CMS Collection Setup
Create a new CMS collection with custom fields, relationships, and proper configuration.
Important Note
ALWAYS use Webflow MCP tools for all operations:
- Use Webflow MCP's
webflow_guide_tool to get best practices before starting
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_sites_tool with action list_sites to identify available sites
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_sites_tool with action get_site to retrieve site details and plan limits
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action get_collection_list to check for naming conflicts
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action create_collection to create the collection
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_static_field to create static fields
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_option_field to create option fields
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_reference_field to create reference/multi-reference fields
- Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action get_collection_details to verify collection was created correctly
- DO NOT use any other tools or methods for Webflow operations
- All tool calls must include the required
context parameter (15-25 words, third-person perspective)
Instructions
Phase 1: Site Selection & Discovery
- Get site information: Use Webflow MCP's
data_sites_tool with action list_sites to identify target site
- Confirm site: Ask user to select site if multiple available
- Check plan limits: Use Webflow MCP's
data_sites_tool with action get_site to verify collection limits
- List existing collections: Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action get_collection_list to check for conflicts
- Validate naming: Ensure new collection name doesn't conflict with existing
Phase 2: Requirements Gathering
- Get collection details: Ask user for:
- Collection display name (e.g., "Blog Posts")
- Singular name (e.g., "Blog Post")
- Optional: Custom slug (default: auto-generated from display name)
- Get field definitions: For each field, gather:
- Field name (e.g., "Author Name", "Publish Date")
- Field type (Text, Rich Text, Image, Option, Reference, etc.)
- Required vs optional
- Any validation rules or help text
- Identify relationships: Determine if collection needs:
- Reference fields (one-to-many relationships)
- Multi-reference fields (many-to-many relationships)
- Option fields (controlled vocabulary)
Phase 3: Schema Validation & Planning
- Validate field types: Check all field types are supported
- Check field limits: Ensure within Webflow limits:
- Max fields per collection: varies by plan
- Max 5 multi-reference fields per collection
- Plan creation order: Organize fields by dependency:
- Create collections in order if references exist
- Create referenced collections first
- Create option fields before reference fields
- Generate preview: Show complete schema with all fields
Phase 4: User Approval
- Show complete preview: Display:
- Collection name and slug
- All fields with types and properties
- Any relationships to other collections
- Plan limit verification
- Validate schema: Check for common issues:
- Missing required fields (name, slug always required)
- Invalid field types
- Reference to non-existent collections
- Exceeding plan limits
- Request confirmation: Wait for explicit "create" approval
Phase 5: Collection Creation
- Create collection: Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action create_collection with:
- Display name
- Singular name
- Optional slug
- Capture collection ID: Save for field creation
- Show progress: Report collection created successfully
Phase 6: Field Creation
- Create fields in order: For each field:
- Use appropriate creation tool based on type
- Static fields:
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_static_field
- Option fields:
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_option_field
- Reference fields:
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_reference_field
- Set field properties:
- Display name
- Required flag
- Help text (if provided)
- Validation rules (if applicable)
- Show progress: Report each field created
- Handle errors: If field creation fails, report and continue
Phase 7: Verification & Reporting
- Verify collection: Use Webflow MCP's
data_cms_tool with action get_collection_details to retrieve full schema
- Confirm all fields: Check that all requested fields were created
- Generate report: Show:
- Collection ID
- Collection name and slug
- All fields created with IDs
- Any failures or warnings
- Provide next steps: Suggest:
- Use bulk-cms-update to add initial items
- Create collection pages in Designer
- Set up relationships if applicable
Field Type Reference
Static Field Types
PlainText - Short text (max 256 chars) or long text
- Use for: Titles, names, descriptions, excerpts
