Figma Skill

Master Figma automation and integration using the figma-desktop MCP server via mcporter. This skill enables programmatic access to Figma designs, code generation, screenshots, and Code Connect mappings.

[!CRITICAL] ⚠️ IMPORTANT - Parameter Passing:

Use function-call syntax (NOT flag syntax). Parameters go inside the function call, not as flags:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_design_context(nodeId: "123:456", clientLanguages: "typescript", clientFrameworks: "react")'

Key Rules:

• Parameters are camelCase inside the function call
• String values use double quotes: "value"
• Boolean values use bare notation: true or false
• Environment variables are interpolated outside quotes: "'$VAR'"
• NO --flag syntax, NO JSON string escaping needed

Prerequisites

Verify Figma Desktop Connection

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_metadata'

Should return metadata for the currently selected node. If it fails, ensure:

1. Figma Desktop is running
2. The figma-desktop MCP server is configured in mcporter

Quick Setup

Get Design Context (One-Shot)

The fastest way to get design information and generated code:

mise x node@20 -- ./scripts/get_design_context.sh "123:456"

Or use the currently selected node:

mise x node@20 -- ./scripts/get_design_context.sh

With framework context:

mise x node@20 -- ./scripts/get_design_context.sh "123:456" --languages "typescript" --frameworks "react"

Extract Node ID from URL

If you have a Figma URL like https://figma.com/design/:fileKey/:fileName?node-id=1-2:

• The nodeId is 1:2 (replace - with :)

For branch URLs like https://figma.com/design/:fileKey/branch/:branchKey/:fileName:

• Use branchKey as the fileKey

Core Operations

Get Design Context (Generate Code)

Primary tool for generating UI code from Figma designs:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_design_context(nodeId: "123:456")'

With technology context (recommended):

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_design_context(nodeId: "123:456", clientLanguages: "typescript,css", clientFrameworks: "react")'

For currently selected node:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_design_context()'

Force code output (for large designs):

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_design_context(nodeId: "123:456", forceCode: true)'

With artifact type context:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_design_context(nodeId: "123:456", artifactType: "REUSABLE_COMPONENT", taskType: "CREATE_ARTIFACT")'

Valid artifactType values:

• WEB_PAGE_OR_APP_SCREEN
• COMPONENT_WITHIN_A_WEB_PAGE_OR_APP_SCREEN
• REUSABLE_COMPONENT
• DESIGN_SYSTEM

Valid taskType values:

• CREATE_ARTIFACT
• CHANGE_ARTIFACT
• DELETE_ARTIFACT

Get Screenshot

Capture a visual screenshot of a Figma node:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_screenshot(nodeId: "123:456")'

For currently selected node:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_screenshot()'

Get Metadata (Structure Overview)

Get XML structure overview of a node (node IDs, layer types, names, positions, sizes):

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_metadata(nodeId: "123:456")'

Note: Prefer get_design_context for most use cases. Use get_metadata only for structure overview.

Get Variable Definitions

Get design tokens/variables for a node (colors, fonts, sizes, spacings):

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_variable_defs(nodeId: "123:456")'

Returns mappings like: {'icon/default/secondary': '#949494'}

Get FigJam Content

For FigJam files (whiteboards, diagrams):

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_figjam(nodeId: "123:456")'

With node images:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_figjam(nodeId: "123:456", includeImagesOfNodes: true)'

Note: Only works for FigJam files, not standard Figma design files.

Code Connect

Code Connect maps Figma components to code components in your codebase.

Get Code Connect Mappings

Check existing mappings for a node:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_code_connect_map(nodeId: "123:456")'

Returns mappings like:

{
  "1:2": {
    "codeConnectSrc": "https://github.com/foo/components/Button.tsx",
    "codeConnectName": "Button"
  }
}

Add Code Connect Mapping

Map a Figma component to a code component:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.add_code_connect_map(nodeId: "123:456", source: "src/components/Button.tsx", componentName: "Button", label: "React")'

Required parameters:

• source: Path to component in codebase
• componentName: Name of the component
• label: Framework/language label

Valid label values:

• React, Web Components, Vue, Svelte, Storybook, Javascript
• Swift UIKit, Objective-C UIKit, SwiftUI
• Compose, Java, Kotlin, Android XML Layout
• Flutter, Markdown

Create Design System Rules

Generate design system rules for your repository:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.create_design_system_rules(clientLanguages: "typescript", clientFrameworks: "react")'

