diff --git a/packages/tanstack-start/src/withPayload/index.ts b/packages/tanstack-start/src/withPayload/index.ts
index 6d6e6c20b4e..a3f112330e3 100644
--- a/packages/tanstack-start/src/withPayload/index.ts
+++ b/packages/tanstack-start/src/withPayload/index.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import {
   onImportProtectionViolation,
   serverOnlyClientSpecifiers,
 } from './importProtection.js'
+import { payloadWarmAdmin } from './warmAdmin.js'
 import { clientModuleResolution } from './workarounds/clientModuleResolution.js'
 import { payloadDevTransforms } from './workarounds/devTransforms.js'
 import { reactDomServerInRsc } from './workarounds/reactDomServerInRsc.js'
@@ -94,6 +95,20 @@ export type WithPayloadOptions = {
   srcDirectory?: string
   /** Extra Vite config deep-merged over the Payload defaults. Ignored in `build` mode. */
   vite?: UserConfig
+  /**
+   * Compile the admin panel when the dev server starts rather than on the first
+   * request to it, so the work overlaps switching to the browser. Defaults to
+   * `true`. Dev only — the production build is unaffected.
+   *
+   * Set to `false` to keep it on-demand: warming spends the CPU (and opens a
+   * database connection) on every dev boot even if you never open the admin.
+   */
+  warmAdmin?: boolean
+  /**
+   * Admin path warmed when {@link WithPayloadOptions.warmAdmin} is enabled. Set
+   * this when the Payload config overrides `routes.admin`. Defaults to `'/admin'`.
+   */
+  warmAdminPath?: string
 }
 
 /** The `nitro()` options Payload's server build requires. Typed structurally — `nitro` is the host's dependency, not Payload's. */
@@ -164,6 +179,8 @@ export function withPayload(
     silenceDependencyWarnings = true,
     srcDirectory = 'src',
     vite,
+    warmAdmin = true,
+    warmAdminPath = '/admin',
   } = options
 
   return (env) => {
@@ -226,6 +243,7 @@ export function withPayload(
         stubPrettierInClient(),
         payloadDevTransforms(),
         payloadDevConfigReload({ payloadConfigPath }),
+        warmAdmin && payloadWarmAdmin({ adminPath: warmAdminPath }),
       ],
       resolve: {
         alias: [{ find: '@payload-config', replacement: path.resolve(payloadConfigPath) }],
diff --git a/packages/tanstack-start/src/withPayload/warmAdmin.ts b/packages/tanstack-start/src/withPayload/warmAdmin.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..96776e6093f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/tanstack-start/src/withPayload/warmAdmin.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import type { PluginOption, ViteDevServer } from 'vite'
+
+/**
+ * Compiles the admin panel as soon as the dev server is listening, instead of
+ * waiting for the first navigation to trigger it.
+ *
+ * The admin's server-side module graph is ~1,900 modules deep (most of
+ * `@payloadcms/ui`), and it can't be externalized or pre-bundled — the RSC
+ * pipeline has to see each module's `'use client'` directives and CSS imports
+ * (see `config/external.ts`). Vite has no persistent cache for that transform, so
+ * it runs on every dev boot and takes several seconds. Left on-demand, the whole
+ * cost lands on the developer's first `/admin` request, and it lands there no
+ * matter how long they waited before navigating.
+ *
+ * Issuing one request at startup overlaps that work with the developer switching
+ * to their browser. Measured on a blank template (Apple M4 Max), navigating 6s
+ * after `pnpm dev` cut the wait from ~8.2s to ~4.0s; navigating 12s after cut it
+ * from ~8.0s to ~0.05s. Total CPU work is unchanged — this only moves it off the
+ * critical path.
+ *
+ * Note this also initializes Payload and connects to the database at boot rather
+ * than on first request. Disable with `warmAdmin: false` when that is unwanted —
+ * for example if you rarely open the admin and would rather not spend the CPU.
+ */
+export function payloadWarmAdmin({ adminPath }: { adminPath: string }): PluginOption {
+  return {
+    name: 'payload:warm-admin',
+    apply: 'serve',
+    configureServer(server) {
+      // No `httpServer` in middleware mode — the host owns listening, so there is
+      // no point at which we could know the URL to warm.
+      server.httpServer?.once('listening', () => {
+        // `resolvedUrls` is assigned by `server.listen()` just after the http
+        // server emits `listening`, so defer a tick to read the final value.
+        setImmediate(() => {
+          void warmAdminPanel({ adminPath, server })
+        })
+      })
+    },
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Requests the admin panel once and drains the response, so the full render —
+ * and every transform it pulls in — completes. Never rejects: a failed warm-up
+ * must not take the dev server down with it.
+ */
+async function warmAdminPanel({
+  adminPath,
+  server,
+}: {
+  adminPath: string
+  server: ViteDevServer
+}): Promise<void> {
+  const localUrl = server.resolvedUrls?.local?.[0]
+
+  if (!localUrl) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  // `localUrl` already carries Vite's `base`, so resolve the admin path against
+  // it rather than concatenating onto the origin.
+  const base = localUrl.endsWith('/') ? localUrl : `${localUrl}/`
+  const url = new URL(adminPath.replace(/^\/+/, ''), base)
+  const startedAt = performance.now()
+
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch(url, { redirect: 'follow' })
+    await response.arrayBuffer()
+
+    const elapsedSeconds = ((performance.now() - startedAt) / 1000).toFixed(1)
+    server.config.logger.info(`warmed admin panel in ${elapsedSeconds}s`, { timestamp: true })
+  } catch {
+    // Warming is best-effort. The route still compiles on demand, so a failure
+    // here (server closed mid-warm, custom `routes.admin`, unreachable database)
+    // costs nothing but the optimization.
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/tanstack-start/test/smoke-plugin.mjs b/packages/tanstack-start/test/smoke-plugin.mjs
index 3c63b652cdc..7aa91ee72f8 100644
--- a/packages/tanstack-start/test/smoke-plugin.mjs
+++ b/packages/tanstack-start/test/smoke-plugin.mjs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import {
   payloadRscOptions,
   payloadTanstackStartOptions,
   withPayload,
-} from '../dist/exports/vite.js'
+} from '../dist/withPayload/index.js'
 
 const factory = withPayload(undefined, {
   payloadConfigPath: '/tmp/fake-payload.config.ts',
@@ -50,10 +50,27 @@ for (const expected of [
   'payload:react-dom-server-in-rsc',
   'payload:stub-prettier-in-client',
   'payload:dev-transforms',
+  'payload:warm-admin',
 ]) {
   if (!pluginNames.includes(expected)) errors.push(`missing plugin: ${expected}`)
 }
 
+// Admin warming is dev-only and opt-out.
+const noWarmPluginNames = withPayload(undefined, {
+  payloadConfigPath: '/tmp/fake-payload.config.ts',
+  warmAdmin: false,
+})({ command: 'serve', mode: 'development' })
+  .plugins.filter(Boolean)
+  .flat()
+  .map((p) => p?.name)
+  .filter(Boolean)
+if (noWarmPluginNames.includes('payload:warm-admin')) {
+  errors.push('warmAdmin: false must omit payload:warm-admin')
+}
+if (!noWarmPluginNames.includes('payload:dev-transforms')) {
+  errors.push('warmAdmin: false must not drop the other Payload plugins')
+}
+
 // The `~@payloadcms/...` scss tilde importer must be wired for every consumer.
 if (typeof config.css?.preprocessorOptions?.scss?.importers?.[0]?.findFileUrl !== 'function') {
   errors.push('scss tilde importer not wired')