Figma design extract

Figma Design Extract — get the real design out of Figma

Read a Figma node into a design-spec table of exact values mapped to your codebase, before writing any component code. The table is both your build contract and the input to the companion design-fidelity-verify skill, which proves the running app matches it.

This skill is the design→code direction (read Figma, produce a spec). It is not a code→Figma generator — that's Figma's own figma-generate-design skill.

Why this exists (the failure mode it fixes)

Screenshot-as-truth. A model reads a Figma screenshot as "button, top-right" but cannot see that the radius is 8 not 12, the weight is 500 not 600, or the gap is 12 not 8. A screenshot is a visual reference only. Exact values come from Figma's structured data — variables and metadata — not from pixels. The bar is fidelity to the design's decisions — the right token — not literal pixel coordinates. Skip this and the design drifts the moment you start typing.

When to use

Trigger phrases: "implement this Figma screen/component", "build this design", "extract the Figma values", "get the tokens/spacing/colors from Figma", "match the Figma", or a figma.com/design/...node-id=... URL shared to build from.

Scope: any frontend repo (web or mobile). Backend/API repos have no UI to build.

Prerequisite: the Figma MCP server (Dev Mode MCP) connected, so get_variable_defs, get_metadata, get_design_context, and get_screenshot are available.

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The extraction workflow

0. Resolve the node (don't trust stale IDs)

Get the node from the URL the designer shared, or from your issue tracker / design handoff. The node id is the node-id=NNNN-MMMM part of a Figma URL (the - becomes : in API calls, e.g. 1234:5678).

• Node ids go stale between handoff and build. Try the given id with get_design_context first; if it returns "node not found", search by a stable numeric prefix rather than the frame name (names get renamed and double-spaced).
• Dark mode often lives on a mirror page with identical frame names — look on the sibling page, don't search globally.
• Keep every call node-scoped. get_metadata on a 40-frame section blows the token budget. Always pass the specific node id.

1. Structure — get_design_context(nodeId)

Use it for structure only: auto-layout → flex direction / gap, hierarchy, where component boundaries are. Do not copy its absolute pixel positions or inlined values — treat those as hints and confirm them against variables/metadata.

• Code Connect is on by default in get_design_context. Choose by your setup:
  • You have Code Connect mapped → keep it on. It returns exact import paths and is the single best component-reuse signal — don't disable it. get_code_connect_map lists the mappings for a file if you want them up front.
  • You don't use Code Connect (most setups) → the response may nag "components missing Code Connect — map them?". Pass disableCodeConnect: true to skip that noise and get the generated structure directly. A reasonable default when no mappings exist; don't stop to set Code Connect up mid-task.
• Treat the returned code as a representation of design and behavior, not final code style — adapt it to your conventions (Figma's own guidance).

2. Exact styles — get_variable_defs(nodeId) ← the source of truth

This answers "are we even getting the real styles?". It returns the exact color / spacing / radius / typography tokens bound in the selection. For every value:

• Map the Figma variable to a token in your own design system — never hardcode the raw value. Resolve var(--primary/500) to whatever your repo calls it. See references/stack-mapping.md when filling the repo-token column.
• letterSpacing is a percent, not px. Figma reports -2 to mean -0.02em; the rendered value is px-per-font-size (24px → -0.48, 18px → -0.36, 16px → -0.32). Convert %→em→px before any comparison. Read literally, this is the single most likely silent false-PASS in the whole pipeline.
• If a value has no bound variable, that's a design smell. Flag it for the designer. For an unbound size or position, read the number from get_metadata (step 3); for an unbound fill — a gradient, a one-off color — get_metadata will not give it to you, see step 5.
• Log token drift. If a bound token's value in your repo differs from Figma's variable value, append a row to a drift log of your choice (e.g. docs/design-drift.md) and keep using the token name — never hardcode the Figma value to "fix" it. The token package is corrected separately.

get_variable_defs only returns variables bound in this node. It is not a design-system inventory. To discover what tokens exist across linked and published libraries — before concluding "there is no token for this" — call get_libraries(fileKey) to list them, then search_design_system({ query, fileKey, includeVariables: true, includeLibraryKeys }).

3. Sizes + truncation fallback — get_metadata(nodeId) (scoped)

Two uses: exact sizes/positions not covered by a variable (fixed dimensions, one-off gaps, icon box sizes), and a fallback when get_design_context is truncated — the response is capped, so on a large node take the node map from get_metadata, then re-fetch only the child node(s) you need. Keep it node-scoped.

4. Visual reference — get_screenshot(nodeId)

Composition, states, iconography, what-goes-where. Never measure from it. It exists to catch "you built the wrong thing", not "you built it 4px off".

5. Unbound values (gradients, complex fills)

get_variable_defs only returns values bound to a variable. Anything unbound — many gradients, one-off fills — won't appear there, and get_metadata won't resolve it either. For those, read node.fills via the Figma Plugin API (use_figma) for the authoritative stops/values, and flag the missing binding as a design smell.

use_figma is a write-capable tool. Load Figma's /figma-use skill before calling it — the Figma MCP server declares that a mandatory prerequisite. Here you only ever read (node.fills); never mutate the designer's file from an extraction pass.

6. Component reuse — audit before you scaffold

Map each Figma component to an existing primitive in your repo before building anything new:

• Grep your components directory for a primitive that already does this — a variant beats a fork.
• Note where reuse wasn't possible and why.
• If your org has Code Connect set up, get_design_context (or get_code_connect_map) returns exact import paths automatically; if not, map manually and treat Code Connect as a future automation, not a blocker.

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Output: the design-spec table

One row per element×property. This is the deliverable — keep it in your working notes; it drives both implementation and verification.

element          | property      | Figma exact value      | repo token / class        | source component
-----------------+---------------+------------------------+---------------------------+------------------
Card container   | bg            | var(--surface/0)       | <your white-surface token>| <Card>
Card container   | radius        | 12                     | <your rounded-lg token>   | <Card>
Card container   | padding       | 16                     | <your space-4 token>      | <Card>
Title            | font/size/wt  | Heading/M 18 / 600     | <your title-m token>      | <Text>
Row gap          | gap           | 8                      | <your space-2 token>      | (auto-layout)
CTA              | bg            | var(--primary/500)     | <your primary-500 token>  | <Button primary>
CTA              | radius        | 8                      | <your rounded-md token>   | <Button>

Fill the repo token / class column with your system's names. Every cell on the right is a token reference, not a hardcoded literal. If your repo has no token system at all, that's the real finding — surface it; don't invent ad-hoc values.

Reference files, loaded on demand:

• references/stack-mapping.md — read it when filling the repo-token column, for how a Figma variable lands in Tailwind/NativeWind, a Restyle theme, CSS custom properties, or a color-only prop.
• references/assets-and-gate.md — read it when the node contains icons or illustrations to export, or when you're ready to enforce "no raw values" on the diff.
• examples/worked-example.md — a full pass over one real card, call by call, ending in a filled spec table.

Guardrails

• Never write a hardcoded color/spacing/radius/font value that has a bound Figma variable — map it to a token.
• Never measure from a screenshot. Structured values only.
• Keep every Figma call node-scoped to control token cost.
• An unbound value is a design smell — flag it, don't silently bake in the raw number.
• Convert letterSpacing from percent before comparing it to anything.
• Log Figma↔token drift instead of hardcoding the Figma value; fixing the token package is a separate task.

Hand-off

The spec table is the input to design-fidelity-verify: build the component from the table, then run that skill to prove — by measuring rendered values, not by glancing — that the running app matches every row.