Writing

Strapi takes relations and media by reference (a documentId, a numeric id, or the connect / disconnect / set longhand) while components and dynamic zones are written inline. Generated types carry a __relations marker so the payload is checked the same way:

await articles.create({
	payload: {
		data: {
			title: "Hello",
			author: "author-document-id",
			tags: ["tag-1", "tag-2"],
			cover: { id: 7 },
			seo: { metaTitle: "Hello" },
			blocks: [{ __component: "blocks.hero", title: "Hello" }],
		},
	},
});

await articles.update({
	documentId,
	payload: {
		data: {
			tags: {
				connect: [{ documentId: "tag-3", position: { end: true } }],
				disconnect: ["tag-1"],
			},
		},
	},
});

await articles.create({ payload: { data: { author: { name: "Ada" } } } });
// error: a relation takes a reference, not the related document

A reference is a documentId string, an id number, or the longhand { documentId, locale?, status?, position? } / { id, position? }. To-many fields take a list of them; to-one fields take one, or null to clear. position orders a connected relation: { before }, { after }, { start: true } or { end: true }.

connect, disconnect and set accept either a single reference or a list. set replaces the relation.

Components and dynamic zones are nested objects, recursively partial. A dynamic-zone entry needs __component so Strapi knows which component it is. The generator puts that field on the union.

params on a write (fields, populate, locale, status) shape the document that comes back. They do not choose which document is written. update and delete take documentId for that.

Types written by hand, with no __relations marker, keep a DeepPartial<T> payload.

Users and uploads do not use this payload shape. See Users and Uploads.