🚀 Payload CMS 3.0 MCP Server
A specialized MCP server for Payload CMS 3.0
Validate code, generate templates, and scaffold projects following best practices
📋 Overview
The Payload CMS 3.0 MCP Server is a specialized Model Context Protocol server designed to enhance your Payload CMS development experience. It helps developers build better Payload CMS applications by providing code validation, template generation, and project scaffolding capabilities that follow best practices.
✨ Features
📚Code ValidationValidate Payload CMS code for collections, fields, globals, and config files with detailed feedback on syntax errors and best practices. |
🔍Code GenerationGenerate code templates for collections, fields, globals, access control, hooks, endpoints, plugins, blocks, and migrations. |
🚀Project ScaffoldingScaffold entire Payload CMS projects with validated options for consistency and adherence to best practices. |
🔧 Payload CMS 3.0 Capabilities
Validation Tools
validate- Validate code for collections, fields, globals, and configquery- Query validation rules and best practicesmcp_query- Execute SQL-like queries for Payload CMS structures
Code Generation
generate_template- Generate code templates for various componentsgenerate_collection- Create complete collection definitionsgenerate_field- Generate field definitions with proper typing
Project Setup
scaffold_project- Create entire Payload CMS project structuresvalidate_scaffold_options- Ensure scaffold options follow best practices (used internally by scaffold_project)
📝 Detailed Tool Reference
Validation Tools
validate
Validates Payload CMS code for syntax and best practices.
Parameters:
code(string): The code to validatefileType(enum): Type of file - "collection", "field", "global", or "config"
Example Prompt:
Can you validate this Payload CMS collection code?
```typescript
export const Posts = {
slug: 'posts',
fields: [
{
name: 'title',
type: 'text',
required: true,
},
{
name: 'content',
type: 'richText',
}
],
admin: {
useAsTitle: 'title',
}
}
query
Queries validation rules and best practices for Payload CMS.
Parameters:
query(string): The query stringfileType(optional enum): Type of file - "collection", "field", "global", or "config"
Example Prompt:
What are the best practices for implementing access control in Payload CMS collections?
mcp_query
Executes SQL-like queries against Payload CMS structures.
Parameters:
sql(string): SQL-like query string
Example Prompt:
Can you execute this query to find all valid field types in Payload CMS?
SELECT field_types FROM payload_schema WHERE version = '3.0'
Code Generation
generate_template
Generates code templates for various Payload CMS components.
Parameters:
templateType(enum): Type of template - "collection", "field", "global", "config", "access-control", "hook", "endpoint", "plugin", "block", "migration"options(record): Configuration options for the template
Example Prompt:
Generate a template for a Payload CMS hook that logs when a document is created.
generate_collection
Generates a complete Payload CMS collection definition.
Parameters:
slug(string): Collection slugfields(optional array): Array of field objectsauth(optional boolean): Whether this is an auth collectiontimestamps(optional boolean): Whether to include timestampsadmin(optional object): Admin panel configurationhooks(optional boolean): Whether to include hooksaccess(optional boolean): Whether to include access controlversions(optional boolean): Whether to enable versioning
Example Prompt:
Generate a Payload CMS collection for a blog with title, content, author, and published date fields. Include timestamps and versioning.
generate_field
Generates a Payload CMS field definition.
Parameters:
name(string): Field nametype(string): Field typerequired(optional boolean): Whether the field is requiredunique(optional boolean): Whether the field should be uniquelocalized(optional boolean): Whether the field should be localizedaccess(optional boolean): Whether to include access controladmin(optional object): Admin panel configurationvalidation(optional boolean): Whether to include validationdefaultValue(optional any): Default value for the field
Example Prompt:
Generate a Payload CMS image field with validation that requires alt text and has a description in the admin panel.
Project Setup
scaffold_project
Scaffolds a complete Payload CMS project structure.
