`group` fields render an empty `RenderFields` container — no children in the admin

[synerium]

Summary

Every group field renders its header and an empty .render-fields container. None of its child fields are rendered, in the server HTML or after hydration. Sibling fields outside the group render normally, and array, row, tabs and collapsible all render their children correctly. Only group is affected.

The field definitions and their values do reach the client — they appear in the serialized form state — so the schema is transmitted and the children are dropped at render time.

Reproduction

Minimal app: no plugins, no custom components, no hooks, empty import map.

// payload.config.ts
import { mongooseAdapter } from '@payloadcms/db-mongodb'
import { buildConfig } from 'payload'

export default buildConfig({
  secret: process.env.PAYLOAD_SECRET!,
  db: mongooseAdapter({ url: process.env.MONGODB_URI! }),
  admin: { user: 'users' },
  collections: [{ slug: 'users', auth: true, fields: [] }],
  globals: [
    {
      slug: 'group-repro',
      fields: [
        { name: 'before', type: 'text', label: 'Control field, outside the group' },
        {
          name: 'grp',
          type: 'group',
          label: 'Group with direct children',
          fields: [
            { name: 'x', type: 'text', label: 'Field X' },
            { name: 'y', type: 'text', label: 'Field Y' },
          ],
        },
      ],
    },
  ],
})

Open /admin/globals/group-repro.

Expected: inputs before, grp.x, grp.y.
Actual: only before. The group renders as:

<div class="group-field__wrap">
  <div class="group-field__header">
    <header><h3 class="group-field__title"><span class="field-label" for="field-grp">Group with direct children</span></h3></header>
  </div>
  <div class="render-fields render-fields--margins-small"></div>   <!-- empty -->
</div>

GroupField runs and calls RenderFields; RenderFields produces an empty list.

Evidence that the schema reaches the client

Comparing a working array child with a broken group child, in the raw server HTML:

arr.0.a     → <input name="arr.0.a" value="5"/>              (rendered)
              + "arr.0.a":{"value":5,"initialValue":5}        (form state)

grp.x       → "grp.x":{"value":7,"initialValue":7}            (form state only)
              no <input> anywhere

The group's _index-0 row entry is present in the form state too. The values are known; the fields are simply never rendered.

What was ruled out

Variable	Values tested	Result
Payload	3.84.1, 3.85.0, 3.88.0	broken in all
Next	15.4.11, 16.2.6	broken in both
Bundler	Turbopack, webpack	broken in both
Node	22.x, 24.x, 26.5.1	broken in all
Group shape	direct children / a single row / a direct child then a row	broken in all
admin.readOnly on the group	present / absent	broken in both
Field-level access on the group	present / absent	broken in both
Custom admin components	present / none / empty import map	broken in all
Root admin.components.providers, Nav	present / removed	broken in both
Admin layout	customised / bare Payload template	broken in both
Dependency tree	existing project / fresh npm install in an empty folder	broken in both
Collection vs global	four different collections and globals	broken in all

Also checked: no console errors (so no React error boundary); /api/access returns an empty fields object for every collection and global — including for fields that render correctly, so it is not a discriminator; no overrides, resolutions or patches on any Payload package; and no CSP on the admin route.

Sibling container types (array, row, tabs, collapsible) render their children correctly in the same admin, on the same page.

Environment

• payload / @payloadcms/next / @payloadcms/ui / @payloadcms/db-mongodb / @payloadcms/richtext-lexical: 3.88.0 (all aligned)
• next: 15.4.11
• react / react-dom: 19.2.8
• node: 26.5.1 (also reproduced on 22.x and 24.x)
• database: MongoDB Atlas
• OS: macOS (darwin 23.4.0)

Impact

Any setting modelled as a group becomes uneditable from the admin: the values are stored and applied correctly by the API, but no one can reach them through the UI. We have worked around it with dedicated ui field components that read and write through the REST API, which is workable but has to be repeated for every group.

[waterWang]

I've submitted PR #17813 to fix this issue. The root cause was that GroupField passed permissions?.fields to the inner RenderFields without fallback when permissions.fields is empty/missing, causing all child fields to be filtered out by getFieldPermissions (since they receive read: false). The fix adds a fallback to the group's own permissions object, matching how Row, Tabs, and Blocks handle the same scenario — when permissions.fields is empty, child fields inherit the group's read permission.

Changes:

1. Permissions fallback: Object.keys(permissions?.fields ?? {}).length > 0 ? permissions.fields : permissions
2. forceRender propagation: Added missing forceRender prop to the inner RenderFields (consistent with Row/Tabs)