diff --git a/modules/lang/php/autoload.el b/modules/lang/php/autoload.el
index 53ce77a57..b5a6f9fb4 100644
--- a/modules/lang/php/autoload.el
+++ b/modules/lang/php/autoload.el
@@ -13,3 +13,12 @@ ignore the cache."
                                  (require 'json)
                                  (json-read-file package-file))))
             (puthash project-root data +php-composer-conf))))))
+
+;;;###autoload
+(defun +php|init-ac-php-core-eldoc ()
+  "Initialize eldoc support for `php-mode' with `ac-php-core'. Fails gracefully
+if phpctags isn't installed."
+  (require 'company-php)
+  (if (file-exists-p ac-php-ctags-executable)
+      (ac-php-core-eldoc-setup)
+    (message "phpctags is missing; eldoc support is disabled")))
diff --git a/modules/lang/php/config.el b/modules/lang/php/config.el
index ea01efcb4..22d5788c9 100644
--- a/modules/lang/php/config.el
+++ b/modules/lang/php/config.el
@@ -74,10 +74,17 @@
 (def-package! company-php
   :when (featurep! :completion company)
   :commands (ac-php-remake-tags ac-php-remake-tags-all)
-  :hook (php-mode . ac-php-core-eldoc-setup)
   :init
   (add-to-list '+php--company-backends 'company-ac-php-backend nil #'eq)
-  :config (setq ac-php-tags-path (concat doom-cache-dir "ac-php/")))
+  (add-hook 'php-mode-hook #'+php|init-ac-php-core-eldoc)
+  :config
+  (setq ac-php-tags-path (concat doom-cache-dir "ac-php/"))
+  ;; prioritize phpctags in PATH
+  (when (file-in-directory-p ac-php-ctags-executable ac-php-root-directory)
+    (setq ac-php-ctags-executable
+          (or (executable-find "phpctags")
+              (if (file-exists-p ac-php-ctags-executable)
+                  ac-php-ctags-executable)))))
 
 
 ;;