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Payload CMS

INFRA · APIS
Velocity6.3

Headless CMS and application framework you self-host

payloadcms.com ↗

Payload v4 enters beta: redesigned admin, TanStack Start support and agent instructions.

headless-cmstypescripttanstack-startagent-instructionsmajor-release
◆Current state
Payload 4.0 moved from canaries to beta on October 9, bundling an admin UI redesign, TanStack Start as a second framework alongside Next.js, hierarchies, tags, grid view, upload versioning and a rewritten MCP server. Two betas followed within a week; beta.2 moves the TanStack adapter to stable TanStack Start and renames LLM instructions to agent instructions. The canaries also flipped the Local API to enforce access control by default.
◆Where it's heading
Payload is loosening its Next.js dependency and building agent features into the CMS itself: editors can manage instructions that flow into the CLI and MCP schemas, and upgrades come with an agent-assisted codemod. The betas are now mostly fixes and documentation, which points toward a stable 4.0.
◆Prediction
Expect weekly betas focused on migration fixes and docs, with more framework-adapter work for TanStack Start. The entries don't give a 4.0 stable date.

◆Recent moves

  1. 2h ago

    Payload 4.0 beta 2 moves to stable TanStack Start

    beta.2 moves the TanStack Start adapter onto the stable framework release, adds custom API routes for it and renames LLM instructions to agent instructions. It also forces nodemailer 10, the kind of breaking cleanup expected before 4.0 stabilises.

    View source ↗
  2. 2d ago

    Payload 4.0 beta 1: codemod and docs fixes

    beta.1 is a small fix and docs pass, mainly pointing the codemod and create-payload-app at the beta tag.

    View source ↗
  3. 5d ago

    Payload 4.0 beta: admin redesign, TanStack support, new MCP

    ⚡ SPARK

    beta.0 packages a year of canaries into a public 4.0 beta: admin redesign, TanStack support, hierarchies, tags, upload versions and a rewritten MCP server. It is the release the rest of this window builds toward.

    View source ↗
  4. 7d ago

    Payload 4.0 canary 39 removes deprecated APIs, adds upload versions

    canary.39 removes the APIs deprecated for 4.0, validates all locales by default and adds upload file versioning. It was the final cleanup before the beta cut.

    View source ↗
  5. 8d ago

    Payload 4.0 canary 38 adds LLM instructions and authorship tracking

    canary.38 lets editors manage LLM instructions in the admin and pipes them into CLI and MCP schemas, adds on-demand payload.validate(), createdBy/updatedBy tracking and a rebuilt nav. It is where the agent-facing features of 4.0 first appeared.

    View source ↗
  6. 21d ago

    Payload 4.0 canary 37 enforces Local API access control by default

    canary.37 makes the Local API enforce access control by default and adds an agent-assisted upgrade codemod. The access default is the most consequential breaking change for v3 apps.

    View source ↗