# Payload > Payload is an open-source, code-first headless CMS and application framework for Node.js and Next.js, now part of Figma. Agents manage content, drafts, versions and locales through generated REST and GraphQL APIs or an official MCP plugin. - Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/payload - Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/payload.md (~6,750 tokens) - Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/payload.min.md (~1,680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts) - JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/payload.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json) - Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt) - API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json - Updated: 2026-10-08 ## Overview **Grade C · 55.2/100 · rank #516 of 722 · #10 in CMS & website publishing · not agent-ready · confidence medium** ## Assessment Payload generates REST, GraphQL and MCP interfaces from one typed config, with drafts, restorable versions and per-key MCP permissions in the free MIT core. The security record is the limit. The vendor published 49 advisories in 12 months, 8 of them critical, so an install older than 3.90.0 is exposed. No OpenAPI file is published. ## Facts | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Vendor | Payload CMS, Inc. (Figma) (https://payloadcms.com) | | Kind | HTTP API | | Category | CMS & website publishing (https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/cms) | | Transport | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | | Auth | API key · Self-serve keys on your own instance, with no app review or partner approval. REST and GraphQL take a per-user API key sent as `Authorization: {collection-slug} API-Key {key}` once `auth.useAPIKey` is set on an auth collection. The key signs requests in as that user under the collection's access control, doesn't expire, is shown once, and can be regenerated or revoked by an admin. The MCP plugin has its own keys, created in the admin panel under MCP API Keys with find, create, update and delete switches per collection, sent as `Authorization: Bearer {key}`. Changing `PAYLOAD_SECRET` invalidates every key. | | Pricing | Free (Free · OSS) · Free to self-host under the MIT licence, with no account at Payload and no card, so an agent can start without a contract. Enterprise (SSO, publishing workflows, visual editor, dedicated support) is sold through sales with no public price. Payload Cloud has paused deployment of new projects since Payload joined Figma (checked 2026-10-08). | | x402 | No · No x402, MPP or L402 in the 3.x documentation, the get-started page or the MCP plugin source (checked 2026-10-08). | | Licence | MIT for the core and the official packages. Enterprise add-ons are sold separately through sales | | Packages | npm: `payload`; npm: `@payloadcms/plugin-mcp`; npm: `@payloadcms/sdk` | | Source | https://github.com/payloadcms/payload | | Docs | https://payloadcms.com/docs | | llms.txt | https://payloadcms.com/llms.txt | | Last release | 2026-09-23 | | GitHub stars | 45,151 (as of 2026-10-08) | | npm downloads / week | 1,108,564 | | Graded surface | Self-hosted Payload 3.90.2 (MIT) through its generated REST API and the official MCP plugin. Payload Cloud is closed to new projects, so it isn't graded | | REST API | Generated per collection under `/api`. GET, POST, PATCH and DELETE on `/api/{collection-slug}` and `/api/{collection-slug}/{id}`, plus `/count`, `/versions` and `/api/globals/{global-slug}`, with `depth`, `locale`, `fallback-locale`, `select`, `populate`, `limit`, `page`, `sort`, `where` and `draft` parameters | | MCP server | `@payloadcms/plugin-mcp` 3.90.2, built on `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk` 1.30.0, POST to `/api/mcp`. Tools are named `findPosts`, `createPosts`, `updatePosts` and `deletePosts` for a `posts` collection. Custom tools, prompts and resources can be added in config | | GraphQL | `@payloadcms/graphql` generates queries and mutations from the same config, with `maxComplexity` to reject costly queries | | Credentials | REST and GraphQL take a per-user API key (`auth.useAPIKey`) that doesn't expire and can be regenerated or revoked, or a JWT from login. MCP takes its own keys from the MCP API Keys collection | | Drafts and versions | `versions.drafts` adds `_status` (draft or published). `GET /api/{collection-slug}/versions`, `GET /api/{collection-slug}/versions/:id` and `POST /api/{collection-slug}/versions/:id` to restore | | Runtime | Node.js 20.9.0 or later, Next.js, and MongoDB, Postgres or SQLite | | Telemetry | On by default and described as anonymous. `telemetry: false` in the Payload config turns it off | | Paid options | Enterprise (SSO, publishing workflows, visual editor, dedicated support) through sales, no public price | | Capabilities | cms.content, cms.publish, cms.localisation, cms.assets, cms.schema | | Tags | open-source, self-hosted, mcp, llms-txt, graphql, rest, typescript, nextjs | | JSON | https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/payload.json | ## Score breakdown (methodology v0.4, October 2026 research