Figma MCP Server Guide

The Figma MCP server brings Figma directly into your workflow by providing important design information and context to AI agents generating code from Figma design files.

[!NOTE] Rate limits apply to Figma MCP server tools that read data from Figma. Some tools, such as those that write to Figma files, are exempt from the rate limits.

Users on the Starter plan or with View or Collab seats on paid plans will be limited to up to 6 tool calls per month.

Users with a Dev or Full seat on the Professional, Organization, or Enterprise plans have per minute rate limits, which follow the same limits as the Tier 1 Figma REST API. As with Figma’s REST API, Figma reserves the right to change rate limits.

For the complete set of Figma MCP server docs, see our developer documentation. By using the Figma MCP server and the related resources (including these skills), you agree to the Figma Developer Terms. These skills are currently available as a Beta feature.

Features

• Write to the canvas (remote server only): Create and modify native Figma content directly from your MCP client. With the right skills, agents can build and update frames, components, variables, and auto layout in your Figma files using your design system as the source of truth.

  Note: We're quickly improving how Figma supports AI agents. The write to canvas feature will eventually be a usage-based paid feature, but is currently available for free during the beta period.

• Generate code from selected frames

  Select a Figma frame and turn it into code. Great for product teams building new flows or iterating on app features.

• Extract design context

  Pull in variables, components, and layout data directly into your IDE. This is especially useful for design systems and component-based workflows.

• Code smarter with Code Connect

  Boost output quality by reusing your actual components. Code Connect keeps your generated code consistent with your codebase.

  Learn more about Code Connect →

• Generate Figma designs from web pages (rolling out)

  Capture, import, or convert a web page into a Figma design directly from your AI coding agent.

Installation & Setup

Connect to the Figma MCP server

Different MCP clients require slightly different setups. Follow the instructions below for your specific client to connect to the Figma MCP server.

VS Code

1. Use the shortcut ⌘ Shift P to search for MCP:Add Server.
2. Select HTTP.
3. Paste the server url https://mcp.figma.com/mcp in the search bar. Then hit Enter.
4. When you're prompted for a server ID, enter figma.
5. Select whether you want to add this server globally or only for the current workspace. Once confirmed, you'll see a configuration like this in your mcp.json file:

{
  "servers": {
    "figma": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.figma.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

6. Open the chat toolbar using ⌥⌘B or ⌃⌘I and switch to Agent mode.
7. With the chat open, type in #get_design_context to confirm that the Figma MCP server tools are available. If no tools are listed, restart VS Code.

[!NOTE] You must have GitHub Copilot enabled on your account to use MCP in VS Code.

For more information, see VS Code's official documentation.

Cursor

The recommended way to set up the Figma MCP server in Cursor is by installing the Figma Plugin, which includes MCP server settings as well as Agent Skills for common workflows.

Install the plugin by typing the following command in Cursor's agent chat:

/add-plugin figma

The plugin includes:

• MCP server configuration for the Figma MCP server
• Skills for implementing designs, connecting components via Code Connect, and creating design system rules
• Rules for proper asset handling from the Figma MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "figma": {
      "url": "https://mcp.figma.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

The recommended way to set up the Figma MCP server in Claude Code is by installing the Figma Plugin, which includes MCP server settings as well as Agent Skills for common workflows.

Run the following command to install the plugin from Anthropic's official plugin marketplace.

claude plugin install figma@claude-plugins-official

Learn more about Anthropic's Claude Code Plugins and Agent Skills.

claude mcp add --transport http figma https://mcp.figma.com/mcp

Gemini CLI

Install the Figma extension for Gemini CLI by running the following command:

gemini extensions install https://github.com/figma/mcp-server-guide

Once installed, authenticate with Figma by running gemini and then executing the following command within the CLI:

/mcp auth figma

To uninstall the extension:

gemini extensions uninstall figma

Other editors

Other code editors and tools that support Streamable HTTP can also connect to the Figma MCP server.

If you're using a different editor or tool, check its documentation to confirm it supports Streamable HTTP based communication. If it does, you can manually add the Figma MCP server using this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "figma": {
      "url": "https://mcp.figma.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Prompting your MCP client

The Figma MCP server introduces a set of tools that help LLMs translate designs in Figma. Once connected, you can prompt your MCP client to access a specific design node.

To provide Figma design context to your AI client:

1. Copy the link to a frame or layer in Figma.
2. Prompt your client to help you implement the design at the selected URL.

