Figma Connect

Figma Connect

Bridge between Figma MCP server (reads designs, generates code, extracts tokens) and Code Connect CLI (publishes persistent component mappings to Dev Mode). Use MCP tools for READ operations, CLI for PUBLISH operations.

Prerequisites & Dual Auth

This skill requires two independent authentication paths:

MCP Auth (OAuth) — for all mcp__claude_ai_Figma__* tools:

1. Call whoami() to check. If it fails, the user needs to authenticate the Figma MCP server via their MCP client settings (OAuth flow).
2. Requires Full or Dev seat on a paid Figma plan.

CLI Auth (Token) — for npx figma connect publish/parse/create:

1. Check: [ -n "$FIGMA_ACCESS_TOKEN" ] && echo "Token set" || echo "Token missing" or npx figma connect --version
2. If missing: create a personal access token at figma.com/developers with scopes "Code Connect: Write" and "File content: Read"
3. Set via: export FIGMA_ACCESS_TOKEN=<token> (prefer .env with .gitignore entry to avoid shell history exposure)

Always check both before workflows that use both (Setup, Publish, Roundtrip). Design-to-Code and Token Extraction only need MCP auth.

Framework Detection

Auto-detect the project framework to set MCP clientFrameworks param and CLI Code Connect label:

Precedence: User-stated framework in the prompt always overrides file detection. When ambiguous (e.g., monorepo with multiple frameworks), ask the user.

URL Parsing

Extract fileKey and nodeId from Figma URLs before calling MCP tools:

Standard:  figma.com/design/:fileKey/:fileName?node-id=:nodeId
           -> fileKey = :fileKey, nodeId = convert "-" to ":" in :nodeId

Branch:    figma.com/design/:fileKey/branch/:branchKey/:fileName
           -> fileKey = :branchKey (NOT :fileKey), nodeId from query param

Make:      figma.com/make/:makeFileKey/:makeFileName
           -> fileKey = :makeFileKey

Always convert node-id dashes to colons: 42-156 becomes 42:156.

Mode 1: Setup

When: New project, first-time Code Connect configuration.

Steps

1. Check MCP auth: Call whoami(). If fails, guide OAuth setup and stop.

2. Check CLI auth: Run npx figma connect --version. If not found, install:

   npm install -D @figma/code-connect
   

   Then check FIGMA_ACCESS_TOKEN is set.

3. Detect framework: Inspect project files (see Framework Detection table above).

4. Generate config: Create figma.config.json at project root:

   {
     "codeConnect": {
       "parser": "react",
       "include": ["src/components/**"],
       "exclude": ["**/*.test.*", "**/*.stories.*"],
       "label": "React"
     }
   }
   

   Adjust parser, include, and label based on detected framework.

5. Generate design system rules (optional but recommended): Call MCP create_design_system_rules() with clientFrameworks and clientLanguages. Save the output to a rules file in the project (e.g., .cursor/rules/figma-design-system.md or .claude/rules/).

6. Extract initial tokens (optional): If a Figma URL was provided, call get_variable_defs(fileKey, nodeId) and write tokens to the project's token file format (see Mode 4).

Output

• @figma/code-connect installed
• figma.config.json created
• Design system rules file saved
• Both auth paths verified

Mode 2: Design-to-Code

When: User shares a Figma URL and wants code implementation. (For new projects needing full setup first, run Mode 1 before this.)

Steps

1. Check MCP auth: Call whoami(). If it fails, guide OAuth setup and stop.

2. Parse URL: Extract fileKey and nodeId (see URL Parsing section).

3. Screenshot (visual confirmation): Call get_screenshot(fileKey, nodeId) to see what we're implementing.

4. Check existing Code Connect: Call get_code_connect_map(fileKey, nodeId) to check whether mappings exist. Note: get_design_context independently includes <CodeConnectSnippet> wrappers when mappings are present — prioritize these over generated code.

5. Get design context:

   get_design_context(
     fileKey, nodeId,
     clientFrameworks: "<detected-framework>",
     clientLanguages: "<detected-languages>"
   )
   

   Returns: reference code (default React+Tailwind), screenshot, asset download URLs.

6. Adapt to project conventions:

   • Replace hardcoded colors/spacing with project tokens (CSS vars, Tailwind classes)
   • Use existing project components instead of generating duplicates
   • Follow project file naming and directory conventions
   • Import from project's component library, not generated imports
   • If Code Connect snippets were returned, use them as the primary implementation reference

7. Download assets: Use the asset URLs from get_design_context response for images, icons, etc.

8. Suggest Code Connect (if not set up): If get_code_connect_map returned empty, suggest: "Consider setting up Code Connect to improve future design-to-code workflows. Run the Setup mode to get started."

