Let’s be honest. As developers, we all hoped that tools like ChatGPT would let us write complex modules, automate repetitive tasks, and maybe even write a full feature while we sip tea. But if you're working with Drupal - or any deeply structured framework- you’ve probably already hit some painful limits.
1. The Context Problem
ChatGPT doesn’t persist knowledge across sessions, and even within a single session, there are limits to how much context it can hold. That’s a huge problem in Drupal development. A single module can include:
- Dozens of services
- Multiple plugin types
- Custom entities, forms, routing, schema files
- And business logic spread across 10+ files
Each time you make a request, the ChatGPT API has no inherent memory of your codebase - unless you paste everything in. That’s where token limits hit hard. You either:
- Summarise your module and lose fidelity
- Or paste full files and burn through your token quota
Either way, it’s not yet sustainable for end-to-end development.
2. It Forgets. Constantly.
Session ended? So did your context. There’s no true “project memory” built into the native ChatGPT window. If you told it earlier that your custom entity is called GiftItem and you’ve got a helper service called gift_helper, it won’t remember that next time. You end up babysitting the assistant, re-explaining your architecture on every prompt.
3. It Often Gets Things Wrong
ChatGPT can be stunningly helpful, but it also makes subtle (and not-so-subtle) mistakes. In Drupal:
- It frequently suggests outdated code patterns
- It forgets to add
->accessCheck(FALSE)to entity queries - It writes form classes that miss `getFormId()` or misplace `buildForm()` logic
- It sometimes gives “Symfony-like” answers that don’t follow Drupal’s conventions
In short: you need to know Drupal to use ChatGPT effectively for Drupal. If you're not already experienced, it will lead you astray.
4. The Dataset is Stale
Even with GPT-4, its training data is always behind. It might not know about the latest version of a contributed module, or that Drupal 11 shifted things from core/modules to core/. It might suggest deprecated hooks or ignore current best practices like using event subscribers or dependency injection.
You’ll still get useful scaffolding, and you’ll definitely save time - but only if you can spot what’s wrong or outdated.
5. It’s Great for Snippets, Not Systems
Right now, ChatGPT shines when you ask it to:
- Write a quick plugin skeleton
- Generate a route and controller pair
- Explain what a tricky piece of Symfony code does
- Convert a procedural block into a service call
But the moment you need it to understand your module's architecture, stateful service logic, or interconnected hooks, you’re better off treating it as a writing assistant - not a co-pilot.
6. So… Should You Use It?
Yes. Just not blindly.
Use ChatGPT for:
- Breaking writer’s block when you start a class
- Refactoring or suggesting cleaner naming
- Converting callbacks into modern OOP style
- Writing docs or comments while you focus on logic
But keep your eyes open. Always sanity-check what it gives you. Don't assume it understands your architecture or will follow the "Drupal way" unless you explicitly guide it.
Summary
ChatGPT is a promising tool for Drupal development - but as of today, it needs a lot of babysitting. It doesn’t know your project unless you paste it in (which costs tokens), and it can forget critical things from one message to the next. It’s great for snippets, helpful for learning, but it’s not yet capable of owning the full development process inside a complex framework like Drupal.
Use it to accelerate. Not to autopilot.
Tags: Drupal Development, ChatGPT, AI Coding Tools, PHP, Framework Limitations