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UMB.FYI 2026-03-04

Umbraco HQ

The Agent-Ready CMS: What are Agent Skills? (8 minute read)

Phil Whittaker discusses how Umbraco is evolving into an Agent-Ready CMS through the introduction of Agent Skills and Model Context Protocol (MCP). These innovations aim to enhance AI interactions by automating context management, enabling more efficient workflows, and ensuring that Umbraco remains integral to AI-driven projects.

[ ] [ #agentskills ] [ #ai ] [ #umbracomcp ]

Community

The Umbracian's Guide to Bristol (2026) (4 minute read)

Joe Glombek provides a practical guide for attendees of Umbraco Spark, highlighting Bristol's attractions, transportation, food, and shopping. He recommends exploring local cafes, parks, and museums, and suggests virtual audio tours for city exploration. Glombek encourages attendees to connect during the event and offers insights on the city's charm.

[ ] [ #guides ] [ #umbracospark ]

Skrift Issue #125 (16 minute read)

Featuring guest posts by Nathaniel Grantham-Knight on "Building An Umbraco Property Editor With Vite" and Tim Payne on "Web Development and Ultrarunning Have More in Common Than You Might Think"

[ ] [ #skrift ]

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Running GitHub Actions .NET and Azure workflows locally with Act (3 minute read)

Joe Glombek provides a guide for setting up Act to test GitHub actions locally, particularly for .NET/Azure builds. Key requirements include Docker, GitHub CLI, and Azure CLI. The article outlines necessary commands, file configurations, and tips for disabling specific steps to streamline the process, emphasizing the importance of proper setup for effective testing.

[ ] [ #automation ] [ #github ]

Introducing docs.jcdc.dev (2 minute read)

James Carter has launched a new documentation website for Umbraco packages, consolidating technical guidance into one accessible platform. Built with Astro and Starlight, it offers fast performance, precise search, and automated synchronization with GitHub. The site encourages community contributions and aims for continuous improvement in documentation quality.

[ #documentation ] [ #packagedev ]

How I used Umbraco.AI for free (2 minute read)

Owain.Codes discusses his experience with Umbraco.AI, a free, open-source AI integration for Umbraco CMS. He faced challenges during a demo, particularly with API access and permissions. After resolving issues with Google Gemini's free tier, he modified the source code to include the latest model, gemini-3-flash-preview, and submitted a pull request for updates.

[ #ai ] [ #umbracoai ]

Umbraco testing examples now also for Umbraco 17 (3 minute read)

Dennis updated his testing examples repository for Umbraco 17, focusing on automated testing with Test Driven Development (TDD). Key changes include database initialization adjustments and a requirement for HTTPS in backoffice endpoints. The repository serves as a reference for testing setups and encourages community feedback and contributions.

[ #testing ]

Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17 - Intro (2 minute read)

Kevin Jump introduces the "Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17," a series of blog posts aimed at helping package and extension developers navigate the updated Umbraco Backoffice. This initiative follows two years of development and improvements in Umbraco, alongside enhanced documentation available at the official site.

[ #backoffice ] [ #guides ]

Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17 - Getting Started (3 minute read)

Kevin Jump discusses starting Umbraco extensions using the Umbraco templates and the Opinionated starter kit template by @lottepitcher. He outlines project structure for the DoStuffWithUmbraco repository, detailing components like DoStuff.Client, DoStuff.Core, and DoStuff.Website, emphasizing separation of front-end and back-end logic for better maintainability.

[ #backoffice ] [ #guides ]

Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17 - Setup (3 minute read)

Kevin Jump discusses enhancements for Umbraco extensions, focusing on the benefits of using IPackageManifestReader over umbraco-package.json. This approach allows automatic versioning and cache-busting for JavaScript files. Additionally, he suggests implementing a client interceptor for authentication tokens to ensure they remain valid during prolonged sessions.

[ #backoffice ] [ #guides ]

Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17 - Bundles (2 minute read)

Kevin Jump discusses the concept of bundles in Umbraco's Backoffice, which serve as extension points to load JavaScript files and register manifests. He emphasizes organizing manifests within a project for simplicity and efficiency, recommending the use of bundles for better TypeScript support and quicker error detection compared to defining manifests in umbraco-package.json.

[ #backoffice ] [ #guides ]

Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17 - Entry Points (2 minute read)

Kevin Jump discusses the necessity of entry points in Umbraco extensions, despite bundles now being the primary integration method. Entry points are essential for client-server authentication and can manipulate Umbraco's registry. He emphasizes caution when unregistering components to avoid destabilizing the backoffice.

[ #backoffice ] [ #guides ]

Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17 - Sections (4 minute read)

Kevin Jump's guide details the creation of a custom section in Umbraco, including adding a section, dashboard, sidebar app, and menus using manifests. Key components include defining aliases, localization, and the structure of WebComponents. The complete code is available in the DoStuffWithUmbraco repository on GitHub.

[ #backoffice ] [ #guides ]

Battle scarred developer's guide to Umbraco v17 -Workspaces (5 minute read)

Kevin Jump discusses the implementation of workspaces in Umbraco, which provide dedicated editing environments for specific entity types. He explains the components of a workspace, including workspace context and views, and demonstrates how to create a basic workspace to display user information. Further exploration of workspaces will follow in future posts.

[ #backoffice ] [ #guides ]

Watch & Listen

umbraCoffee - Compose Yourself (80 minute watch)

In this episode of #umbraCoffee, hosts Marcin and Callum discuss Umbraco Compose with CTO Filip Bech-Larsen and Head of Orchestration Jordan McFarlane. They cover its GraphQL API capabilities, data ingestion processes, and future enhancements, highlighting the product's development and community engagement.

[ ] [ #ai ] [ #umbracocompose ] [ #umbracoffee ]

Events

Umbraco Leeds Meetup - Luke Brown - A practical and emotional journey through the Umbraco MCP server

2026-03-05 from 18:30 to 20:30 (Europe/London) - Needs a location

[ #ai ] [ #umbracomcp ]

Umbraco NZ Meetup - Umbraco Community 360

2026-03-10 from 15:30 to 17:00 (Pacific/Auckland) - The Annex, 10 Madden Street, Auckland, NZ

Umbraco India User Group - The Umbraco Playground — Experiment, build, and share

2026-03-11 from 16:00 to 17:00 (Asia/Kolkata) - Online

[ #virtual ]

Umbraco Newcastle Meetup

2026-03-12 from 18:00 to 20:00 (Europe/London) - Keel House, Garth Heads, Newcastle upon Tyne, GB

Packages

AF.Umbraco.Redis.Connector

Redis connector for Umbraco 15/16/17 (.NET 9/10)

[ #caching ]

Koola.ParentDropDown

Umbraco 17 property editor that resolves options from a parent-defined root picker and supports checkbox, radio, and dropdown selection modes.

[ #propertyeditors ]

Skybrud.Umbraco.Redirects 17.0.3

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Social

Umbraco MVP nominations deadline near

[ ] [ #mvp ]

Umbraco Codegarden 2026 program is live

[ ] [ #codegarden ] [ #codegarden26 ]

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