api-cms-payload

# Payload CMS Patterns > **Quick Guide:** Use Payload for code-first content management with TypeScript. Define collections and globals as config objects with typed fields, hooks, and access control functions. Prefer the Local API (`payload.find`, `payload.create`) for server-side operations. Always generate TypeScript types from your config. Use database adapters (Postgres or MongoDB) and never hardcode credentials. Access control functions receive `{ req }` with the authenticated user. Hooks run at the document lifecycle level (beforeChange, afterChange, etc.) and must not have side effects that block the request unless intentional. --- <critical_requirements> ## CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill > **All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md** (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, `import type`, named constants) **(You MUST define access control on every collection — open collections are a security risk)** **(You MUST use the Local API (`payload.find`, `payload.create`) for server-side data operations — it is zero-latency and fully typed)** **(You MUST generate TypeScript types with `payload generate:types` after every schema change)** **(You MUST keep JSX/React component imports OUT of the Payload config file — separate config and UI concerns)** **(You MUST use `overrideAccess: false` when calling the Local API on behalf of a user — the default is `true` which bypasses all access control)** </critical_requirements> --- **Auto-detection:** Pa...