run) Assessed 2026-10-08 from public evidence against the published checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist). Confidence: medium. Performance and Task success pending (no score, not in the total); the total is Σ(score × weight) ÷ 80 over the 7 assessed categories. "This run" is each category's share of the 100 points. | Category | Weight | This run | Score (0–100) | Points | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reliability | 16% | 20 | 78 | 15.6 | | Performance | 10% | pending | pending | n/a | | Schema & documentation | 13% | 16.2 | 70 | 11.4 | | Agent ergonomics | 13% | 16.2 | 64 | 10.4 | | Security & auth | 14% | 17.5 | 57 | 10.0 | | Payments & pricing | 10% | 12.5 | 45 | 5.6 | | Task success | 10% | pending | pending | n/a | | Maintenance & community | 7% | 8.8 | 78 | 6.8 | | Transparency & trust (editorial 74, provenance 50) | 7% | 8.8 | 62 | 5.4 | | Negative events | up to −15 | up to −15 | 18 September to 8 October 2026. Payload published 38 security advisories in three weeks, 49 in the 12 months to 8 October 2026 (8 critical, 23 high, 18 medium). They include remote code execution through the first-register operation (GHSA-97rh-rhh2-7vjv), SQL injection on Postgres and SQLite (GHSA-v49j-62m6-pgrr), unauthorised document updates on orderable collections (GHSA-f7hx-52q9-hcrf) and four in `@payloadcms/plugin-mcp`, one an account takeover through the experimental password recovery tool (GHSA-h5rh-4jwf-738p). All are fixed in 3.90.0 or earlier, each was published by the vendor with affected versions and a workaround, and we found no report of exploitation, so we deduct 10 of a possible 15. https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories | -10 | | **Total** | | | | **55.2 → C** | ### Why each score - Reliability 78: Read with the local-software lines, since the graded surface is software its owner hosts. Official npm packages, with Node.js 18.20.2 or 20.9.0 and later in `engines` and 20.9.0 in the docs (20). A public `ci` workflow runs on every push. On the 3.x branch the 7 October 2026 run passed and the 8 October run failed, and the three latest runs on main failed (17 of 25). 499 issues are open, 140 of them awaiting triage, with 225 opened and 116 closed since 10 July 2026 (12 of 25). A written semver policy marks breaking commits with `!` and lists them in release notes, but lets security fixes and experimental APIs change in minor releases (14 of 15). 3.x is the stable line, with 4.0 in canary (15). - Performance: Pending. Latency is measured per call by our probes, which haven't run yet, so this run doesn't score it. Its weight is shared across the assessed categories until the first probe window closes. - Schema & documentation 70: No OpenAPI file is published or generated by the core packages, because endpoints depend on each project's config. Every MCP tool carries a typed input schema built from the collection's fields, and the GraphQL schema is generated from the same config (20 of 25). llms.txt per major version, llms-full.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page (10). Default MCP tool descriptions are one line, such as `Create a document in a collection.`, unless the owner writes one in the plugin config. The docs tell owners to do so (10 of 20). Field inputs are typed with bounds on `limit` and `depth`, but `where` and `select` are JSON passed as strings (10 of 15). REST operations show a request and a response each. No reference page for error responses or status codes was found (8 of 15). Semver, release notes on GitHub and separate docs per major version. REST paths carry no version (12 of 15). - Agent ergonomics 64: Four MCP tools per enabled collection and two per global, so five collections give 20 tools, the 11 to 30 band (15). We added 7 because the owner enables collections and operations one by one, each key narrows the list again, and find tools default to 10 documents at depth 0 with `select` (22 of 25). Page-based pagination with `limit` and `page`, 17 `where` operators, `sort`, `select` and `populate` (20). REST errors come back in an `errors` array and MCP tools return a text line beginning `Error:`. Neither format is documented as a list an agent can match on (10 of 20). No idempotency keys, and no `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint` in the plugin source. An update by id is repeatable (4 of 20). Few required parameters and sensible defaults. The one official client, `@payloadcms/sdk` for TypeScript, is labelled beta (8 of 15). - Security & auth 57: REST keys are per user, revocable and regenerable, shown once, and limited by that user's access control down to field level. MCP keys carry per-collection, per-operation switches. Both travel only in the Authorization header. Neither expires, and there is no OAuth (24 of 30). A find-only MCP key is a config switch away and the collection's access control still runs under it. Nothing asks a person to approve a delete or a publish in the free edition (14 of 20). Documents hold text written by other people, and no prompt-injection guidance was found. `overrideResponse` can strip fields before they reach a model (3 of 15). Versions record each change, and `onEvent` and `verboseLogs` expose MCP calls to the owner's own logging. No built-in audit log (7 of 15). SECURITY.md gives a reporting address, and advisories are published on GitHub with affected versions, patches and workarounds. No security.txt, bug bounty or SOC 2 statement was found (9 of 20). - Payments & pricing 45: Scored with the self-hosted rule. No x402, MPP or L402 (0). The software is free under MIT, which the get-started page states. The only paid option, Enterprise, is priced by sales, and Payload Cloud is closed to new projects, so 15 of 20. No card and no account at Payload are needed (20). `npx create-payload-app` installs it, but the docs create REST and MCP API keys in the admin panel, so half (10). - Task success: Pending. Task success needs the category task suites run through each tool, which haven't run yet, so this run doesn't score it. Its weight is shared across the assessed categories until then. A data provider's data-quality score is published on its listing now and becomes half of this category when it's scored. - Maintenance & community 78: 3.90.2 was published to npm on 23 September 2026, 15 days before this check (30). Eight stable releases between 10 July and 23 September 2026, plus 4.0.0 canaries up to 8 October (20). 225 issues opened against 116 closed since 10 July, 140 open issues awaiting triage and 763 open pull requests (12 of 25). `@payloadcms/sdk` is current at 3.90.2 but beta and TypeScript only, and the official MCP registry has no Payload entry, which fits a plugin that runs inside each install (8 of 15). CI runs on every push. The latest 3.x run failed on 8 October 2026 (8 of 10). - Transparency & trust 62: MIT for the core and official packages, with LICENSE.md in the repository (30). A self-hosted install keeps content on its owner's servers. The privacy policy dates from 28 March 2024, states no retention periods that we could find and doesn't mention Figma. The only published terms cover Payload Cloud, which is closed to new projects (15 of 30). A written versioning policy defines breaking changes and how they're announced, with a migration guide per major. No end-of-support date for 3.x was found (13 of 20). Telemetry is on by default, documented as anonymous and turned off with `telemetry: false`. The docs don't list the fields sent (16 of 20). Fix list for a coding agent, everything this grade says the listing lacks, the biggest gain first (22 items): https://www.anchorterminal.com/fixes/payload.md (JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/fixes/payload.json) ### What we couldn't check - The lead omitted the official MCP plugin and Payload Cloud's pause on new projects. Both are recorded. - No `provenance.terms` is recorded. The only published terms cover Payload Cloud, which is closed to new projects, and the software is under MIT. - unchecked: a status page. None is linked from the pages we read and status.payloadcms.com didn't resolve. - unchecked: whether any of the 49 advisories was exploited before its fix. We found no report either way. - unchecked: Enterprise prices and whether Enterprise adds an audit log. The enterprise page lists what is included without prices. - unchecked: REST error bodies and status codes by live call. No instance was run. - LICENSE.md names Payload CMS, LLC, while the terms and privacy policy name Payload CMS, Inc. Figma's legal role isn't stated on the pages we read. - The versioning policy was read on the main branch (4.x docs). The 3.90.2 tag's docs folder doesn't contain it. ### Sources - 3.x docs index for agents: (seen 2026-10-08) - docs index by major version: (seen 2026-10-08) - MCP plugin docs: (seen 2026-10-08) - REST API docs: (seen 2026-10-08) - API keys: (seen 2026-10-08) - drafts: (seen 2026-10-08) - versions and restore: (seen 2026-10-08) - uploads: (seen 2026-10-08) - config options and telemetry: (seen 2026-10-08) - repository at tag v3.90.2 and main (clone): docs, MCP plugin source, LICENSE.md, SECURITY.md, versioning policy: (seen 2026-10-08) - security advisories: (seen 2026-10-08) - advisories through the API: (seen 2026-10-08) - CI runs on 3.x: (seen 2026-10-08) - stars and repository metadata: (seen 2026-10-08) - npm versions, dates and dist-tags: (seen 2026-10-08) - npm weekly downloads: (seen 2026-10-08) - get-started page (linked as Pricing): (seen 2026-10-08) - Payload Cloud notice after joining Figma: (seen 2026-10-08) - Payload Cloud terms: (seen 2026-10-08) - privacy policy: (seen 2026-10-08) - security page: (seen 2026-10-08) - enterprise page: (seen 2026-10-08) - official MCP registry search: (seen 2026-10-08) - domain registration: (seen 2026-10-08) ## Who's behind it (provenance 50/100, checked 2026-10-08) | Check | Finding | Points | | --- | --- | --- | | Legal entity named | Payload CMS, Inc. | 20/20 | | Domain age | payloadcms.com, registered 2018-04-02 (8 years) | 11/15 | | Endpoint on the vendor's domain | is not on payloadcms.com | 0/15 | | Terms of service | not found | 0/10 | | Privacy policy | read, states 6 of the 8 things a reader expects | 8.5/10 | | Status page | not found | 0/10 | | Changelog | published | 10/10 | | security.txt | not found | 0/10 | No `terms` is recorded. The only terms on payloadcms.com are the Payload Cloud terms at https://payloadcms.com/cloud-terms, which govern a hosted service closed to new projects. The software an agent uses is under the MIT licence in LICENSE.md. The privacy policy (effective 28 March 2024) names Payload CMS, Inc. as controller. The Cloud terms call it a Delaware corporation with an address at 624 Stocking Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504. LICENSE.md names Payload CMS, LLC. The site says Payload has joined Figma. The privacy policy and the Cloud terms don't mention Figma. A self-hosted install answers on its owner's domain. https://payloadcms.com/.well-known/security.txt and https://payloadcms.com/security.txt returned 404 on 8 October 2026. SECURITY.md gives security@payloadcms.com. No status page is linked from the site footer, the security page or the get-started page, and status.payloadcms.com didn't resolve. RDAP for payloadcms.com gives a registration date of 2018-04-02. ### Terms and privacy, as read A reading by a fixed set of rules, each answered with the vendor's own sentence. Not legal advice. **Terms of service**. We found no terms of service published for this product, so there is nothing to read and the check scores 0. **Privacy policy** (https://payloadcms.com/privacy), read 2026-10-08, dated 2024-03-28, states 6 of the 8 things a reader expects. - To know. Says it sells personal data or shares it for advertising. "We may also share information about our users with these companies to facilitate interest-based advertising to those or similar users on other online platforms." - Gives the date it was last updated. Last updated 2024-03-28. - Not found in the text. Says how long data is kept. - Not found in the text. Gives a privacy contact. - Says where data is transferred or stored. Data goes to the United States. ## Probe metrics Not measured yet. Our benchmark probes haven't run, so there's no availability, latency or error rate from a run and Performance is pending. Live uptime, where we poll the endpoint, is under Live and doesn't change the score. ## Prices | Item | Price | Unit | Note | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Self-hosted Payload | free | per month (plan) | MIT, you pay for your own hosting and database | Across all listings: https://www.anchorterminal.com/prices/index.md ## Strengths - MIT core with drafts, version history and restore through `POST /api/{collection-slug}/versions/:id`, none of it behind a paid plan - MCP API keys carry find, create, update and delete switches per collection, and the key's user still passes through the collection's access control - New documents default to `_status: 'draft'`, so nothing is published unless the request sets `_status: 'published'` - MCP find tools default to 10 documents and depth 0, cap at 100, and take `select` to return named fields only - llms.txt per major version, llms-full.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page ## Weaknesses - 49 security advisories in the 12 months to 8 October 2026, 8 critical, 38 of them published since 18 September 2026 - No OpenAPI file is published or generated by the core packages, and REST error responses have no reference page - REST and MCP API keys don't expire, and rate limiting is left to the owner's own hooks or proxy - No idempotency keys, and the MCP tools set no `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint` annotations - Payload Cloud is closed to new projects, Enterprise is priced by sales, and no status page or security.txt was found ## Before you call it (notes for agents) 1. Check the installed version first. Anything below 3.90.0 carries published critical advisories, so ask the owner to upgrade before writing 2. Send REST keys as `Authorization: {collection-slug} API-Key {key}` and MCP keys as `Authorization: Bearer {key}`. The two key kinds are separate 3. To publish, set `_status: 'published'` in the data. The `draft` parameter only relaxes validation and chooses where an update is written 4. Upload files with multipart POST to the upload collection, with other fields as JSON in `_payload`. No MCP upload tool is documented 5. Roll back with `POST /api/{collection-slug}/versions/:id` after listing versions. Versions exist only where the collection config enables them ## Connect Install: ```bash npx create-payload-app ``` First request: ```bash curl 'http://localhost:3000/api/pages' \ -H "Authorization: users API-Key $PAYLOAD_API_KEY" ``` Claude Code: ```bash claude mcp add --transport http Payload http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/mcp \ --header "Authorization: Bearer MCP-USER-API-KEY" ``` MCP client configuration: ```json { "mcpServers": { "Payload": { "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer MCP-USER-API-KEY" }, "type": "http", "url": "http://localhost:3000/api/mcp" } } } ``` Through letme (picks today, calling later): https://letme.dev/payload. letme answers with the pick and how to call it direct; calling through letme (one key, the vendor's own price) comes later. How it works: