Intervention/image · error · InvalidArgumentException

Invalid sharpening level. Must be int<0, max>

Error message

Invalid sharpening level. Must be int<0, max>

What it means

SharpenModifier backs $image->sharpen($level) and accepts any int greater than or equal to 0. The level controls sharpening intensity; 0 is a valid no-op value, but negative values have no defined meaning, so the constructor throws InvalidArgumentException with the message 'Invalid sharpening level. Must be int<0, max>' (the int<0, max> notation is the PHPStan range for non-negative integers).

Source

Thrown at src/Modifiers/SharpenModifier.php:18

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Intervention\Image\Modifiers;

use Intervention\Image\Drivers\SpecializableModifier;
use Intervention\Image\Exceptions\InvalidArgumentException;

class SharpenModifier extends SpecializableModifier
{
    /**
     * @throws InvalidArgumentException
     */
    public function __construct(public int $level)
    {
        if ($this->level < 0) {
            throw new InvalidArgumentException('Invalid sharpening level. Must be int<0, max>');
        }
    }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 5598b9e397)

Solutions

1. Clamp the level to 0 before calling: $image->sharpen(max(0, $level))
2. Cast and validate external input: $level = (int) $input; if ($level < 0) reject or normalize
3. If a negative value means 'blur' in your domain, translate it to the appropriate blur() call instead of passing it to sharpen()

Example fix

// before
$image->sharpen($request->input('sharpen'));

// after
$level = max(0, (int) $request->input('sharpen'));
$image->sharpen($level);

// Clamp before sharpening
$level = (int) $input['sharpen'];
if ($level < 0) {
    $level = 0; // or reject the request
}
$image->sharpen($level);

function isValidSharpenLevel(mixed $level): bool
{
    return is_int($level) && $level >= 0;
}

use Intervention\Image\Exceptions\InvalidArgumentException;

try {
    $image->sharpen($level);
} catch (InvalidArgumentException $e) {
    // message: 'Invalid sharpening level. Must be int<0, max>'
    $image->sharpen(0);
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling $image->sharpen(-1) or new SharpenModifier(-10). Commonly the level is computed from user input, a signed calculation, or a config value that was mistyped with a minus sign.

Common situations: UI sliders or API parameters that allow the user to submit a negative sharpen amount; arithmetic on a delta (e.g. sharpen($current - $amount)) that underflows below 0; configuration files copied from another tool where the sign convention differs.

Related errors

• At least one argument must be provided: width, height, or bo
• Length must be greater than or equal to 1
• Invalid trim tolerance. Must be int<0, max>
• The value of the X-axis for {class} must be greater or equal
• The value of the Y-axis for {class} must be greater or equal

AI-assisted analysis of Intervention/image@5598b9e397 (2026-08-23). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e2f15cb931606823. Report an issue: GitHub.