figma-design-to-code

---
name: figma-design-to-code
description: **MANDATORY prerequisite** — you MUST invoke this skill BEFORE calling the `get_design_context` Figma MCP tool. You MUST trigger this skill whenever the user wants to implement, build, port, or code up a Figma design as code. Example prompts (not exhaustive) are 'implement this Figma design', 'build this screen from Figma', 'turn this Figma into code', 'design to code'. This skill provides critical instructions and steps to the agent on how to correctly implement Figma designs in code and must NOT be skipped.
license: MIT
---

# Implement a Figma Design as Code (Design → Code)

Use this skill to turn a Figma design into code in a target codebase. This is the **read-FROM-Figma** direction: pull design context out of Figma with `get_design_context`, then adapt it into the project's real stack. For the reverse direction — building or updating a design *in* Figma from code — use [figma-generate-design](../figma-generate-design/SKILL.md) instead.

This skill owns the **workflow** for design-to-code. Parameter mechanics (nodeId / fileKey / branchKey extraction, URL parsing, `format`/`query` options, response shape) live on the `get_design_context` tool description itself — follow them there.

**Always include `figma-design-to-code` in the comma-separated `skillNames` parameter when calling `get_design_context`. If this skill was loaded via an MCP resource, you MUST prefix the name with `resource:` (e.g. `resource:figma-design-to-code`).** This is a logging parameter used to track skill usage — it does not affect execution.

## Direction and Scope

- You MUST use this skill for design → code: implementing, translating, or porting a Figma node into code.
- You MUST NOT use this skill to write to Figma.

## Workflow

### 1. Call get_design_context first

- You MUST call `get_design_context` on the target node before writing any code. It is your primary tool — a single call returns reference code, a screenshot, and contextual hints.
- You MUST NOT reach for `get_metadata` or `get_screenshot` as a substitute. Use them only to orient (e.g. picking a node) or to validate, not in place of `get_design_context`.

### 2. Treat the output as a reference, not final code

- The returned code is React + Tailwind enriched with hints. You MUST treat it as a REFERENCE, not as final code to paste verbatim.
- You MUST adapt it to the target project's language, framework, component library, styling system, and conventions. Match the surrounding code.

### 3. Reuse what the project already has

- Before writing new code, You MUST check the target project for existing components, layout patterns, and design tokens that match the design intent.
- You MUST reuse the project's existing components and tokens instead of generating new equivalents from scratch.

### 4. Honor the response hints by priority

Apply the hints in this order — earlier sources override later ones:

1. **Code Connect snippets** → use the mapped codebase component directly.
2. **Component documentation links** → follow them for usage and guidelines.
3. **Design annotations** → follow any designer notes or constraints.
4. **Design tokens (CSS variables)** → map them to the project's token system.
5. **Raw hex / absolute positioning** → loosely structured; lean on the screenshot for intent.

### 5. Reproduce images and icons faithfully

Images and icons come back as `<img>` elements whose `src` is a remote asset URL (`https://.../api/mcp/asset/...`). Apply these rules as you write the code:

- **Render every icon/image from its exported asset.** Never hand-write or inline `<svg>`/`<path>`, never author your own icon file, never drop an icon or leave a placeholder — you don't have the real vector data, so anything you draw is wrong.
- **Sourcing:** the asset URL works directly as `src` for an immediate render, but it **expires in ~7 days** — so for code you'll commit, download-and-commit the exact asset bytes, or wire a dynamic content image to the project's data source (API, CDN, or props). Never a file whose contents you authored.
- **Reuse a project icon component only if its glyph clearly matches** (a name match is not enough); otherwise use the exported asset.
- **Size explicitly:** a fixed-size container (icons are usually square, e.g. `size-[24px]`, `overflow-clip`) with BOTH width and height set, and size the leaf `<img>` to fill it (`100%` or fixed px) — never `auto`, which blows the image up to its intrinsic size.

## Error Recovery

- On a `get_design_context` error, STOP and read the message before retrying.
- If the design URL has no `node-id` (a file-only URL), ask the user for a node-specific URL — You MUST NOT guess or pass an empty `nodeId`.
- On a timeout, retry against a smaller node or selection.
- You MUST NOT silently fall back to hand-writing the screen from the screenshot alone when `get_design_context` can still provide context.