How do I find abandoned PHP packages?

Three places: (1) the BreakPoint feed filtered to PHP; (2) GitHub topic search for adopt-me filtered to language:php; (3) Packagist — packages with the 'abandoned' flag and a 'use X instead' replacement. Composer shows a deprecation warning on every install of an abandoned package.

What if the abandoned package has no successor?

Leave the 'replacement package' field empty. Composer will warn that the package is abandoned but still allow installation. This signals to users that they need to either adopt it themselves or find an alternative. The 'adopt-me' topic on GitHub is then the discovery signal for a new maintainer to step up.

By language · PHP

Abandoned PHP packages looking for a new maintainer

Packagist (Composer's registry) has a formal abandoned flag with a use X instead replacement field. Composer surfaces the warning on every install. Adoption signals use the same GitHub adopt-me topic as every other language.

Published July 13, 2026 · ~3 min read

The short version

Packagist's abandoned flag is the ecosystem-level signal — Composer shows a warning on every install.
The replacement package field is optional — leave it empty if there's no successor.
The standard signal vocabulary is the GitHub adopt-me topic + looking-for-maintainer badge + a pinned issue.
Bus factor 1 + 12 months no release + unanswered issues = adoption candidate.

How to find abandoned PHP packages

The BreakPoint feed filtered to PHP, the GitHub adopt-me topic filtered to PHP, and Packagist packages with the abandoned flag. Composer surfaces the warning in every composer install output, so any project that depends on an abandoned package will have a visible warning in their CI logs. A simple way to find candidates: composer outdated on your own projects and look for the abandoned marker.

If you maintain: Packagist abandoned + GitHub signals

In your packagist.org package settings, mark the package as abandoned and provide a replacement package if there is one. The package stays on Packagist — Composer just warns. Also push a final release with a DEPRECATED note, add the GitHub adopt-me topic, the looking-for-maintainer badge, and a pinned issue. Drop the project on BreakPoint. The PHP community is on r/PHP and the PHP Discord — a "this is a good PHP package looking for a new maintainer" post will get traction.

How to find abandoned PHP packages

If you maintain: Packagist abandoned + GitHub signals

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