payload

Guide Payload CMS configuration, queries, access control, and hook debugging.

2|Updated Apr 8, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/miptah21/skills --skill payload-miptah21
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: payload
Source: https://github.com/miptah21/skills/tree/main/.agents/skills/payload
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/miptah21/skills --skill payload-miptah21

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill helps you develop, debug, and secure Payload CMS projects by providing practical guidance for configuration, queries, hooks, access control, and common failure modes.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Use when working with Payload CMS: focuses on real development tasks across payload.config.ts, collections, fields, hooks, and access control.
  • Debug validation, security, and relationship issues: applies to diagnosing validation errors, hook behavior, and relationship query problems.
  • Handle drafts, computed/virtual fields, conditional admin UI, and transactions: supports common production patterns like versioning workflows, virtual fields via afterRead, conditional admin.condition, and transaction-safe nested operations using req.

Quick Start

Use the payload skill to implement an access-controlled Payload CMS collection with draft/publish versions, relationship queries, and transaction-safe hooks.

Frequently Asked Questions about payload

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I configure access control rules for Payload CMS collections?

Payload CMS access control is configured by defining collection and field-level access functions in payload.config.ts. This skill guides implementing security rules that evaluate user roles and restrict document operations across your collections.

How do I preserve transaction context in nested Payload CMS hook operations?

To preserve transaction context in Payload CMS hooks, you must pass the req object through nested operations. This skill helps resolve transaction-safe execution patterns to prevent data inconsistency during complex relationship queries.

Why are my Payload CMS relationship queries returning validation errors?

Payload CMS relationship queries often fail due to nested property misconfiguration or missing query operators. This skill diagnoses validation errors and helps structure relationship queries to resolve data fetching problems in Next.js TypeScript.

How do I implement draft and publish workflows with versioning in Payload CMS?

Draft and publish workflows in Payload CMS use versioning and _status handling to manage document states. This skill supports configuring versioning workflows and conditional admin UI to separate draft content from published data.

Can I create computed or virtual fields using Payload CMS afterRead hooks?

Computed and virtual fields in Payload CMS are generated using afterRead hooks to dynamically calculate data. This skill provides patterns for implementing virtual fields and conditional admin.condition logic without persisting data to the database.