Figma Token Sync

Figma → code token sync (QBDS)

Scope: Run only when designers have updated Figma variables and tokens need to flow into code. Skip for component-only work — use the figma-parity skill instead.

Figma source

• File: QBDS v2.0.0
• Variable sets to read: DS_Themes, Radius, DS-Primitives
• Modes: light and dark (both must be synced)

Use the Figma MCP get_variable_defs tool to read resolved values. Note: search_design_system returns metadata only (no values) — do not use it for syncing.

Code targets (read before editing)

globals.css structure (preserve layout)

1. @theme inline — primitives (--mist-*, --slate-*, opacity ladders, brand accents), Tailwind bridge (--color-fill-*, --color-fg-*, --color-surface-*, …), shadcn aliases, radius utilities (--radius-* → --rad-*).
2. :root — light-mode semantic tokens (--text-*, --border-*, --fill-*, --surface-*, --status-*, --stateslayer-*, --elevations-*) and sharp radius defaults (--rad-*).
3. .dark — dark-mode semantic tokens (same families as :root).
4. .radius-mode — rounded radius overrides (--rad-reg, --rad-sm, --rad-md, --rad-lg; --rad-round stays 9999px).
5. @utility shadow-elevation-* and typography utilities — update only if elevation or type tokens changed in Figma.

Do not remove @custom-variant dark, @custom-variant radius-mode, or the @theme inline → semantic → Tailwind bridge pattern.

Workflow (run in order)

1 — Read Figma variables

1. Read docs/TOKENS.md — note each token's Design name column (e.g. --fill-active → Fill/Content/Active). These are the canonical Figma paths to match against.

2. Call the Figma MCP get_variable_defs tool pointing at the QBDS v2.0.0 file and node 1878:17156.

   • If the tool responds "nothing selected": this is a known limitation of the Figma plugin sandbox — it checks for an active selection before running, even though fileKey and nodeId are provided explicitly. Ask the user to open the QBDS v2.0.0 variables page in the Figma desktop app, click any layer, and retry. The selection does not affect the data returned.
   • The response contains all file variables with valuesByMode entries. Most semantic tokens will be VARIABLE_ALIAS references — follow the id to the primitive variable (also in the response) to get the resolved name (e.g. Slate 900/opacity-88).
   • Focus on the three local collections:

   Collection	Modes
   DS_Themes	Dark and Light
   DS-Primitives	Value
   Radius	Sharp and Round

3. For each DS_Themes token, resolve both Light and Dark mode aliases to their primitive name and compare against the current var() binding in globals.css.

4. Build a diff table: Design name (from TOKENS.md) → CSS variable → current var() binding → new binding. Flag renames and removed tokens.

2 — Update globals.css

1. Update primitives in @theme inline if DS-Primitives changed (oklch values, opacity steps).
2. Update semantic mappings in :root (light) and .dark (dark) from DS_Themes.
3. Update radius in :root / .dark (sharp defaults) and .radius-mode (rounded overrides) from Radius.
4. Keep semantic tokens referencing primitives via var(...) — do not inline raw oklch in semantic blocks unless Figma aliases require it.
5. Verify the @theme inline bridge still maps every semantic token to a --color-* utility.

3 — Update docs/TOKENS.md

Only when the token model changed (new/removed/renamed semantic tokens or Figma design names):

1. Every --* semantic variable in globals.css must have a row in the matching TOKENS.md section.
2. Design name column = the Figma variable path used in step 1.
3. Add/remove/rename rows as needed. Keep "How to choose" and "Quick rules" intact unless the token model itself changed.

If only primitive var() bindings changed in globals.css, TOKENS.md usually needs no edit.

4 — Fix downstream references (if names changed)

If any CSS variable or Tailwind utility was renamed or removed:

# Example greps — extend for each renamed token
rg 'old-token-name' src/
rg '--old-var' src/

Update components, demos, and tests that reference old names. Prefer semantic utilities (bg-fill-active, text-fg-primary) over raw var(...).

Out of scope unless asked: Code Connect publish, registry rebuild, component visual parity (figma-parity).

5 — Verify

npm run build
npm run lint

Report a summary: tokens added/changed/removed, files touched, grep hits fixed, build/lint result.

Acceptance checklist

• Figma variables read from DS_Themes, Radius, DS-Primitives (light + dark)
• globals.css updated: primitives, :root, .dark, .radius-mode as needed
• @theme inline bridge intact; no broken var() chains
• docs/TOKENS.md matches globals.css (including Design name column)
• Renamed/removed tokens grepped and fixed in src/
• npm run build and npm run lint pass