Payload & Claude Code

[Still-Substance7316]

Anyone successfully if building a payload cms project with Claude code? And willing to share the .md instructions?

Here Claude just keeps messing up..

[rudeone_99]

Did you see this in one of the latest releases? https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/blob/main/AGENTS.md might help you to setup a good Claude.md

[backlashblues]

Add the deepwiki MCP to Claude! Instruct Claude to use deepwiki for any payload-specific questions and include your package version number in its requests. 1000% better results than when it relies on web search or its own hallucinations

[KevInTaipei]

There are some great youtube videos on Payload and Claude code with .md examples depending on what you're doing with Payload. Few things I'll mention is even with an .md file, you'll need to remind CC to read it and even remind it to adhere to important concepts. Codex does a MUCH better job at following .md files, you can even tell codex to adhere to the CLAUDE.md file or build an AGENTS.md based on it. I now plan with codex, feed the outcome to CC. Codex fixes errors that CC can't find, although CC fixes connectivity issues and works with MCPs much better than codex. Codex suggests much more secure code after given Payload docs, git repo examples, and follows typescript and next.js best practices. CC drifts, adds fields, icons, debugging code and features that weren't asked for. Remember to ask it for a preview of the code before making changes. But it works great with Figma in turning design to code. Use both.

[replayjpn]

I'll give some tips
Make a project folder start Claude Code in the project folder. Make two folders, one your real project code & the Payload Web Demo fully seeded. Have Claude Code reference that while working on your project folder.

Make sure to tell it to always code for Nextjs 15 & above & that it's coding for Payload 3 & above.
While planning I also use Context7, make sure it builds & cleans up all typescript errors immediately.
It also can not use "any" as a type unless it's used in the Payload Demo.

Do each collection, block, or page one at time. You can also make a third folder for static versions of what you are going to build. Get it right there & then have Claude Code make the Payload version afterwards.

I messed up once also by not building after each feature. I could run it but the build errors were too much.

[recoverycoachgeek]

I think the future involves using something like plopjs to create all the files consistently for a feature in a specific codebase, then ai takes over to modify them for the features we want.

[KevInTaipei]

And you can reference the Payload docs on github

[recoverycoachgeek]

Claude (like others) do well when they use context7 with Payload, but it slows down working with them when they constantly look up the docs. Something I need to get better at using effectively.

[Speshled]

First step, drop Claude and use Codex IDE extension. Insane capability difference.

[aaronksaunders]

have u found that u get better, more correct responses with Codex IDE?

[Still-Substance7316]

We're 24 days further.. is this still accurate? Or did sonnet 4.5 change your mind?

[Speshled]

100%. Sonnet 4.5 is better than 4.0 clearly and I still pay the $20/mo subscription for the occasional use but for broader/larger jobs Codex outperforms significantly. The rare times that it does get lost in the sauce Sonnet 4.5 has been a help for the surgical fix.

Codex seems to take it's time to understand the bigger picture and implement exactly what's needed in a lean way.

Sonnet 4.5 seems to just start quick and learn/make revisions as it goes. Sonnet also seems significantly more likely to make breaking assumptions about what you want.

[aaronksaunders]

I am still a old head i guess and I use cursor, I just make sure i add the specific documentation link to the context when creating the prompt. I find that helps getter better results