     * @return string
+     */
+    private function runPhpStan(string $file): string
+    {
+        $configFile = dirname(__DIR__, 3) . '/extension.neon';
+        $command = sprintf(
+            'cd %s && vendor/bin/phpstan analyze %s --level=max --configuration=%s --no-progress 2>&1',
+            escapeshellarg(dirname(__DIR__, 3)),
+            escapeshellarg($file),
+            escapeshellarg($configFile),
+        );
+
+        exec($command, $output, $exitCode);
+
+        return implode("\n", $output);
+    }
+}

tests/TestCase/Type/Fake/AssociationFindCorrectUsage.php

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright Copyright 2025, Cake Development Corporation (https://www.cakedc.com)
+ * @license   MIT License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)
+ */
+
+namespace CakeDC\PHPStan\Test\TestCase\Type\Fake;
+
+use App\Model\Table\NotesTable;
+use function PHPStan\Testing\assertType;
+
+/**
+ * Exercises {@see \CakeDC\PHPStan\Type\AssociationFindDynamicReturnTypeExtension}.
+ *
+ * `Cake\ORM\Association::find()` is declared in Cake core as
+ * `SelectQuery<EntityInterface|array>` — the target entity type is lost.
+ * The extension restores it by reading the association's target table type
+ * (provided by {@see \CakeDC\PHPStan\PhpDoc\TableAssociationTypeNodeResolverExtension})
+ * and returning `SelectQuery<TargetEntity>`.
+ *
+ * Note that this fixture only asserts the SelectQuery template parameter,
+ * not the downstream `->first()` / `->firstOrFail()` return type. Those depend
+ * on Cake core's per-method `@return TSubject|null` / `@return TSubject`
+ * annotations (cakephp/cakephp#19439, merged for 5.3.6). On older Cake
+ * versions `first()` still returns `mixed`; the entity narrowing kicks in
+ * automatically once consumers upgrade.
+ */
+class AssociationFindCorrectUsage
+{
+    public function narrowsSelectQueryGeneric(NotesTable $notes): void
+    {
+        // Sanity check: the existing TableAssociationTypeNodeResolverExtension
+        // turns `BelongsTo&UsersTable` into the generic association type.
+        assertType('Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsTo<App\Model\Table\UsersTable>', $notes->MyUsers);
+
+        // This is what the new extension contributes: the SelectQuery is
+        // templated with the target table's entity type instead of the
+        // default `EntityInterface|array`.
+        assertType(
+            'Cake\ORM\Query\SelectQuery<App\Model\Entity\User>',
+            $notes->MyUsers->find(),
+        );
+    }
+}