MCP Tools Used

• get_screenshot(fileKey, nodeId) — visual reference
• get_code_connect_map(fileKey, nodeId) — check existing mappings
• get_design_context(fileKey, nodeId, clientFrameworks, clientLanguages) — generate code
• get_variable_defs(fileKey, nodeId) — extract tokens (optional, if needed for styling)
• search_design_system(query, fileKey) — find reusable design system components (optional)

Mode 3: Code Connect Publish

When: User wants to map existing code components back to Figma so they appear in Dev Mode.

Prerequisites

• Both MCP and CLI auth verified
• @figma/code-connect installed
• figma.config.json exists (or will be created)

Steps

1. Get AI suggestions: Call get_code_connect_suggestions(fileKey, nodeId, clientFrameworks, clientLanguages). Returns: list of unmapped components with names, properties, thumbnails. Requires Organization/Enterprise plan with published team library components.

2. Analyze code components: Read the source files for components that match suggestions. Understand their props, variants, and structure.

3. Choose mapping approach:

   Simple mappings (no variants/props): Use MCP directly:

   send_code_connect_mappings(fileKey, nodeId, mappings: [
     { nodeId: "5:30", componentName: "Button", source: "src/components/Button.tsx", label: "React" }
   ])
   

   Complex mappings (variants, boolean props, enums): Generate a .figma.tsx file:

   import figma from "@figma/code-connect"
   import { Button } from "./Button"
   
   figma.connect(Button, "https://figma.com/design/abc123/DS?node-id=5-30", {
     props: {
       label: figma.string("Label"),
       disabled: figma.boolean("Disabled"),
       variant: figma.enum("Variant", {
         Primary: "primary",
         Secondary: "secondary",
         Danger: "danger"
       }),
       icon: figma.instance("Icon")
     },
     example: (props) => (
       <Button variant={props.variant} disabled={props.disabled} icon={props.icon}>
         {props.label}
       </Button>
     )
   })
   

4. Validate before publishing:

   npx figma connect parse --label React
   

   Fix any parse errors before proceeding.

5. Publish (or dry-run):

   # Dry-run first (recommended)
   npx figma connect publish --dry-run
   
   # Actual publish
   npx figma connect publish
   

6. Verify: Call get_code_connect_map(fileKey, nodeId) to confirm the mapping is registered. Future get_design_context calls will now include Code Connect snippets.

Property Mapping Functions

See references/code-connect-cli-reference.md for full API documentation.

Mode 4: Token Extraction

When: User wants to sync Figma design variables to code token files.

Steps

1. Extract variables:

   get_variable_defs(fileKey, nodeId, clientFrameworks, clientLanguages)
   

   Returns: variable name-to-value mappings (e.g., {"color/primary": "#3B82F6", "spacing/md": "16px"}).

2. Detect project token format:

   • tailwind.config.{js,ts} exists → Tailwind theme format
   • tokens/ or src/tokens/ directory with .css → CSS custom properties
   • style-dictionary.config.json → Style Dictionary format
   • None found → ask user or default to CSS custom properties

3. Map and organize: Group by category (colors, spacing, typography, shadows, etc.) based on Figma variable collection/group naming.

4. Write token files:

   CSS Custom Properties:

   :root {
     /* Colors */
     --color-primary: #3B82F6;
     --color-secondary: #64748B;
   
     /* Spacing */
     --spacing-sm: 8px;
     --spacing-md: 16px;
     --spacing-lg: 24px;
   }
   

   Tailwind Config:

   // Add to tailwind.config.ts theme.extend
   colors: {
     primary: '#3B82F6',
     secondary: '#64748B',
   },
   spacing: {
     sm: '8px',
     md: '16px',
     lg: '24px',
   }
   

See references/token-format-mappings.md for all supported formats.

Mode 5: Roundtrip

When: Full end-to-end setup — new project or design system migration.

Flow

1. Setup (Mode 1): Auth, framework, CLI, config, design system rules
2. Token Extraction (Mode 4): Pull Figma variables into project token files
3. Design-to-Code (Mode 2): Implement key components from the design system
4. Code Connect Publish (Mode 3): Map implemented components back to Figma
5. Verify: Call get_design_context again with the same fileKey/nodeId. When Code Connect mappings are registered, the response includes Code Connect snippet wrappers (typically tagged similar to <CodeConnectSnippet>) containing the component import and usage — look for these as the confirmation signal. If absent, re-run npx figma connect publish and retry.

When to Use

• Greenfield project connecting to an existing Figma design system
• Migrating a design system from another tool to Figma Code Connect
• Auditing and fixing Code Connect coverage across a component library

MCP vs CLI Decision Tree

Error Handling