The `hasPermissionTo` method in Spatie's Laravel Permission package does not inherently handle Super-Admin functionality. This is because `hasPermissionTo` directly checks the database for assigned permissions and does not go through Laravel's Gate system where Super-Admin overrides are typically implemented.
How Super-Admin is usually handled
- The recommended way to implement Super-Admin functionality is by using Laravel's Gate::before or Policy::before methods. These provide a global override that grants all permissions to users with the Super-Admin role before any permission checks occur.
- For example, in the `boot()` method of your `AuthServiceProvider`, you can add:
php
Gate::before(function ($user, $ability) {
return $user->hasRole('Super Admin') ? true : null;
});
This means any call to Laravel's authorization methods like `$user->can('some-permission')` or Blade's `@can` directive will automatically return `true` for Super-Admins without checking the database for each permission[2][7].
Why `hasPermissionTo` does not support Super-Admin implicitly
- The `hasPermissionTo` method bypasses Laravel's Gate and directly queries the permissions assigned to the user or their roles. It does not trigger the `Gate::before` callbacks.
- Therefore, if a Super-Admin role does not have explicit permissions assigned in the database, `hasPermissionTo` will return `false` even if the user is a Super-Admin.
- This behavior is confirmed by users who report that `can()` works correctly for Super-Admins due to the Gate override, but `hasPermissionTo()` returns `false` unless the permissions are explicitly assigned to the Super-Admin role[1][5].
Best practice
- Use Laravel's authorization methods (`can()`, `canAny()`, `canAll()`) for permission checks in your application to leverage the Super-Admin override.
- Avoid using `hasPermissionTo` for authorization decisions if you rely on a Super-Admin role that should bypass normal permission checks.
- If you must use `hasPermissionTo` directly, you need to assign all permissions explicitly to the Super-Admin role, which is not efficient or scalable[2][4].
Summary
- `hasPermissionTo` checks permissions strictly from the database and does not consider Super-Admin status.**
- Super-Admin functionality is best implemented via `Gate::before` or `Policy::before` methods, which affect Laravel's `can()` checks but not `hasPermissionTo`.**
- For correct Super-Admin behavior, use `$user->can('permission')` instead of `$user->hasPermissionTo('permission')`.**
This approach aligns with Laravel and Spatie's recommended best practices for handling Super-Admin roles and permissions[2][5][7].
Citations:
[1] https://github.com/spatie/laravel-permission/issues/1492
[2] https://spatie.be/docs/laravel-permission/v6/basic-usage/super-admin
[3] https://github.com/spatie/laravel-permission/discussions/2711
[4] https://spatie.be/docs/laravel-permission/v6/basic-usage/direct-permissions
[5] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/58093970/spatie-laravel-permissions-gate-and-haspermissionto-are-not-working
[6] https://docs.processmaker.com/docs/permission-descriptions-for-users-and-groups
[7] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65213504/how-to-use-correctly-super-admins-role-in-laravel-spatie
[8] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/49194843/admin-table-instead-of-user-table-in-spatie-laravel-permission