Parameters:
projectName(string): Name of the projectdescription(optional string): Project descriptionserverUrl(optional string): Server URLdatabase(optional enum): Database type - "mongodb" or "postgres"auth(optional boolean): Whether to include authenticationadmin(optional object): Admin panel configurationcollections(optional array): Array of collection objectsglobals(optional array): Array of global objectsblocks(optional array): Array of block objectsplugins(optional array): Array of plugin stringstypescript(optional boolean): Whether to use TypeScript
Example Prompt:
Scaffold a Payload CMS project called "blog-platform" with MongoDB, authentication, and collections for posts, categories, and users. Include a global for site settings.
🚀 Getting Started
1. Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- Node.js 18+ (required for Payload CMS 3.0)
- An active Railway account
- A Railway API token (create one at railway.app/account/tokens)
- Basic familiarity with Payload CMS 3.0 concepts
2. Configure Cursor
To use with Cursor IDE:
- Open Cursor Settings
- Go to MCP Servers section
- Add a new MCP server
- Name it "Payload CMS 3.0 MCP"
- Set Transport Type to "Command"
- Set Command to:
railway run --service=YOUR_SERVICE_ID - Save the configuration
3. Using the MCP Server
Once configured, you can use these tools in your AI prompts:
- Code Validation: "Validate this Payload CMS collection code"
- Template Generation: "Generate a template for a media collection"
- Query Rules: "Query validation rules for access control"
- SQL-like Queries: "Execute a query to find field types for collections"
4. Example Workflow
A typical workflow with the Payload CMS MCP Server:
- Generate a collection template with specific fields
- Validate the generated code for best practices
- Query for specific validation rules to improve the code
- Generate additional components like hooks or endpoints
- Scaffold a complete project structure when ready
5. Complete Workflow Example
Here's a complete example of how you might use the MCP server in a conversation:
User: I need to create a Payload CMS collection for a product catalog.
AI: I'll help you create a product catalog collection. Let me generate a template for you.
[Uses generate_collection tool]
Here's a collection template for your product catalog:
```typescript
import { CollectionConfig } from 'payload/types';
export const Products: CollectionConfig = {
slug: 'products',
admin: {
useAsTitle: 'name',
defaultColumns: ['name', 'price', 'category', 'inStock'],
group: 'Shop',
},
access: {
read: () => true,
},
fields: [
{
name: 'name',
type: 'text',
required: true,
},
{
name: 'description',
type: 'richText',
},
{
name: 'price',
type: 'number',
required: true,
},
{
name: 'category',
type: 'relationship',
relationTo: 'categories',
required: true,
},
{
name: 'images',
type: 'array',
fields: [
{
name: 'image',
type: 'upload',
relationTo: 'media',
required: true,
},
{
name: 'altText',
type: 'text',
required: true,
}
]
},
{
name: 'inStock',
type: 'checkbox',
defaultValue: true,
},
],
timestamps: true,
}
User: Can you validate this code to make sure it follows best practices?
AI: I'll validate the code for you.
[Uses validate tool]
The validation results show that your code is valid and follows best practices. Here are a few suggestions:
- Consider adding a maxDepth to your category relationship field to prevent deep queries
- You might want to add access control for create, update, and delete operations
- Consider adding hooks for inventory management when products are updated
User: What are the best practices for access control in Payload CMS?
AI: Let me query the validation rules for access control.
[Uses query tool]
Here are the best practices for access control in Payload CMS:
- Always define explicit access control functions for create, read, update, and delete operations
- Use role-based access control for admin users
- Implement field-level access control for sensitive data
- Use collection-level access control for broad permissions
- Consider using hooks alongside access control for complex logic
User: Now I need to scaffold a complete project with this product collection and a categories collection.
AI: I'll scaffold a complete project for you.
[Uses scaffold_project tool]
I've generated a complete Payload CMS project structure with the following:
- Product collection as you specified
- Categories collection with name and description fields
- Media collection for product images
- Authentication for admin users
- TypeScript configuration
- MongoDB database setup
- All necessary files and configurations
The project is ready to be initialized with npm install and npm run dev.
