Payload CMS 3.0 MCP Server - A specialized Model Context Protocol server for Payload CMS
Most developer tooling work still happens through a UI a human drives. Payload MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. Payload CMS 3.0 MCP Server - A specialized Model Context Protocol server for Payload CMS.
Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at payload-cms-mcp on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
The server publishes 7 tools. What each one is for:
validate — Validate code for collections, fields, globals, and configquery — Query validation rules and best practicesmcp_query — Execute SQL-like queries for Payload CMS structuresgenerate_template — Generates code templates for various Payload CMS componentsgenerate_collection — The generate_collection tool exposed by this servergenerate_field — The generate_field tool exposed by this serverscaffold_project — The scaffold_project tool exposed by this serverConfiguration is passed through the environment: YOUR_SERVICE_ID. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.
Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Payload's toolset — validate, query, mcp_query and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by matmaxtech; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against Payload's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| generate_template | Generates code templates for various Payload CMS components. |
| generate_collection | The generate_collection tool exposed by this server. |
| generate_field | The generate_field tool exposed by this server. |
| scaffold_project | The scaffold_project tool exposed by this server. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"payload-cms": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "payload-cms-mcp"],
"env": {
"YOUR_SERVICE_ID": "your-value"
}
}
}
}Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| YOUR_SERVICE_ID | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
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