[!NOTE] Your client won't be able to navigate to the selected URL, but it will extract the node-id that is required for the MCP server to identify which object to return information about.

Tools and usage suggestions

get_design_context

Supported file types: Figma Design, Figma Make

Use this to get design context for your Figma selection using the MCP server. The default output is React + Tailwind, but you can customize this through your prompts:

• Change the framework

  • "Generate my Figma selection in Vue."
  • "Generate my Figma selection in plain HTML + CSS."
  • "Generate my Figma selection in iOS."

• Use your components

  • "Generate my Figma selection using components from src/components/ui"
  • "Generate my Figma selection using components from src/ui and style with Tailwind"

  You can paste links to the frame or component in Figma before prompting.

Learn how to set up Code Connect for better component reuse →

generate_figma_design (specific clients only, remote only)

Supported file types: Figma Design

Captures, imports, or converts a web page into a Figma design. You can send live UI interfaces as design layers to new or existing Figma files, or to your clipboard.

• "Start a local server for my app and capture the UI in a new Figma file"
• "Capture the login page to [Figma file URL]"

get_variable_defs

Supported file types: Figma Design

Returns variables and styles used in your selection—like colors, spacing, and typography.

• List all tokens used
  • "Get the variables used in my Figma selection."
• Focus on a specific type
  • "What color and spacing variables are used in my Figma selection?"
• Get both names and values
  • "List the variable names and their values used in my Figma selection."

get_code_connect_map

Supported file types: Figma Design

Retrieves a mapping between Figma node IDs and their corresponding code components in your codebase. Specifically, it returns an object where each key is a Figma node ID, and the value contains:

• codeConnectSrc: The location of the component in your codebase (e.g., a file path or URL).
• codeConnectName: The name of the component in your codebase.

This mapping is used to connect Figma design elements directly to their React (or other framework) implementations, enabling seamless design-to-code workflows and ensuring that the correct components are used for each part of the design. If a Figma node is connected to a code component, this function helps you identify and use the exact component in your project.

add_code_connect_map

Supported file types: Figma Design

Creates mappings between Figma node IDs and corresponding code components in your codebase. This improves design-to-code workflow quality by linking specific design elements to their code implementations.

get_code_connect_suggestions

Supported file types: Figma Design

Detects and suggests Code Connect mappings between Figma components and code components in your codebase. Works in conjunction with send_code_connect_mappings to confirm suggestions.

send_code_connect_mappings

Supported file types: Figma Design

Confirms and finalizes Code Connect mappings after suggestions are reviewed through get_code_connect_suggestions.

get_screenshot

Supported file types: Figma Design, FigJam

This takes a screenshot of your selection to preserve layout fidelity. Keep this on unless you're managing token limits.

create_design_system_rules

Supported file types: No file context required

Use this tool to create a rule file that gives agents the context they need to generate high-quality front end code. Rule files help align output with your design system and tech stack, improving accuracy and ensuring code is tailored to your needs.

After running the tool, save the output to the appropriate rules/ or instructions/ directory so your agent can access it during code generation.

get_metadata

Supported file types: Figma Design

Returns an XML representation of your selection containing basic properties such as layer IDs, names, types, position and sizes. You can use get_design_context on the resulting outline to retrieve only the styling information of the design you need.

This is useful for very large designs where get_design_context produces output with a large context size. It also works with multiple selections or the whole page if nothing is selected.

get_figjam

Supported file types: FigJam

This tool returns metadata for FigJam diagrams in XML format, similar to get_metadata. In addition to returning basic properties like layer IDs, names, types, positions, and sizes, it also includes screenshots of the nodes.

generate_diagram

Supported file types: No file context required

Generates FigJam diagrams from Mermaid syntax. The agent can generate diagrams from natural language descriptions without requiring you to write Mermaid syntax. Supports flowcharts, Gantt charts, state diagrams, and sequence diagrams.

• "Create a flowchart for the user authentication flow using the Figma MCP generate_diagram tool"
• "Generate a sequence diagram for the payment processing system"

whoami (remote only)

Supported file types: No file context required

This tool returns the identity of the user that's authenticated to Figma, including:

• The user's email address
• All of the plans the user belongs to
• The seat type the user has on each plan

use_figma (remote only)

Note: We're quickly improving how Figma supports AI agents. This will eventually be a usage-based paid feature, but is currently available for free during the beta period.