📋 Scaffolding Examples & Detailed Prompts
Project Scaffolding Examples
When you scaffold a project using the MCP server, you'll receive a complete project structure. Here's what a scaffolded e-commerce project might look like:
e-commerce-platform/
├── .env
├── .eslintrc.js
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── src/
│ ├── payload.config.ts
│ ├── server.ts
│ ├── collections/
│ │ ├── Products.ts
│ │ ├── Categories.ts
│ │ ├── Orders.ts
│ │ ├── Customers.ts
│ │ ├── Media.ts
│ │ └── Users.ts
│ ├── globals/
│ │ ├── Settings.ts
│ │ └── Footer.ts
│ ├── blocks/
│ │ ├── Hero.ts
│ │ ├── ProductGrid.ts
│ │ └── CallToAction.ts
│ ├── fields/
│ │ ├── richText/
│ │ ├── metaImage.ts
│ │ └── slug.ts
│ ├── hooks/
│ │ ├── beforeChange.ts
│ │ └── afterChange.ts
│ ├── access/
│ │ ├── isAdmin.ts
│ │ └── isAdminOrSelf.ts
│ └── utilities/
│ ├── formatSlug.ts
│ └── sendEmail.ts
Example Scaffold Project Prompt (Basic)
Scaffold a Payload CMS project for a blog platform with the following:
- Project name: blog-platform
- Database: MongoDB
- Authentication: Yes
- Collections: Posts, Categories, Authors, Media
- Globals: SiteSettings
- TypeScript: Yes
Example Scaffold Project Prompt (Detailed)
Scaffold a comprehensive Payload CMS project for an e-commerce platform with the following specifications:
Project details:
- Name: luxury-watches-store
- Description: "An e-commerce platform for luxury watches"
- Database: PostgreSQL
- TypeScript: Yes
Collections needed:
1. Products collection with:
- Name (text, required)
- Description (rich text)
- Price (number, required)
- SKU (text, unique)
- Brand (relationship to Brands collection)
- Categories (relationship to Categories, multiple)
- Features (array of text fields)
- Specifications (array of key-value pairs)
- Images (array of media uploads with alt text)
- Stock quantity (number)
- Status (select: available, out of stock, discontinued)
2. Categories collection with:
- Name (text, required)
- Description (rich text)
- Parent category (self-relationship)
- Image (media upload)
3. Brands collection with:
- Name (text, required)
- Logo (media upload)
- Description (rich text)
- Founded year (number)
- Country of origin (text)
4. Orders collection with:
- Order number (text, generated)
- Customer (relationship to Users)
- Products (array of relationships to Products with quantity)
- Status (select: pending, processing, shipped, delivered, cancelled)
- Shipping address (group of fields)
- Billing address (group of fields)
- Payment method (select)
- Total amount (number, calculated)
- Notes (text)
5. Users collection (auth enabled) with:
- Email (email, required)
- Name (text, required)
- Shipping addresses (array of address groups)
- Order history (relationship to Orders)
- Wishlist (relationship to Products)
- Role (select: customer, admin)
Globals:
1. SiteSettings with:
- Site name
- Logo
- Contact information
- Social media links
- SEO defaults
2. ShippingMethods with:
- Array of shipping options with prices
Include access control for:
- Admin-only access to manage products, categories, brands
- Customer access to their own orders and profile
- Public read access to products and categories
Add hooks for:
- Updating stock when orders are placed
- Generating order numbers
- Sending email notifications on order status changes
Example Collection Creation Prompt (Basic)
Generate a Payload CMS collection for blog posts with title, content, author, and published date fields.
