Laravel Multi-Guard Pitfall: Auth::user() Returns the Wrong User – Here’s Why and How to Fix It

When using multiple guards in Laravel — like web, admin, or api—you might run into a subtle but frustrating issue:
Auth::user() suddenly returns the wrong user, even though your logic assumes a specific guard (like admin) is active.

This gets especially tricky with packages like Voyager, which internally rely on Auth::user() without being aware of your custom guard setup.

🔍 The Problem

You’ve defined multiple guards in config/auth.php:

'guards' => [
    'web' => [...],
    'admin' => [
        'driver' => 'session',
        'provider' => 'voyager',
    ],
    ...
],

In your admin controller, you might expect the admin guard to apply:

class AdminController extends Controller
{
    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->middleware('auth:admin');
    }

    public function index()
    {
        dd(Auth::user()); // ✅ returns the admin
    }
}

But if you accidentally override the constructor and forget to call parent::__construct(), the middleware won’t run:

public function __construct(private SomeService $service)
{
    // auth:admin never runs here!
}

Now Auth::user() falls back to the default guard (web) — and Voyager (or your policies) break with strange SQL errors like:

SQLSTATE[42S22]: Unknown column 'user_roles.user_id'

✅ The Fix

If you override a controller constructor, always call parent::__construct():

public function __construct(private SomeService $service)
{
    parent::__construct(); // ✅ ensures auth:admin middleware is applied
}

However, the recommended approach is to avoid setting middleware in controllers altogether and instead apply it at the route group level for better clarity and maintainability:

Route::middleware(['web', 'auth:admin'])
    ->prefix('admin')
    ->group(function () {
        Route::get('/dashboard', [AdminController::class, 'index']);
        // Other admin routes...
    });

✅ This keeps your controllers clean and avoids bugs caused by missing middleware.

Bonus Tip: Understanding Guard Resolution Order

Laravel resolves the active guard for auth()->user() using this priority:

1. Auth::shouldUse('guard') – manually enforced
2. auth:guard middleware – per request
3. config/auth.php → 'defaults.guard' – fallback

Always ensure the right guard is active if you’re relying on Auth::user().

✅ TL;DR

• If Auth::user() returns a user from the wrong guard, check your middleware.
• Forgot to call parent::__construct()? That’s likely it.
• Voyager and similar packages expect Auth::user() to return the admin — give them what they expect.