Helper Scripts

Script	Purpose
./scripts/get_design_context.sh	One-shot design context - Get design info and generated code (with optional framework context)
./scripts/get_screenshot.sh	Capture screenshot - Save node screenshot to file
./scripts/get_variables.sh	Get design tokens - Extract variables (colors, fonts, sizes, spacings)
./scripts/add_code_connect.sh	Add Code Connect - Map Figma component to code component

Script help:

./scripts/get_design_context.sh --help
./scripts/get_screenshot.sh --help
./scripts/get_variables.sh --help
./scripts/add_code_connect.sh --help

Common Workflows

1. Implement a Design Component

# Get the node ID from Figma URL (node-id=1-2 → nodeId="1:2")
NODE_ID="1:2"

# Get design context with your tech stack
mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_design_context(nodeId: "'$NODE_ID'", clientLanguages: "typescript,css", clientFrameworks: "react")'

# Get variables/tokens for the component
mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_variable_defs(nodeId: "'$NODE_ID'")'

2. Document Component in Code Connect

# Check existing mappings
mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_code_connect_map(nodeId: "123:456")'

# Add mapping
mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.add_code_connect_map(nodeId: "123:456", source: "src/components/Button/Button.tsx", componentName: "Button", label: "React")'

3. Extract Design System Tokens

# Get all variables for a design system frame
mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_variable_defs(nodeId: "0:1")'

# Generate design system rules
mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.create_design_system_rules(clientLanguages: "typescript,css", clientFrameworks: "react")'

4. Screenshot for Documentation

# Get screenshot of a component
mise x node@20 -- mcporter call 'figma-desktop.get_screenshot(nodeId: "123:456")' > component.png

Common Issues & Solutions

Problem	Solution
Connection refused	Ensure Figma Desktop is running and figma-desktop MCP server is configured
Node not found	Verify nodeId format is 123:456 (colon separator). Check the node exists in the file.
No output for large design	Use forceCode: true parameter to force code generation
Wrong code language	Specify clientLanguages and clientFrameworks parameters
"Invalid arguments" or command fails	Use function-call syntax, NOT flag syntax. Parameters go inside functionName(param: value)
FigJam tool not working	get_figjam only works for FigJam files, not regular Figma design files
Code Connect not appearing	Ensure the node is a component instance, not a regular frame

Discovering Function Parameters with Schema Introspection

The mcporter CLI can introspect the MCP server schema to discover correct parameters and their types.

List All Available Tools

mise x node@20 -- mcporter list figma-desktop --json | jq -r ".tools[].name"

Returns:

get_design_context
get_variable_defs
get_screenshot
get_code_connect_map
add_code_connect_map
get_metadata
create_design_system_rules
get_figjam

Inspect a Specific Tool Schema

mise x node@20 -- mcporter list figma-desktop --json | jq '.tools[] | select(.name == "get_design_context")'

This returns the full JSON schema including:

• inputSchema.properties - All available parameters with types and descriptions
• inputSchema.required - Which parameters are mandatory

Filter for just required parameters:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter list figma-desktop --json | \
  jq '.tools[] | select(.name == "add_code_connect_map") | .inputSchema.required[]'

Get parameter descriptions:

mise x node@20 -- mcporter list figma-desktop --json | \
  jq '.tools[] | select(.name == "get_design_context") | .inputSchema.properties | to_entries[] | "\(.key): \(.value.description)"'

Tips

• Node ID from URL: node-id=1-2 in URL becomes nodeId: "1:2" (replace - with :)
• Branch URLs: For branch URLs, use branchKey as the fileKey
• Currently selected: Omit nodeId to use the currently selected node in Figma Desktop
• Technology context: Always specify clientLanguages and clientFrameworks for better code generation
• Large designs: Use forceCode: true if output is truncated
• Use jq for JSON parsing in shell scripts
• Use schema introspection when unsure about parameters - mcporter list figma-desktop --json | jq is your friend

Available Tools Reference

Tool	Purpose	Required Params
get_design_context	Generate UI code from design	None (uses selection)
get_screenshot	Capture visual screenshot	None (uses selection)
get_metadata	Get XML structure overview	None (uses selection)
get_variable_defs	Get design tokens/variables	None (uses selection)
get_code_connect_map	Get existing code mappings	None (uses selection)
add_code_connect_map	Map design to code component	source, componentName, label
create_design_system_rules	Generate design system rules	None
get_figjam	Get FigJam content	None (uses selection)