Setting the file. One moment.
Subchapter 7.35
references/cms/seed/SEED.mdMarkdown6 KBView on GitHub
Seed by running seed-cms.mjs with a plan file — don’t hand-write the REST calls.
The script mints its own site token via the Wix CLI (logged-in session + wix.config.json
required), installs the Wix Data (CMS) app if needed, resolves every IMAGE value into Wix
Media in one parallel wave, and creates everything in order: per collection — create
(schema + permissions) → bulk-insert items → wire multi-references → verify persistence.
# from the project root (where wix.config.json lives):
node <SKILL_ROOT>/references/cms/seed/seed-cms.mjs plan.jsonplan.json is plain data — it IS the site’s content model: the collections, their field
schemas, and the items the pages will render. Write it from the brief. Default to one or
two content collections with ~3–6 items each (the seed shows the shape; the owner adds the
rest in the dashboard). Give any collection that gets a detail page a slug TEXT field, and
every content item an image on an IMAGE field (a content site without images looks broken).
{
"collections": [
{
"id": "categories", "displayName": "Categories",
"fields": [{ "key": "name", "type": "TEXT" }],
"items": [{ "name": "Cakes" }, { "name": "Breads" }]
},
{
"id": "recipes", "displayName": "Recipes",
"fields": [
{ "key": "title", "type": "TEXT" },
{ "key": "slug", "type": "TEXT" },
{ "key": "summary", "type": "TEXT" },
{ "key": "body", "type": "RICH_TEXT" },
{ "key": "photo", "type": "IMAGE" },
{ "key": "publishDate", "type": "DATE" },
{ "key": "categories", "type": "MULTI_REFERENCE", "referencedCollectionId": "categories" }
],
"items": [
{ "title": "Chocolate Layer Cake", "slug": "chocolate-layer-cake",
"summary": "Three layers, one ganache.", "body": "<p>Cream the butter…</p>",
"photo": "https://…", "publishDate": "2026-08-01", "categories": [0] },
{ "title": "Country Sourdough", "slug": "country-sourdough",
"summary": "A 24-hour loaf.", "body": "<p>Feed the starter…</p>",
"photo": "https://…", "publishDate": "2026-08-10", "categories": [1] },
{ "title": "Pavlova", "slug": "pavlova",
"summary": "Crisp shell, soft heart.", "body": "<p>Whip the whites…</p>",
"photo": "https://…", "publishDate": "2026-08-20", "categories": [0] }
]
}
]
}id — the collection id the frontend binds to, verbatim (no namespace; Wix doesn’t rename
it). Item keys must match the field keys exactly — the script fails loud on a key the
schema doesn’t have (the API would silently drop it).
Field type — TEXT, NUMBER, BOOLEAN, DATE, DATETIME, URL, EMAIL, IMAGE,
RICH_TEXT (an HTML string, stored verbatim), REFERENCE, MULTI_REFERENCE.
IMAGE values — the default is { "prompt": "..." } (AI-generated, ~1 Wix AI credit per
image, account-billed): brand-contextual — subject, aesthetic/mood, palette, lighting —
always ending “no text, no watermarks”. At least one image in the set shows the real subject of the business — the actual product/space/service, not abstract decoration. For an asset the user actually supplied use
{ "path": "..." } (a file on this machine — uploaded to Wix Media) or an https URL string
(their own hosted URL; verify it with curl -sI → 200) — never a stock-photo or guessed URL. Images
resolve in parallel and never block the seed; a failed image leaves that field unset (the
item stays text-only).
DATE/DATETIME values are ISO strings — the script wraps them as { "$date": iso }.
References: order collections so targets come first. A REFERENCE value is the target
item’s index in its collection’s items array; MULTI_REFERENCE is an array of indices
(set at insert it would be silently dropped — the script wires these via
POST /wix-data/v2/bulk/items/insert-references).
permissions — omit for the public-read default
(read: ANYONE, writes ADMIN). Other shapes (per action: ANYONE › SITE_MEMBER ›
SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR › ADMIN):
| preset | read / insert / update / remove | use |
|---|---|---|
| public-read (default) | ANYONE / ADMIN / ADMIN / ADMIN | admin content, anyone reads |
| collaborative | ANYONE / ANYONE / ANYONE / ANYONE | visitor-written shared board (anonymous, unscoped) |
| member-private | SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR / SITE_MEMBER / SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR / SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR | per-user “my…” rows — seed it EMPTY (rows seeded here would be owned by the admin, invisible to members) |
| member-shared-read-only | SITE_MEMBER / ADMIN / ADMIN / ADMIN | gated: any member reads, seed/admin writes |
| public-wall | ANYONE / SITE_MEMBER / SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR / SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR | members post, everyone reads |
read is the privacy decision — a public collection’s read MUST be ANYONE or the
visitor frontend reads zero items with no error.
Seeding is additive — never delete or overwrite existing content (an existing collection is left as-is; its items are appended); ask first if a cleanup seems needed.
setupCms composes exported steps — installDataApp, createCollection, importImage,
bulkInsertItems, insertReferences, verifyItems, plus makeCtx() — import them only
for a partial re-seed.
Unexpected shape or an uncovered operation → read the live Wix API reference; the
authoritative source recipe is wix-headless/references/inline-recipes/setup-cms.md.
Endpoints used: POST /wix-data/v2/collections (Create Data Collection),
POST /wix-data/v2/bulk/items/insert (Bulk Insert Data Items),
POST /wix-data/v2/bulk/items/insert-references (Bulk Insert Data Item References),
POST /wix-data/v2/items/query (Query Data Items — the verify step),
POST /site-media/v1/files/import (Import File),
POST /apps-installer-service/v1/app-instance/install (Install App).