Example Collection Creation Prompt (Detailed)
Generate a Payload CMS collection for a real estate property listing with the following specifications:
Collection name: Properties
Admin configuration:
- Use "title" as the display field
- Group under "Listings" in the admin panel
- Default columns: title, price, location, status, createdAt
Fields:
1. Title (text, required)
2. Slug (text, unique, generated from title)
3. Description (rich text with basic formatting options)
4. Price (number, required)
5. Location (group) with:
- Address (text)
- City (text, required)
- State/Province (text, required)
- Postal code (text)
- Country (select from predefined list)
- Coordinates (point) for map display
6. Property details (group) with:
- Property type (select: house, apartment, condo, land, commercial)
- Bedrooms (number)
- Bathrooms (number)
- Square footage (number)
- Lot size (number)
- Year built (number)
- Parking spaces (number)
7. Features (array of checkboxes) including:
- Air conditioning
- Swimming pool
- Garden
- Garage
- Fireplace
- Security system
- Elevator
- Furnished
8. Images (array of media uploads with alt text and caption)
9. Documents (array of file uploads for floor plans, certificates, etc.)
10. Status (select: available, under contract, sold, off market)
11. Featured (checkbox to highlight on homepage)
12. Agent (relationship to Users collection, required)
13. Related properties (relationship to self, multiple)
Access control:
- Public read access
- Agent can create and edit their own listings
- Admin can manage all listings
Hooks:
- Before change: Format slug from title
- After change: Notify agent of status changes
Versioning: Enabled
Timestamps: Enabled
Level of Detail in Prompts
The MCP server can handle prompts with varying levels of detail:
Minimal Detail (AI fills in the gaps)
Generate a collection for blog posts.
Moderate Detail (Specific requirements)
Generate a collection for blog posts with title, content, featured image, categories, and author fields. Make title and content required.
High Detail (Complete specifications)
Generate a collection for blog posts with:
- Slug: posts
- Fields:
- Title (text, required)
- Content (rich text with custom formatting options)
- Featured image (upload with alt text)
- Categories (relationship to categories collection, multiple)
- Author (relationship to users collection)
- Status (select: draft, published, archived)
- Published date (date)
- SEO (group with title, description, and keywords)
- Admin configuration:
- Use title as display field
- Group under "Content"
- Default columns: title, author, status, publishedDate
- Access control for different user roles
- Hooks for slug generation and notification
- Enable versioning and timestamps
Tips for Effective Prompts
-
Be specific about requirements: The more details you provide, the more tailored the output will be.
-
Specify relationships: Clearly indicate how collections relate to each other.
-
Include validation needs: Mention any validation rules or constraints for fields.
-
Describe admin UI preferences: Specify how you want the collection to appear in the admin panel.
-
Mention hooks and access control: If you need specific business logic or security rules, include them in your prompt.
-
Use domain-specific terminology: Describe your project using terms relevant to your industry or use case.
📄 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
🌍 About MATMAX WORLDWIDE
MATMAX WORLDWIDE
Creating technology that helps humans be more human.
We believe in tech for good—tools that enhance our lives while respecting our humanity.
Join us in building a future where technology serves wellness, connection, and purpose. Together, we can create digital experiences that bring out the best in us all.
Visit matmax.world to learn more about our vision for human-centered technology.
🖥️ Running Locally
You can run the Payload CMS MCP Server locally using npm:
Option 1: Install from npm
# Install globally
npm install -g payload-cms-mcp
# Run the server
payload-cms-mcp
Option 2: Clone the repository
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/Matmax-Worldwide/payloadcmsmcp.git
cd payloadcmsmcp
- Install dependencies:
npm install
- Run the server locally:
npm run dev
Or alternatively:
npm run local
Your MCP server will now be running locally and accessible for development and testing without requiring a Railway API token.
🚀 Deployment Options
Deploy to Railway (Recommended)
The easiest way to deploy the MCP server is using Railway's one-click deployment:
After clicking the button:
- Select "Deploy from GitHub repo"
- Search for "Matmax-Worldwide/payloadcmsmcp"
- Click "Deploy Now"
Quick Cursor IDE Setup
After deployment:
- Install Railway CLI:
npm install -g @railway/cli - Login to Railway:
railway login - Link to your project:
railway link - In Cursor Settings > MCP Servers, set Command to:
railway run