https://www.anchorterminal.com/letme/index.md ## Similar tools Ranked by shared capabilities, then score. Same-category tools with no shared capability key are listed last. | Tool | Grade | Score | Rank | Shared capabilities | x402 | Markdown | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | DatoCMS | BB | 74.4 | 62 | cms.content, cms.publish, cms.assets, cms.localisation, cms.schema | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/datocms.md | | Sanity | BB | 73.7 | 73 | cms.content, cms.publish, cms.assets, cms.schema, cms.localisation | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sanity.md | | Webflow | B | 69.4 | 160 | cms.content, cms.publish, cms.assets, cms.schema, cms.localisation | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/webflow.md | | Storyblok | B | 67.7 | 202 | cms.content, cms.publish, cms.assets, cms.localisation, cms.schema | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/storyblok.md | | Directus | B | 67.1 | 217 | cms.content, cms.schema, cms.assets, cms.publish, cms.localisation | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/directus.md | | Strapi | B | 65.7 | 252 | cms.content, cms.publish, cms.localisation, cms.assets, cms.schema | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/strapi.md | ## Panel reviews (0) Reviewed by the Anchor panel (https://www.anchorterminal.com/reviewers/index.md): . Desk reviews, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 1 October 2026. No calls made. For a desk review, the outcome says whether the reviewer's questions could be answered from public material: success, partial or failure. How reviews work: https://www.anchorterminal.com/reviews/how-it-works.md ## Notable - The official MCP plugin `@payloadcms/plugin-mcp` (3.90.2) answers at `/api/mcp` over HTTP and generates find, create, update and delete tools per enabled collection, and find and update per global (source: ) - Enabling a collection in the plugin config isn't enough. Each MCP API key must also have the capability switched on in the admin panel (source: ) - Deployment of new Payload Cloud projects is paused since Payload joined Figma. Existing projects keep running, and Payload says a migration will follow (source: ) - GitHub lists 50 published advisories for the repository, 49 of them between 5 February and 8 October 2026, 8 rated critical (source: ) - The default branch now builds 4.0.0 canaries (canary.39 on 8 October 2026). 3.90.2 of 23 September 2026 is the `latest` tag on npm (source: ) - Collections keep up to 100 versions a document by default (`maxPerDoc`), and restore is a REST, GraphQL and Local API operation (source: ) ## Compare - [Contentstack vs Payload](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentstack-vs-payload.md): B 64 vs C 55.2 - [DatoCMS vs Payload](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/datocms-vs-payload.md): BB 74.4 vs C 55.2 - [Directus vs Payload](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/directus-vs-payload.md): B 67.1 vs C 55.2 - [Ghost vs Payload](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-vs-payload.md): C 58.3 vs C 55.2 - [Payload vs Sanity](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/payload-vs-sanity.md): C 55.2 vs BB 73.7 - [Payload vs Storyblok](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/payload-vs-storyblok.md): C 55.2 vs B 67.7 - [Payload vs Strapi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/payload-vs-strapi.md): C 55.2 vs B 65.7 - [Payload vs Webflow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/payload-vs-webflow.md): C 55.2 vs B 69.4 - [Payload vs WordPress](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/payload-vs-wordpress.md): C 55.2 vs B 64.8 ## Verify this listing For the vendor. The badge or a plain link to this page verifies the listing, from a page on payloadcms.com or one of its subdomains, or the README of github.com/payloadcms/payload. It shows the listing is the vendor's and that the vendor knows it's here, and it never changes a grade, rank or review. The vendor sends the page's address to `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` as `{"slug": "payload", "url": "…"}`, or calls the `verify_listing` tool at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp. We fetch the page once, then again every week; two failed checks in a row and the verification lapses, and a later pass restores it. What we check: https://www.anchorterminal.com/builders/index.md#verify HTML badge: ```html Payload on Anchor Terminal ``` Markdown badge, for a README: ```markdown [![Payload on Anchor Terminal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/payload.svg)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/payload) ``` Plain link: ```html Payload on Anchor Terminal ``` ## Share this listing For the vendor. Sharing assets for social media, two PNGs of 1200 × 630 that say Payload is listed on Anchor Terminal, with the vendor's logo and this page's address and no grade or score. - Dark: https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/share/payload-dark.png - Light: https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/share/payload-light.png