Figma MCP — design as LLM context

Attempts to feed information from design tools into a code-writing LLM are growing. When a designer's screen is shown to the LLM and components, tokens, and layouts are translated into code, Figma occupies the largest position. In 2025 Figma published an official Dev Mode MCP server, and this trend moved into a standardization phase.

1. About Figma

A browser-based design tool started in 2012 by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace. Beta-launched in 2016; after the 2022 Adobe acquisition announcement and the 2023 deal collapse, it remained an independent company. Used as the single source of truth (SSOT) for design across many teams.

Dev Mode (2023) — a developer-only mode. Shows designs in a code-friendly way, and exposes measurements, asset downloads, and code snippets (CSS/iOS/Android). Developer licenses are separate from designer licenses.

Dev Mode MCP Server (2025) — an MCP server published by Figma. Runs a local MCP server inside the Figma desktop app so that an MCP client on the same machine can pull design information.

Community MCP servers — community servers like GLips/Figma-Context-MCP. Calls the Figma REST API and shapes some design information for the LLM context.

2. Figma REST API

Figma offers a per-file REST API (api.figma.com). After authenticating with a personal access token or OAuth, you fetch files, nodes, images, and comments. Eventually all automation and MCP servers source their data here.

3. Official MCP flow

1. In the Figma desktop app, turn on the Dev Mode MCP server.
2. In the client (Cursor · Claude Desktop) mcp.json, register the local server endpoint.
3. When the user issues a directive like "turn this frame into a React component", the client uses MCP tools to fetch nodes, images, and metadata from Figma.
4. The LLM uses the fetched information as context to write code.

4. Community server flow

Runs as a STDIO MCP server taking the REST API key from an environment variable:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "figma-context": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "figma-context-mcp"],
      "env": { "FIGMA_API_KEY": "figd_..." }
    }
  }
}

REST API limits (rate limits, file-size limits) apply directly.

5. Exposed data

• File and node tree (layout, parent-child relationships).
• Component and instance information.
• Tokens (color, text style, spacing) — partially.
• Auto-generated images and SVG.
• Comments and versions.

Whether they are processed in an LLM-friendly form or exposed as raw JSON depends on the server implementation.

6. Design → code automation tools

Tool	Origin	Note
Locofy	Locofy.ai	Design → React, plus various frameworks.
Builder.io / Visual Copilot	Builder.io	Figma plugin + AI code conversion.
Anima	Anima	Design → React/Vue/HTML.
Figma's own code panel	Figma Dev Mode	Auto-generated CSS/iOS/Android snippets.
Direct REST API + custom conversion	In-house	Design-system token sync.

7. Other design tools · token standards

• Penpot — open-source design tool. Has its own API and LLM integration attempts.
• Sketch — macOS only. Plugin ecosystem.
• Adobe XD — new development is winding down.
• Lottie / Rive — motion and interaction assets.

The W3C Design Tokens Community Group is drafting a JSON-format spec for design tokens. Once a token standard settles, LLMs and MCP can handle them more easily.

8. Design → component conversion

Figma frame → fetch nodes/images via MCP tool
            → pass to LLM together with component spec and coding rules
            → React/Vue/Flutter code draft
            → human cleanup and tests

Combined with the agent mode of LLM coding assistants, the flow extends all the way to code application.

Token sync — the place where design tokens (color, spacing, typography) sync into code variables and CSS custom properties.

9. Knowing the limits

• When semantics (which color is brand-primary) aren't specified in the design, the LLM guesses.
• Whether the same screen is composed of several components or a single node is a human judgment.
• Responsive behavior and interactions may not be sufficiently expressed in the design.

The common pattern is that generated code isn't taken as-is — humans review and clean it up.

10. Common pitfalls

Beta-feature instability — the Dev Mode MCP server is a relatively new feature, and its interface may change. Check the official release notes.

REST API limits — large files and frequent calls hit rate limits. Cache and batch calls.

Token exposure — storing personal access tokens in plain text in the config file risks leakage. Use environment variables or a secret manager.

Component-meaning inference — auto-generated code tends to bundle into a single large component. A human decomposes it into meaningful units.

Falling back to images — exporting complex graphics as images weakens accessibility, responsiveness, and dark mode. Where possible, map to SVG or tokens.

Copyright and authorization — verify the ownership and licensing of design assets. Confirm policy on outbound transmission to external services.

Multilingual text length — when a single Figma text is translated, length differences may break the layout.

Closing thoughts

Figma MCP is the fastest starting point for design → code automation. That said, auto-generated code still needs human cleanup in places like meaningful decomposition, accessibility, responsiveness, and dark mode. Once a token standard settles, the LLM's semantic guessing should drop.

Next

• google-adk
• claude-code-skills

We refer to Figma Dev Mode · Figma REST API · Figma Dev Mode MCP · Locofy · Builder.io Visual Copilot · Anima · W3C Design Tokens Format · MCP.