- Properties: maxLength validation (256 for short)
- Example: "Title", "Author Name", "Excerpt"
RichText - Formatted text with HTML
- Use for: Blog content, bios, articles, long descriptions
- Properties: No length limit
- Example: "Post Content", "Bio", "Description"
Email - Email address
- Use for: Contact emails, author emails
- Properties: Email format validation
- Example: "Contact Email", "Author Email"
Phone - Phone number
- Use for: Contact numbers
- Properties: E.164 format
- Example: "Phone Number", "Mobile"
Link - External URL or internal link
- Use for: Website links, social media, external resources
- Properties: URL validation
- Example: "Website", "LinkedIn Profile"
Number - Numeric values
- Use for: Prices, ratings, counts, order numbers
- Properties: Integer or decimal
- Example: "Price", "Rating", "Order"
Image - Single image
- Use for: Featured images, photos, thumbnails
- Properties: Max 4MB per image
- Example: "Featured Image", "Photo", "Thumbnail"
MultiImage - Multiple images (up to 25)
- Use for: Galleries, product photos
- Properties: Max 25 images, 4MB each
- Example: "Gallery", "Product Photos"
File - File upload
- Use for: PDFs, documents, downloads
- Properties: Max 4MB per file
- Example: "Resume PDF", "Brochure", "Manual"
Video - Video embed (YouTube/Vimeo)
- Use for: Video content
- Properties: Embed URL
- Example: "Tutorial Video", "Demo"
DateTime - Date and/or time
- Use for: Publish dates, event dates, deadlines
- Properties: ISO 8601 format
- Example: "Publish Date", "Event Date"
Switch - Boolean (true/false)
- Use for: Featured flags, visibility toggles
- Properties: Boolean value
- Example: "Featured", "Published", "Active"
Color - Color value
- Use for: Theme colors, accents, brand colors
- Properties: Hex format
- Example: "Brand Color", "Accent Color"
Option Field Type
Option - Single choice from predefined list
- Use for: Status, category, type, priority
- Properties: List of option names
- Example: "Status" (Draft, Review, Published)
- Creation: Use
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_option_field with options array
Example:
Reference Field Types
Reference - Link to one item in another collection (one-to-many)
- Use for: Author → Post, Category → Post, Brand → Product
- Properties: Collection ID of referenced collection
- Example: "Author" (reference to Authors collection)
- Creation: Use
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_reference_field with collectionId
MultiReference - Link to multiple items in another collection (many-to-many)
- Use for: Post → Tags, Product → Features, Project → Technologies
- Properties: Collection ID of referenced collection
- Limit: Max 5 multi-reference fields per collection
- Example: "Tags" (reference to Tags collection)
- Creation: Use
data_cms_tool with action create_collection_reference_field with collectionId
Reference Field Example:
Multi-Reference Field Example:
Examples
Example 1: Simple Blog Collection
User prompt:
Step 1: Discovery
Step 2: After User Selects Site
Step 3: Preview
Step 4: Creation
Example 2: Collection with Relationships
User prompt:
Step 1: After Initial Gathering
Step 2: After User Selects "A"
Step 3: Creation
Example 3: Team Members with Option Field
User prompt:
Step 1: Preview
Step 2: Creation
Example 4: Complex E-commerce Setup
User prompt:
Step 1: Requirements Clarification
Step 2: Preview (User says "yes")
Step 3: Creation with Progress
Guidelines
Phase 1: Discovery Best Practices
Site Selection:
- Always use
data_sites_tool with action list_sites to get available sites
- Never assume site ID
- Verify user has correct site selected
Plan Limit Checking:
Naming Conflict Prevention:
- Check existing collection names
- Suggest alternative names if conflict
- Validate slug availability
Phase 2: Requirements Gathering Best Practices
Display Name vs Singular Name:
Field Naming Conventions:
Detecting Relationships:
Phase 3: Schema Validation Best Practices
Field Type Validation:
Multi-Reference Limit Check:
Dependency Resolution:
Phase 4: Preview Best Practices
Complete Preview Format:
Validation Checks:
Phase 5: Creation Best Practices
Collection Creation:
Error Handling:
Phase 6: Field Creation Best Practices
Field Creation Order:
Field Creation Tools:
Progress Reporting:
Option Field Creation:
Reference Field Creation:
Phase 7: Verification Best Practices
Post-Creation Verification:
Final Report Format:
Next Steps Suggestions:
Phase 8: Error Handling
Common Errors:
1. Collection Name Conflict:
2. Plan Limit Reached:
3. Invalid Field Type:
4. Referenced Collection Not Found:
5. Multi-Reference Limit Exceeded:
Phase 9: Advanced Scenarios
Self-Referencing Collections:
Multi-Collection Setup:
Complex Option Fields:
Production Checklist
Before considering collection setup complete:
✅ Discovery
✅ Requirements
✅ Validation
✅ Preview
✅ Creation
✅ Verification
✅ Reporting
✅ Error Handling