Supported file types: Figma Design, FigJam

The general-purpose tool for writing to Figma. Use it to create, edit, delete, or inspect any object in a Figma file: pages, frames, components, variants, variables, styles, text, images, and more.

When relevant, the agent will first check your design system for existing components to reuse before creating anything from scratch.

The use_figma tool is best invoked with the figma-use skill.

You can ask it to:

• Create or modify designs
  • add a new frame to my Figma file
  • update the button component to use the correct fill color
• Set up design tokens, variables, or styles
  • create a color variable collection from my design tokens
  • set up spacing tokens in my Figma file
• Build or update component and variant systems
  • generate variants for the card component
  • sync my Figma components with my latest code changes
• Fix layout or visual issues
  • fix the auto-layout spacing on the nav component
  • update the typography styles to match the design spec

search_design_system

Supported file types: Figma Design

Searches across all connected design libraries to find components, variables, and styles matching a text query. Returns matching assets so the agent can reuse existing design system elements rather than creating new ones from scratch.

You can ask it to:

• Find components
  • search for a button component in my design system
  • find a card component I can use for this layout
• Look up tokens
  • search for the primary color variable in my design system
  • find spacing tokens in my design libraries
• Narrow by type
  • search for icon styles in my design system

create_new_file

Supported file types: No file context required

Creates a new blank Figma Design or FigJam file in your drafts folder. If you belong to multiple plans, you'll be asked which team or organization to create the file in.

You can ask it to:

• Create a new design file
  • create a new Figma file called "Homepage Redesign"
• Create a new FigJam file
  • create a new FigJam board for our project planning session

MCP best practices

The quality of the generated code depends on several factors. Some controlled by you, and some by the tools you're using. Here are some suggestions for clean, consistent output.

Structure your Figma file for better code

Provide the best context for your design intent, so the MCP and your AI assistant can generate code that's clear, consistent, and aligned with your system.

• Use components for anything reused (buttons, cards, inputs, etc.)
• Link components to your codebase via Code Connect. This is the best way to get consistent component reuse in code. Without it, the model is guessing.
• Use variables for spacing, color, radius, and typography.
• Name layers semantically (e.g. CardContainer, not Group 5)
• Use Auto layout to communicate responsive intent.

[!TIP] Resize the frame in Figma to check that it behaves as expected before generating code.

• Use annotations and dev resources to convey design intent that's hard to capture from visuals alone, like how something should behave, align, or respond.

Write effective prompts to guide the AI

MCP gives your AI assistant structured Figma data, but your prompt drives the result. Good prompts can:

• Align the result with your framework or styling system
• Follow file structure and naming conventions
• Add code to specific paths (e.g. src/components/ui)
• Add or modify code in existing files instead of creating new ones
• Follow specific layout systems (e.g. grid, flexbox, absolute)

Examples:

• "Generate iOS SwiftUI code from this frame"
• "Use Chakra UI for this layout"
• "Use src/components/ui components"
• "Add this to src/components/marketing/PricingCard.tsx"
• "Use our Stack layout component"

Think of prompts like a brief to a teammate. Clear intent leads to better results.

Trigger specific tools when needed

The MCP supports different tools, and each one provides your AI assistant with a different kind of structured context. Sometimes, the assistant doesn't automatically pick the right one, especially as more tools become available. If results are off, try being explicit in your prompt.

• get_design_context provides a structured React + Tailwind representation of your Figma selection. This is a starting point that your AI assistant can translate into any framework or code style, depending on your prompt.
• get_variable_defs extracts the variables and styles used in your selection (color, spacing, typography, etc). This helps the model reference your tokens directly in the generated code.

For example, if you're getting raw code instead of tokens, try something like:

• "Get the variable names and values used in this frame."

Add custom rules

Set project-level guidance to keep output consistent—just like onboarding notes for a new developer. These are things like:

• Preferred layout primitives
• File organization
• Naming patterns
• What not to hardcode

You can provide this in whatever format your MCP client uses for instruction files.

Examples:

Ensure consistently good output

## Figma MCP Integration Rules
These rules define how to translate Figma inputs into code for this project and must be followed for every Figma-driven change.

