# Managing Strapi

> Use when working with Strapi — strapi headless CMS management covering content type inventory, entry counts, media library analysis, role and permission auditing, webhook monitoring, and plugin status. Use when reviewing content models, investigating API access issues, monitoring content publishing, or auditing user permissions.

- Skill: `cloudthinker-ai/managing-strapi` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cloudthinker-ai/managing-strapi`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-strapi/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector CAUTION)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Integrations & APIs
- Author: cloudthinker-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/cloudthinker-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-strapi

---


# Strapi Management Skill

Manage and monitor Strapi content types, entries, media, permissions, and plugins.

## MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

**Always list content types and roles before querying specific entries.**

### Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash

STRAPI_API="${STRAPI_URL}/api"
STRAPI_ADMIN="${STRAPI_URL}/admin/api"

strapi_api() {
    curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $STRAPI_API_TOKEN" \
         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         "${STRAPI_API}/${1}"
}

strapi_admin() {
    curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $STRAPI_ADMIN_TOKEN" \
         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         "${STRAPI_ADMIN}/${1}"
}

echo "=== Content Types ==="
strapi_api "content-type-builder/content-types" | jq -r '
    .data[] |
    select(.uid | startswith("api::")) |
    "\(.uid)\t\(.schema.displayName)\t\(.schema.kind)\t\(.schema.attributes | keys | length) fields"
' | column -t | head -30

echo ""
echo "=== Admin Roles ==="
strapi_admin "roles" | jq -r '
    .data[] |
    "\(.id)\t\(.name)\t\(.usersCount) users"
' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Admin Users ==="
strapi_admin "users?pageSize=30" | jq -r '
    .data.results[] |
    "\(.email)\t\(.roles[0].name // "none")\t\(.isActive)\t\(.blocked)"
' | column -t | head -20
```

### Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash

echo "=== Content Entry Counts ==="
strapi_api "content-type-builder/content-types" | jq -r '
    .data[] | select(.uid | startswith("api::")) | .uid
' | while read uid; do
    PLURAL=$(echo "$uid" | sed 's/api::\(.*\)\..*/\1s/')
    COUNT=$(strapi_api "${PLURAL}?pagination[pageSize]=1" | jq '.meta.pagination.total // 0')
    echo -e "${uid}\t${COUNT} entries"
done | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Webhooks ==="
strapi_admin "webhooks" | jq -r '
    .data[] |
    "\(.id)\t\(.name)\t\(.isEnabled)\t\(.events | join(","))"
' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Media Library Stats ==="
strapi_api "upload/files?pagination[pageSize]=1" | jq '{
    total_files: .meta.pagination.total
}'
strapi_api "upload/files?sort=createdAt:desc&pagination[pageSize]=5" | jq -r '
    .results[] |
    "\(.name)\t\(.size)KB\t\(.mime)\t\(.createdAt[:10])"
' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Installed Plugins ==="
strapi_admin "plugins" | jq -r 'to_entries[] | "\(.key)\t\(.value.name)\t\(.value.enabled)"' | column -t
```

## Output Rules
- **TOKEN EFFICIENCY**: Target <=50 lines per output
- Filter content types to exclude internal (strapi::, plugin::) types
- Never dump full entry content -- extract counts and schema metadata

## Output Format

Present results as a structured report:
```
Managing Strapi Report
══════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]
```

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |

## Common Pitfalls

- **Draft/publish**: Entries can be in draft state and not visible via public API -- check publishedAt
- **API token scopes**: API tokens have specific content-type permissions -- check token access
- **Webhook retries**: Strapi does not retry failed webhook deliveries by default
- **Media uploads**: Large media files consume storage -- monitor upload directory size
- **Locale variants**: Internationalized content creates separate entries per locale
- **Component reuse**: Shared components used across content types -- changes affect all users
- **Admin vs API tokens**: Admin tokens access admin panel; API tokens access content API -- different scopes