Features
Everything Total CMS can do.
A complete tour of the toolbox — from content modeling and the white-label admin to APIs, automation, and the built-in MCP server. For a per-edition breakdown, see the feature matrix.
Content Modeling
30+ built-in content types
Blog posts, galleries, images, videos, podcasts, and more — ready out of the box. Add a collection and start editing.
Custom schemas Pro
Define exactly the fields your project needs. The admin builds its editing interface around your schema automatically.
30+ admin field types
Rich text, images, dates, colors, toggles, selects, ratings, addresses — every field renders a purpose-built editor.
Deck repeatable sections Pro
Repeatable, reorderable content sections with nested cards — including image and file uploads inside each card.
Admin Experience
A focused editor, not a page builder
Every collection gets a clean, purpose-built editing form. Clients edit content — they never touch structure or design.
Access Groups & permissions
Control which users see which collections, and which fields they can edit. Give everyone exactly the access they need.
White-label admin
Your logo, your brand. Standard white-labels the admin; Pro removes Total CMS branding from every surface.
Passkeys & phone-friendly
Passwordless passkey login, and an admin that works end-to-end on a phone. Editing content from the couch is a feature.
Images & Media
ImageWorks processing
Automatic server-side resizing and processing with smart caching. Upload once, request any size from your templates.
Watermarking
Text and image watermarks with custom font support — applied on the server, not in someone's photo editor.
Depot file management
A central library for files and media, reusable across collections. Upload once, reference everywhere.
Templates & Design
Twig templating
Full Twig 3 with custom Total CMS functions, filters, and content grids. Your design stays in your hands, in your files.
Playground
Prototype and test Twig templates against your real content, right in the admin — with autosave.
Site Builder
Dynamic pages served straight from the CMS — no build step. Scaffold from bundled starters and add pages from the admin.
RSS & sitemap builders
Generate RSS feeds and XML sitemaps from any collection with built-in utilities.
Data & Portability
Flat-file storage
Content lives in JSON files on your server. No database to provision, tune, back up, or corrupt — and it all travels with you.
JumpStart export/import
Export an entire site's content to a single file and import it anywhere — with streaming support for large datasets.
Import from anywhere
Migrate from WordPress, Total CMS 1, Alloy, CSV, JSON, or RSS with built-in importers that run as background jobs.
Push & pull sync
Move content between local and production with a single CLI command. Build locally, push when ready.
APIs & Automation
REST API Pro
Use Total CMS headless — a full REST API for every collection, secured with API keys.
PHP API
Query collections and render content from any PHP code — the same API the admin itself is built on.
Webhooks Pro
Notify external services when content changes — deploys, rebuilds, notifications, anything with a URL.
CLI automation Pro
The tcms command line manages collections, objects, schemas, imports, updates, and sync — scriptable, with JSON output.
AI-Native
Built-in MCP server
Not a bolt-on — Total CMS 3.5 ships with an MCP server, so AI agents query your real schemas and content instead of guessing.
Works with your agent
Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf — connect once over MCP and scaffold complete sites in a session.
AI-ready documentation
Total CMS documentation is served over MCP too, so your agent always has current, accurate answers.
Platform & Performance
Runs on any PHP host
PHP 8.2+ and a folder — that's the whole requirement. Install via Composer or upload a zip. No containers, no build pipeline.
Extensions
Extend the CMS with third-party extensions, each sandboxed behind granular, per-capability permissions you control.
Multi-backend caching
APCu, Redis, Memcached, or filesystem caching — auto-detected, with one-click cache clearing for editors.
In-admin updates
Check, apply, and roll back updates from the admin or CLI. You decide when — nothing updates behind your back.
Want to see which features come with each edition? Compare the full feature matrix →
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