### Required flow (do not skip)
1. Run get_design_context first to fetch the structured representation for the exact node(s).
2. If the response is too large or truncated, run get_metadata to get the high‑level node map and then re‑fetch only the required node(s) with get_design_context.
3. Run get_screenshot for a visual reference of the node variant being implemented.
4. Only after you have both get_design_context and get_screenshot, download any assets needed and start implementation.
5. Translate the output (usually React + Tailwind) into this project's conventions, styles and framework.  Reuse the project's color tokens, components, and typography wherever possible.
6. Validate against Figma for 1:1 look and behavior before marking complete.

### Implementation rules
- Treat the Figma MCP output (React + Tailwind) as a representation of design and behavior, not as final code style.
- Replace Tailwind utility classes with the project's preferred utilities/design‑system tokens when applicable.
- Reuse existing components (e.g., buttons, inputs, typography, icon wrappers) instead of duplicating functionality.
- Use the project's color system, typography scale, and spacing tokens consistently.
- Respect existing routing, state management, and data‑fetch patterns already adopted in the repo.
- Strive for 1:1 visual parity with the Figma design. When conflicts arise, prefer design‑system tokens and adjust spacing or sizes minimally to match visuals.
- Validate the final UI against the Figma screenshot for both look and behavior.

Cursor

---
description: Figma MCP server rules
globs:
alwaysApply: true
---
- The Figma MCP server provides an assets endpoint which can serve image and SVG assets
- IMPORTANT: If the Figma MCP server returns a localhost source for an image or an SVG, use that image or SVG source directly
- IMPORTANT: DO NOT import/add new icon packages, all the assets should be in the Figma payload
- IMPORTANT: do NOT use or create placeholders if a localhost source is provided

Claude Code

# MCP Servers

## Figma MCP server rules

- The Figma MCP server provides an assets endpoint which can serve image and SVG assets
- IMPORTANT: If the Figma MCP server returns a localhost source for an image or an SVG, use that image or SVG source directly
- IMPORTANT: DO NOT import/add new icon packages, all the assets should be in the Figma payload
- IMPORTANT: do NOT use or create placeholders if a localhost source is provided

General quality rules

- IMPORTANT: Always use components from `/path_to_your_design_system` when possible
- Prioritize Figma fidelity to match designs exactly
- Avoid hardcoded values, use design tokens from Figma where available
- Follow WCAG requirements for accessibility
- Add component documentation
- Place UI components in `/path_to_your_design_system`; avoid inline styles unless truly necessary

Adding these once can dramatically reduce the need for repetitive prompting and ensures that teammates or agents consistently follow the same expectations.

Be sure to check your IDE or MCP client's documentation for how to structure rules, and experiment to find what works best for your team. Clear, consistent guidance often leads to better, more reusable code with less back-and-forth.

Break down large selections

Break screens into smaller parts (like components or logical chunks) for faster, more reliable results.

Large selections can slow the tools down, cause errors, or result in incomplete responses, especially when there's too much context for the model to process. Instead:

1. Generate code for smaller sections or individual components (e.g. Card, Header, Sidebar)
2. If it feels slow or stuck, reduce your selection size

This helps keep the context manageable and results more predictable, both for you and for the model.

If something in the output doesn't look quite right, it usually helps to revisit the basics: how the Figma file is structured, how the prompt is written, and what context is being sent. Following the best practices above can make a big difference, and often leads to more consistent, reusable code.

Bringing Make context to your agent

The Make + MCP integration makes it easier to take prototypes from design to production. By connecting Make projects directly to your agent via MCP, you can extract resources and reuse them in your codebase. This reduces friction when extending prototypes into real applications, and ensures that design intent is faithfully carried through to implementation.

With this integration, you can:

• Fetch project context directly from Make (individual files or the whole project)
• Prompt to use existing code components instead of starting from scratch
• Extend prototypes with real data to validate and productionize designs faster

How it works

[!NOTE] This integration leverages the MCP resources capability, which allows your agent to fetch context directly from Make projects. It is available only on clients that support MCP resources.

Steps to fetch resources from Make

1. Prompt your agent to fetch context by providing a valid Make link
2. Receive a list of available files from your Make project
3. Download the files you want to fetch when prompted

Example workflow

Goal: Implement a popup component in your production codebase that matches the design and behavior defined in Make.

1. Share your Make project link with your agent.
2. Prompt the agent: "I want to get the popup component behavior and styles from this Make file and implement it using my popup component."

Your agent will fetch the relevant context from Make and guide you in extending your existing popup component with the prototype's functionality and styles.

Icon Guidelines

See the Figma Brand Usage Guidelines for displaying any icons contained in this repo.