payload-cms

name	payload-cms
description	Payload CMS v3 conventions and best practices. Use when working on cms/, creating collections, fields, blocks, access control, or Payload local API queries.

Payload CMS Rules

Key Principles

• Write concise, technical TypeScript code
• Prefer iteration and modularization over code duplication
• Use descriptive variable names

Collection Fields

• All fields should have required: true by default, unless explicitly optional

Access Control

• Define granular access control for all collections
• Use authenticated as a default
• Use anyone for public read access

Types

• Use TypeScript for all code
• Avoid using the any type or type assertions; use proper type definitions and type guards instead

Performance

Payload Local API Queries (payload.find)

To optimize Payload local API queries for speed and efficiency:

• Use depth: 0 (or smallest depth possible) to avoid unnecessary relational field population
• Use the select property to limit returned fields to only those needed
• Set limit: <number> and pagination: false when pagination is not needed
• Always pass the req object to keep the query part of the same database transaction

req.payload.find({
  collection: "pages",
  depth: 0,
  select: {
    slug: true,
    path: true,
  },
  limit: 0,
  pagination: false,
  req,
});