Payload CMS 3.0 MCP Server

A specialized MCP server for Payload CMS 3.0 that validates code, generates templates, and scaffolds projects following best practices.

Explore Features Get Started

Features

Enhance your Payload CMS 3.0 development with AI that understands the framework's architecture and best practices.

Code Validation

Validate Payload CMS code for collections, fields, globals, and config files with detailed feedback on syntax errors and best practices.

Code Generation

Generate code templates for collections, fields, globals, access control, hooks, endpoints, plugins, blocks, and migrations.

Project Scaffolding

Scaffold entire Payload CMS projects with validated options for consistency and adherence to best practices.

Payload CMS 3.0 Capabilities

AI-powered tools to help you build robust Payload CMS 3.0 applications following best practices.

Validation Tools

validate - Validate code for collections, fields, globals, and config
query - Query validation rules and best practices
mcp_query - Execute SQL-like queries for Payload CMS structures

Code Generation

generate_template - Generate code templates for various components
generate_collection - Create complete collection definitions
generate_field - Generate field definitions with proper typing

Project Setup

scaffold_project - Create entire Payload CMS project structures
validate_scaffold_options - Ensure scaffold options follow best practices

Payload CMS 3.0 AI Integration

Connect to the MCP server to build Payload CMS 3.0 applications with AI that validates code, generates templates, and follows best practices.

Cursor IDE Integration

Use the MCP server with Cursor IDE to validate Payload CMS 3.0 code, generate templates, and scaffold projects with AI assistance.

                            // In Cursor Settings > MCP Servers
                            Name: "Payload CMS 3.0 MCP"
                            Transport Type: "Command"
                            
                            // Option 1: After linking with Railway CLI
                            Command: railway run
                            
                            // Option 2: Using API token and service ID
                            Command: railway run --service=YOUR_SERVICE_ID
                        

Example Commands

Once configured, you can use natural language to interact with the Payload CMS MCP Server.

"Validate this collection code for Payload CMS 3.0"
"Generate a template for a blog collection with title, content, and author fields"
"Query validation rules for access control in Payload CMS 3.0"
"Generate a field definition for an image field with validation"

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Getting Started

Follow these steps to set up and start using the Payload CMS MCP Server.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Node.js 18+ (required for Payload CMS 3.0)
npm or yarn package manager
An active Railway account (for Railway deployment)
A Railway API token (create one at railway.app/account/tokens)
Basic familiarity with Payload CMS 3.0 concepts

Installation Options

Option 1: Install from npm (Recommended)

                            # Install specific version globally
                            npm install -g payload-cms-mcp@1.0.2
                            
                            # Or install latest version
                            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 development server
                            npm run dev
                        

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 one of the following options:

For Railway deployment: railway run (after linking with railway link)
For local installation: payload-cms-mcp (if installed via npm)
For local repository: npm run dev (in the repository directory)

Save the configuration

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"