Content Manager Folder

Create a folder-based navigation tree for Strapi Content Manager collection types and single types without modifying Strapi core.

The plugin is an Admin UI enhancement. It stores a custom menu tree in the Strapi plugin store, then replaces the native Content Manager sidebar at runtime when the feature is enabled.

Features

• Adds a standalone admin page: Content Manager Folder
• Supports folder nodes and menu item nodes
• Binds menu items to Collection Types or Single Types
• Supports nested folders
• Supports drag sorting between sibling nodes
• Exports and imports folder settings as JSON
• Supports folder collapse state
• Stores settings in the Strapi plugin store
• Keeps Strapi's original permissions behavior by reusing existing Content Manager links
• Does not change schemas, content types, database tables, or Strapi core files

Compatibility

• Strapi v5
• React 17 or 18
• React Router v6
• Styled Components v6

See package.json peer dependencies for the exact supported ranges.

Installation

Local Plugin

Place the plugin in your Strapi project:

src/plugins/content-manager-folder

Enable it in config/plugins.ts:

import type { Core } from '@strapi/strapi';

const config = ({ env }: Core.Config.Shared.ConfigParams): Core.Config.Plugin => ({
  'content-manager-folder': {
    enabled: true,
    resolve: './src/plugins/content-manager-folder',
  },
});

export default config;

Rebuild the admin panel and restart Strapi:

npm run build
npm run develop

Package Install

When the plugin is published as a package, install it from npm:

npm install strapi-plugin-content-manager-folder

Then enable it in config/plugins.ts:

export default () => ({
  'content-manager-folder': {
    enabled: true,
  },
});

Rebuild the admin panel after installing or upgrading the plugin:

npm run build

Admin Permissions

The plugin registers these admin permission actions:

• plugin::content-manager-folder.settings.read
• plugin::content-manager-folder.settings.update
• plugin::content-manager-folder.content-types.read

If a non-super-admin role cannot open or save the plugin page, grant these permissions in the Strapi admin role settings.

Usage

1. Open the Strapi admin panel.
2. Open Content Manager Folder from the left admin menu.
3. Click Add menu + to add a root menu node.
4. Check Folder if the node should be a folder.
5. For menu items, choose:
   • Collection or Single
   • The target content type UID
6. Use the plus button on a folder row to add child nodes.
7. Use the drag handle to reorder sibling nodes.
8. Use Export to download the current settings as JSON when you need a backup or migration file.
9. Use Import to load a JSON settings file into the editor. Imported settings are not persisted until you click Save.
10. Enable Enable folder navigation.
11. Click Save.
12. Open Content Manager. The native Collection Types and Single Types navigation will be replaced by the configured folder tree.

How It Works

The plugin does not create a new router for Content Manager pages. Instead, it reads the native Content Manager links already rendered by Strapi, matches them by type and UID, and moves those links into your configured folder tree.

This means:

• Strapi's own access control still decides which links exist.
• A menu item is rendered only if the current admin user can see the original Content Manager link.
• Invalid or missing UIDs are skipped instead of creating broken links.
• Disabling the plugin restores the native Content Manager navigation.

Settings Storage

Settings are stored in the Strapi plugin store:

strapi.store({ type: 'plugin', name: 'content-manager-folder' })

The current settings key is:

settings

Data Shape

{
  "enabled": true,
  "menus": [
    {
      "id": "folder-products",
      "title": "Product Management",
      "sort": 40,
      "isFolder": true,
      "collapsed": false,
      "children": [
        {
          "id": "item-products",
          "title": "Product List",
          "sort": 10,
          "isFolder": false,
          "type": "collectionType",
          "uid": "api::product.product",
          "children": []
        },
        {
          "id": "item-product-page",
          "title": "Product Page",
          "sort": 20,
          "isFolder": false,
          "type": "singleType",
          "uid": "api::collections-page.collections-page",
          "children": []
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Menu Node Fields

| Field | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | id | string | Stable node ID. Used for editing and collapse state. | | title | string | Label displayed in the Content Manager navigation. | | sort | number | Sort order among sibling nodes. | | isFolder | boolean | true for folder nodes, false for menu items. | | collapsed | boolean | Default collapsed state for folder nodes. | | type | string | collectionType or singleType. Only used by menu items. | | uid | string | Strapi content type UID. Only used by menu items. | | children | array | Child nodes. Only rendered for folder nodes. |

API Endpoints

All routes require an authenticated Strapi admin user.

| Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | GET | /content-manager-folder/settings | Read plugin settings. | | PUT | /content-manager-folder/settings | Save plugin settings. | | GET | /content-manager-folder/content-types | Read available Collection Types and Single Types. |

Default Settings

If no settings have been saved yet, the server returns defaultSettings from server/index.js.

For a marketplace-ready plugin, keep defaults generic, for example:

const defaultSettings = {
  enabled: false,
  menus: [],
};

For a project-specific plugin, you may keep a prebuilt defaultMenus tree so the first install has a ready-to-use menu structure.

Notes and Limitations

• This is a DOM-level Admin UI enhancement. It should be retested after major Strapi admin UI upgrades.
• Only one Content Manager navigation replacement should be active at a time.
• Menu items depend on existing Strapi Content Manager links, so hidden or unauthorized content types will not appear.
• Folder collapse state is stored in browser localStorage.
• The plugin does not modify content type display names. The configured menu title only changes the sidebar label rendered by this plugin.

Development

After changing admin code, rebuild the Strapi admin panel:

npm run build

For local development:

npm run develop