array{a?: string}) includes []
as a valid value, and array_is_list([]) === true. So array_is_list($a) is
undecidable (maybe true), not "always false", and narrowing to a list is reachable.
Several analyzers historically treated the optional string key as required and
collapsed the list check to "always false" / "impossible". Phan alone reports the
check as "maybe", which is the runtime-correct verdict.
References:
- PHPStan phpstan#14938 (fix: phpstan-src#6025)
- Psalm psalm#11905 (open)
- Mago mago#2073 (fixed in 1.43)
- Cross-tool survey phpstan#14939| Analyzer | Version | Result | Diagnostics |
|---|---|---|---|
| phan | 6.0.7Phan 6.0.7 php-ast version 1.1.3 PHP version used to run Phan: 8.5.9 | Pass | No diagnostics reported. |
| phpstan | 2.2.8PHPStan - PHP Static Analysis Tool 2.2.8 | Pass reported Lv.4+ | regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:28: Call to function array_is_list() with array{a?: string} will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType] [reported-from-level=4]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Call to function array_is_list() with array{a?: string} will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType] [reported-from-level=4]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Call to function assert() with false will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType] [reported-from-level=4]With strict-rulesregressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:28: Call to function array_is_list() with array{a?: string} will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Call to function array_is_list() with array{a?: string} will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Call to function assert() with false will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType] |
| psalm | 6.16.1Psalm 6.16.1@f1f5de594dc76faf8784e02d3dc4716c91c6f6ac next: 7.0.0-beta19 |
Pass | regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:28: Type array{a?: string} for $a is never list<mixed> [TypeDoesNotContainType]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Type array{a?: string} for $a is never list<mixed> [TypeDoesNotContainType] |
| mago | 1.46.0mago 1.46.0 | Fail | No diagnostics reported. Expectation diffLine 28: Expected 1 error(s) Line 36: Expected 1 error(s) |
| mir | 0.70.1mir 0.70.1 | Pass | No diagnostics reported. |
| phpantom | 0.9.0phpantom_lsp 0.9.0 | Pass | No diagnostics reported. |
| intelephense | 1.18.5intelephense 1.18.5 | Pass | No diagnostics reported. |
| phpy | 0.2.0phpy 0.2.0 | Pass | No diagnostics reported. |
| qodana | 262.8665.325Qodana 262.8665.325 | Pass | No diagnostics reported. |
| noverify | 0.5.5NoVerify, version 0.5.5: built on: 2025.04.22 14:36:46 OS: r-kuchinskas arm64 Commit: 4774b82f8adc53fbef38f95e97af4b953b4d1529 | Pass | regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:26: param $a miss matched with phpdoc type <<array{a?: string}>> [funcParamTypeMissMatch]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:34: param $a miss matched with phpdoc type <<array{a?: string}>> [funcParamTypeMissMatch] |
| steins | 0.1.5steins 0.1.5 (2026-08-12 revision 39b4cc1) | Pass | No diagnostics reported. |
| phpstan-strict | 2.2.8PHPStan - PHP Static Analysis Tool 2.2.8 | Pass | regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:28: Call to function array_is_list() with array{a?: string} will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Call to function array_is_list() with array{a?: string} will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Call to function assert() with false will always evaluate to false. [identifier=function.impossibleType] |
| psalm-next | 7.0.0-beta19Psalm 7.0.0-beta19@7e751c06a756fa64dc4c759c09fe4a173afcb433 | Pass | regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:28: Type array{a?: string} for $a is never list<mixed> [TypeDoesNotContainType]
regressions_optional_key_shape_is_list.php:36: Type array{a?: string} for $a is never list<mixed> [TypeDoesNotContainType] |
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);
namespace Conformance\Tests\RegressionsOptionalKeyShapeIsList;
/**
* Optional-key shapes stay list-compatible.
*
* A shape whose only keys are optional (for example `array{a?: string}`) includes `[]`
* as a valid value, and `array_is_list([]) === true`. So `array_is_list($a)` is
* undecidable (maybe true), not "always false", and narrowing to a list is reachable.
*
* Several analyzers historically treated the optional string key as required and
* collapsed the list check to "always false" / "impossible". Phan alone reports the
* check as "maybe", which is the runtime-correct verdict.
*
* References:
* - PHPStan https://github.com/phpstan/phpstan/issues/14938 (fix: phpstan-src#6025)
* - Psalm https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/issues/11905 (open)
* - Mago https://github.com/carthage-software/mago/issues/2073 (fixed in 1.43)
* - Cross-tool survey https://github.com/phpstan/phpstan/discussions/14939
*/
/** @param array{a?: string} $a */
function optionalStringKeyIsList(array $a): void // E<noverify>: NoVerify does not parse array shape syntax and flags the annotation itself, not the list narrowing
{
if (array_is_list($a)) { // E<phpstan>: array{a?: string} admits [], so the check is maybe-true not always-false (#14938) // E<phpstan-strict>: same always-false verdict under strict rules // E<psalm>: TypeDoesNotContainType, reported as never list<mixed> (#11905) // E<mago>: impossible-type-comparison in 1.19, fixed in 1.43 (#2073)
echo "reached at runtime when \$a === []\n";
}
}
/** @param array{a?: string} $a */
function optionalStringKeyAssertList(array $a): void // E<noverify>: NoVerify does not parse array shape syntax and flags the annotation itself, not the list narrowing
{
assert(array_is_list($a)); // E<phpstan>: assert collapses to always-false on the optional-key shape (#14938) // E<phpstan-strict>: same always-false verdict under strict rules // E<psalm>: TypeDoesNotContainType, reported as never list<mixed> (#11905) // E<mago>: impossible-type-comparison in 1.19, fixed in 1.43 (#2073)
}
optionalStringKeyIsList([]);
optionalStringKeyAssertList([]);