Pen to figma

pen-to-figma

Convert any .pen file into a paste-ready Figma plugin script.

What this skill does

1. Reads the pen file structure via Pencil MCP tools
2. Resolves design variables to their current values
3. Inlines reusable component instances
4. Generates a figma-plugin.js script
5. User pastes it into the Figma console → design appears

Trigger

User types /pen-to-figma (optionally with a file path or page name).

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Steps to follow

Step 0 — Verify prerequisites

Before starting, confirm the skill is operational:

1. Check converter engine exists:

   ls converter/pen-to-figma.js
   

   If missing, the skill cannot generate output — stop and report.

2. Run converter unit tests:

   node tests/converter.test.js
   

   All tests must pass before proceeding. If any fail, the engine is broken — report the failure and do not continue.

3. Confirm Pencil MCP is reachable by calling get_editor_state. If it errors, the user needs to configure the Pencil MCP server first.

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Step 1 — Find the pen file

Call get_editor_state to check if a pen file is already open in Pencil.

If no file is open and the user didn't provide a path, ask them to either:

• Open the file in Pencil and re-run the skill, or
• Provide the path to the .pen file

Step 2 — Read variables

Call get_variables to fetch all design variables (colors, spacing, etc.). Build a flat map: { "$variable-name": resolvedValue } using the default/light theme.

Step 3 — Read the node tree

Call batch_get to read all screens (top-level frames) and their descendants.

Use a pattern like ** or * to get all nodes. If the file is large (>50 screens), ask the user if they want to convert specific screens.

For each node, capture all properties relevant to the Figma engine:

• id, name, type
• x, y, width, height, opacity
• fill (hex string, gradient object, or $variable reference)
• stroke (object with fill, thickness, align)
• effect (array of shadow/blur effects)
• cornerRadius (number or [tl, tr, br, bl] array)
• layout ("horizontal" | "vertical" | "none")
• gap, padding, justifyContent, alignItems
• layoutPosition ("absolute" for absolutely-positioned children)
• clip (boolean)
• children (recursive)

For text nodes, also capture:

• content (the text string — pen may call this text or label)
• fontFamily, fontWeight, fontSize
• letterSpacing, lineHeight (as multiplier, e.g. 1.5)
• textAlign ("left" | "center" | "right" | "justify")
• textGrowth ("auto" | "fixed-width" | "fixed-width-height")

For icon_font nodes, capture:

• iconFontName (the icon identifier, e.g. "home", "check_circle")
• fill, width, height

For ref nodes (component instances), note the refId — the converter inlines these.

Step 4 — Resolve variables

Replace any $variable-name string values with their resolved values from the variable map.

Step 5 — Normalize the node tree

Apply these normalizations to produce the intermediate format:

Pen property	Engine property	Notes
text or label	content	Text node content field
lineHeight: 1.5	lineHeight: 1.5	Keep as multiplier (engine converts to PERCENT)
cornerRadius: [8,8,0,0]	cornerRadius: [8,8,0,0]	Pass arrays through as-is
fill: "$color-primary"	fill: "#2563EB"	Resolve variable
ref node	Inline as frame	Copy component definition, apply overrides

Pill/badge frames (cornerRadius ≥ 999 with padding and children) MUST have a layout set. If they don't have layout set, add "layout": "horizontal" to avoid them rendering as circles in Figma.

Step 6 — Generate the script

Read converter/pen-to-figma.js to understand the generateFigmaScript function.

Then call it (or replicate its logic inline) to produce the complete Figma script:

• Wrap the ENGINE template + screen data JSON + runner code
• Pass the page name (default: the pen file name without extension)

Write the output to figma-plugin.js (or a name derived from the pen file, e.g. MyApp-figma-plugin.js).

The unit tests run in Step 0 already verified the engine produces valid scripts. No additional validation step is needed — the converter is deterministic given valid normalized input.

Step 7 — Report to user

Tell the user:

1. The output file path
2. How many screens were found
3. Any warnings (unresolved variables, ref nodes that couldn't be inlined, SVG paths that were simplified)
4. Instructions:

   Open Figma → Plugins → Development → Open Console
   Paste the contents of figma-plugin.js → press Enter
   

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Known limitations

• Icons: icon_font nodes render as labeled text [icon_name], not real icons. To get real icons: install Material Symbols or Lucide font in Figma first.
• SVG paths: Complex vector paths render as placeholder rectangles with the correct fill.
• Script nodes: Procedurally generated content (script type) is skipped.
• Image fills: Not supported — nodes with image fills render as empty rectangles.

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Example output format

The generated figma-plugin.js follows this structure:

// Engine helpers (loadFonts, buildNode, color/layout utils)
...

// Screen data
function getScreens() {
  return [ /* normalized pen nodes as JSON */ ];
}

// Runner
await loadFonts();
figma.currentPage.name = "My App";
const screens = getScreens();
let xOffset = 0;
for (const screen of screens) {
  const frame = await buildNode(screen, null, xOffset);
  if (frame) xOffset += (frame.width || 390) + 40;
}
figma.viewport.scrollAndZoomIntoView(figma.currentPage.children);
console.log("✅ N screen(s) imported!");

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Testing the output

After generating, the user should validate in Figma:

1. All screens are visible and the right size
2. Colors and fills match the pen design
3. Layout (spacing, alignment) looks correct
4. Icons show as [icon_name] labels — acceptable for structure review
5. Text content is correct

If something looks wrong, the user can share a screenshot and you can:

• Read the figma-plugin.js output
• Find the problematic node in the pen data
• Fix the normalization and regenerate