Official way to replace or configure the Admin DefaultTemplate (remove nav-toggler, customize shell)

[alexpmichelet]

Problem

While building a plugin, I hit limitations customizing the admin UI at the root route (/admin). The documented extension points are great for adding content and replacing some pieces (header, sidebar/nav, icons, avatar), but certain elements imposed by the default template cannot be removed or meaningfully restructured. A concrete example is the nav toggler (#nav-toggler). I don’t want it in my layout, but there’s no clean, supported way to disable or replace that part of the chrome for the default admin routes.

I know I can build a completely custom view under a separate route, but this doesn’t help when I want to customize the shell/chrome for the default admin routes. In practice, I find myself fighting the DefaultTemplate instead of composing around it.

Why the existing options fall short

• Custom header / custom nav: Helpful, but they don’t let me remove default chrome like the nav toggler or restructure the template’s wrapper/layout.
• Custom view at a new route: Not viable when you want to keep default routing and just change the shell as far as I understand it

What I’m trying to do

• Replace the DefaultTemplate used by the default admin routes with my own component, or at least disable/remove specific built-in chrome (like the nav toggler) and supply my own.
• Keep the rest of the admin behavior intact (providers, permissions, RSC compatibility, etc).

Proposed API

• Template override (global, supported)

  In payload.config.ts:

  // payload.config.ts
  export default {
    admin: {
      components: {
        // Applies to default admin routes, not just custom views
        defaultTemplate: "/path/to/my/CustomTemplate", // server component, same props as DefaultTemplate
      },
    },
  }

This in my opinion would apply to the default admin routes, not just custom views. It lets a plugin cleanly replace the shell while preserving server behaviors and contexts.