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1351 words Slides

12.4 Figma for Designs

Course: Claude Code - Power User Section: MCP Fundamentals Video Length: 4-5 minutes Presenter: Daniel Treasure

Opening Hook

"Designers and developers speak different languages. Figma is the bridge. When Claude Code connects to Figma, design specs, colors, typography, layouts — it all becomes code-ready context. No more 'Is this color #3B82F6 or #3B81F5?' It's right there, accurate, instant."

Key Talking Points

1. Why Design-to-Code Matters

  • Designers create mockups in Figma; developers rebuild them from screenshots — inefficient
  • Specs get outdated, miscommunicated, or misunderstood
  • Colors, spacing, typography drift from design intent
  • Figma MCP extracts design specs as structured data: colors, sizes, typography, layout grids
  • Claude can generate code directly from design specs, reducing misalignment

What to say: "The handoff between design and development is historically the biggest source of friction. Figma MCP kills that. Claude reads the Figma file directly and generates accurate, on-spec code. No guessing, no questions, no iteration cycles."

What to show on screen: Figma design file with a button component showing color, padding, font. Then show Claude Code with the Figma MCP fetching those exact specs and generating the button code.

2. What Figma MCP Does

  • Pulls design specs from Figma files: layouts, components, colors, typography
  • Extracts color palettes and design tokens
  • Reads component libraries and auto-layout rules
  • Generates code from mockups (HTML, CSS, React, etc.)
  • Links design files to code repositories

What to say: "Figma MCP doesn't just show you design files. It extracts the structural and visual data — all the specs designers care about — and makes them available as code-ready context. Claude understands the design intent, not just the picture."

What to show on screen: Figma MCP fetching component specs. Show color values, padding, font-family, line-height all extracted as structured data. Then show Claude using that data to generate accurate component code.

3. The Designer-Developer Workflow

  • Designer creates a mockup in Figma, shares the link
  • Developer opens Claude Code, asks: "Generate code for this Figma design"
  • Claude fetches the Figma file, extracts specs
  • Claude generates responsive HTML/CSS or React component
  • Designer reviews, requests tweaks
  • Claude updates code to match revised specs
  • Back-and-forth is instant, not days of emails

What to say: "This is where dev velocity skyrockets. A designer finishes a mockup at 5 PM. You pull it into Claude at 5:15 PM. By 5:30 PM, you have a working component that matches the design pixel-for-pixel. That's not exaggeration — that's the real speed this enables."

What to show on screen: Show a Figma file of a simple UI (e.g., a form). Then in Claude Code, ask to generate code for it. Show Claude fetching specs, analyzing layout, and outputting responsive code. Show the code rendered and compared side-by-side with the Figma design.

4. Design Tokens & Component Systems

  • Figma stores design tokens: colors, spacing, fonts, breakpoints
  • Figma MCP can extract a complete design system
  • Claude generates code that respects those tokens
  • Future designs automatically use the same tokens
  • Consistency at scale becomes achievable

What to say: "If you have a design system, Figma MCP respects it. Extract your design tokens once, and every component Claude builds from then on will use those tokens. Consistency becomes automatic, not manual."

What to show on screen: A Figma file with design tokens defined (color palette, spacing scale). Show Claude extracting those tokens and using them in generated code. Show how a change to a token in Figma automatically reflects in new code Claude generates.

5. Limitations & Best Practices

  • Figma MCP works best with well-organized, component-based designs
  • Complex interactions or animations may need manual refinement
  • Figma API has rate limits; large files take longer to process
  • Generated code is a strong starting point, not always pixel-perfect
  • Designer review is still important for subjective UX details

What to say: "Figma MCP is not magic. It's a force multiplier. It handles the mechanical parts — dimensions, colors, fonts — so you focus on behavior and interactions. Designer and developer both win: designers stay in Figma, developers stay in code."

What to show on screen: Show a complex Figma mockup being converted to code. Highlight what works perfectly (layout, colors) and what might need manual tweaks (interactions, animations). Be honest about trade-offs.

Demo Plan

  1. Open Figma file in browser, show a well-designed component or page
  2. Copy the Figma file URL
  3. In Claude Code, set up Figma MCP: claude mcp add --transport http figma <figma-api-endpoint>
  4. Ask Claude: "Generate React code for this Figma design: [link]"
  5. Claude fetches the file, extracts specs (colors, typography, layout)
  6. Claude generates React component code
  7. Show the generated code side-by-side with the Figma design
  8. Request a modification: "Change the button color to use the accent color from the design tokens"
  9. Claude updates the code, maintaining design consistency
  10. Show the updated code rendered in a browser preview

Code Examples & Commands

# Register Figma MCP
# Requires Figma API key and personal access token
claude mcp add --transport http figma https://api.figma.com/mcp

# In Claude Code, verify Figma is connected
/mcp

# Example Claude Code prompts:
# "Generate React code for this Figma design: https://www.figma.com/file/..."
# "Extract the color palette from this Figma file"
# "Show me the design tokens in this Figma project"
# "Generate Tailwind CSS for this component from Figma"
# "Update this code to match the updated Figma mockup"
# "Create a component library based on this Figma file"

# Verify connection:
claude mcp get figma

# Check Figma MCP configuration:
cat .mcp.json | grep figma

Gotchas & Tips

  • Figma API key: You need a valid Figma personal access token. Generate one in Figma account settings.
  • File permissions: Claude can only access Figma files you have access to. Sharing restrictions apply.
  • Complex layouts: Grid systems and complex constraints may not convert perfectly. Use for components and simple layouts first.
  • Responsive design: Claude can generate responsive code, but specify breakpoints clearly in Figma or in your prompt.
  • Interactions & animations: Figma MCP extracts static specs. Interactions (hover, click, scroll) require manual code.
  • Component variants: Figma components with multiple variants are readable by Claude, but code generation works best with clear naming.
  • Version control: Keep track of which Figma file version your code is based on. Designs evolve; code needs to follow.
  • Rate limits: Figma API has rate limits. Fetching very large files repeatedly can throttle. Cache or plan accordingly.

Lead-out

"Figma connects design to code. The final piece is documentation. In the next video, we'll connect Notion — your internal wiki, specs, and knowledge base. When everything is connected — Linear for planning, GitHub for code, Figma for design, Notion for docs — that's when teams move at full speed."

Reference URLs

  • Figma API documentation: https://www.figma.com/developers/api
  • Figma design tokens: https://www.figma.com/design-tokens/
  • Figma REST API: https://www.figma.com/developers/api#intro
  • Figma file structure and components: https://www.figma.com/best-practices

Prep Reading

  • Overview of Figma API and file structure
  • How design tokens work in Figma
  • Responsive design patterns and how they translate to code
  • Best practices for organizing Figma files for developer handoff

Notes for Daniel: This video bridges design and code. Your audience includes developers who might not be deeply familiar with design systems. Emphasize the practical benefit: faster, more accurate UI development. Show real mockups, not toy examples.

Demo tip: Use a well-designed, real Figma file — not a minimal example. Viewers should see that this works on actual design work, not just simple tests. If you have a Figma file from a real product, use that.

Tone: Celebration of designer-developer collaboration. This is enabling both roles to do their best work faster. Frame it as a win for both disciplines.

Production note: Figma API endpoints and personal access token setup can vary. Have your Figma API key ready before recording.