Admin Panel SSR Error: document.createTextNode is not a function

Bug Report

Describe the Bug

The Payload admin panel returns a 500 error with TypeError: document.createTextNode is not a function during server-side rendering. This prevents the entire admin panel from loading.

Payload Version

• Tested on: 3.68.5, 3.69.0, 3.70.0 (issue persists across all versions)

Adapters and Plugins

• @payloadcms/db-postgres
• @payloadcms/richtext-lexical
• @payloadcms/plugin-multi-tenant
• @payloadcms/plugin-seo
• @payloadcms/plugin-nested-docs
• @payloadcms/plugin-redirects

Error Message

TypeError: document.createTextNode is not a function
    at <unknown> (.next/server/app/(payload)/admin/[[...segments]]/page.js:7:107202)
    at 18225 (.next/server/app/(payload)/admin/[[...segments]]/page.js:7:107221)
    at Object.c [as require] (.next/server/webpack-runtime.js:1:143)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set up Payload CMS with Next.js 15 (standalone output)
2. Use the default Lexical rich text editor
3. Configure multiple collections with richText fields
4. Navigate to /admin
5. Admin panel fails with 500 error

Expected Behavior

Admin panel should load normally.

Root Cause Analysis

Lexical editor code that uses DOM APIs (document.createTextNode) is being bundled into the server-side admin page. When Next.js attempts to SSR the admin panel, this code executes on the server where document doesn't have the expected methods.

What I've Tried

• Different Payload versions (3.68.5, 3.69.0, 3.70.0)
• Changed all value imports to type imports: import type { ... }
• Removed unused Lexical imports from plugins/index.ts
• Disabled custom admin components
• Removed devBundleServerPackages: false from withPayload config
• Regenerated importMap multiple times
• Full Docker rebuild with image deletion

None of these resolved the issue.

Environment

• Next.js: 15.4.10
• Node.js: 22.17.1
• Database: PostgreSQL 16
• Deployment: Docker (standalone output)
• OS: Linux (WSL2)

Related

• facebook/lexical#4960 (Lexical SSR limitations)

Start by reproducing the failure at /admin with Next.js 15 standalone output and inspect the generated .next/server/app/(payload)/admin/[[...segments]]/page.js bundle. Trace which default Lexical rich text editor code reaches server-side rendering; done means the admin panel loads without the document.createTextNode error.