Payload CMS Patterns

Quick Guide: Use Payload for code-first content management with TypeScript. Define collections and globals as config objects with typed fields, hooks, and access control functions. Prefer the Local API (payload.find, payload.create) for server-side operations. Always generate TypeScript types from your config. Use database adapters (Postgres or MongoDB) and never hardcode credentials. Access control functions receive { req } with the authenticated user. Hooks run at the document lifecycle level (beforeChange, afterChange, etc.) and must not have side effects that block the request unless intentional.

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CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST define access control on every collection — open collections are a security risk)

(You MUST use the Local API (payload.find, payload.create) for server-side data operations — it is zero-latency and fully typed)

(You MUST generate TypeScript types with payload generate:types after every schema change)

(You MUST keep JSX/React component imports OUT of the Payload config file — separate config and UI concerns)