Content
<img src="images/claude-talk-to-figma.png" alt="Claude Talk to Figma collage" />
# Claude Talk to Figma MCP
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) plugin that allows Claude Desktop and other AI tools (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, etc.) to interact directly with Figma, enabling powerful AI-assisted design capabilities.
> **Important**: This project is based on [cursor-talk-to-figma-mcp](https://github.com/sonnylazuardi/cursor-talk-to-figma-mcp) by Sonny Lazuardi. It has been adapted to work with Claude Desktop and expanded with additional tools. Original credit belongs to Sonny Lazuardi ❤️
## ⚡ Installation
### 1. Prerequisites
- [Claude Desktop](https://claude.ai/download) or [Cursor](https://cursor.com/downloads) + [Figma Desktop](https://www.figma.com/downloads/) + [Bun](https://bun.sh) installed
### 2. Setup
```bash
git clone https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp.git
cd claude-talk-to-figma-mcp
bun install
```
- **macOS/Linux**: `bun run build`
- **Windows**: `bun run build:win`
### 3. AI client configuration
#### Option 1: DXT Package (Claude Desktop only)
1. **Download**: Get the latest `claude-talk-to-figma-mcp.dxt` from [releases](https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp/releases)
2. **Install**: Double-click the `.dxt` file → Claude Desktop installs automatically
#### Option 2: JSON (Claude Desktop or Cursor)
- **Claude Desktop**: Run `bun run configure-claude` (restart Claude Desktop)
- **Cursor**:
1. Go to Cursor Settings → Tools & Integrations
2. Click "New MCP Server" to open `mcp.json` config ([screenshot](images/cursor-config-1.png))
3. Add this configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"ClaudeTalkToFigma": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": ["claude-talk-to-figma-mcp@latest"]
}
}
}
```
4. Save the file ([screenshot](images/cursor-config-2.png))
### 4. Setup Figma Plugin (Required for all methods)
Import `src/claude_mcp_plugin/manifest.json` in Figma → Menu → Plugins → Development
### 4. First Connection
1. **Start server**: `bun socket` (verify at `http://localhost:3055/status`)
2. **Connect plugin**: Open Claude MCP Plugin in Figma → copy channel ID
3. **Test**: Ask your AI client: "Talk to Figma, channel {channel-ID}"
✅ **Success**: Your AI should confirm connection and you can start designing!
---
## 🚀 Core Concepts
### How It Works
```
Claude Desktop ↔ MCP Server ↔ WebSocket Server ↔ Figma Plugin
```
**Simple**: Claude sends design commands → Figma executes them in real-time
**Bidirectional**: Get info from Figma, create/modify elements, manage components
### Key Capabilities
- **Document Interaction**: Analyze designs, get selections, export assets
- **Element Creation**: Shapes, text, frames with full styling control
- **Smart Modifications**: Colors, effects, auto-layout, responsive design
- **Text Mastery**: Advanced typography, font loading, text scanning
- **Component Integration**: Local and team library components
---
## 🛠️ Usage Patterns
### Getting Started with AI Design
1. **Make Claude a UX expert**: [Use this prompt](prompts/prompt-ux-ui-specialist.md) 🎨
2. **Connect to your project**: "Talk to Figma, channel {channel-ID}"
3. **Start designing**: "Create a mobile app login screen with modern styling"
### Effective Prompting Examples
```
✅ Good: "Create a dashboard with a sidebar navigation, header with user profile, and main content area with card-based metrics"
✅ Good: "Redesign this button component with hover states and better contrast ratios"
❌ Avoid: "Make it look nice" (too vague)
```
---
## 📚 Command Reference
### 📄 Document Tools
| Command | Purpose | Example Use |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| `get_document_info` | Document analysis | Get project overview |
| `get_selection` | Current selection | What's selected now |
| `get_node_info` | Element details | Inspect specific component |
| `get_nodes_info` | Multiple elements info | Batch element inspection |
| `scan_text_nodes` | Find all text | Text audit and updates |
| `get_styles` | Document styles | Color/text style audit |
| `join_channel` | Connect to Figma | Establish communication |
| `export_node_as_image` | Asset export | Generate design assets |
### 🔧 Creation Tools
| Command | Purpose | Example Use |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| `create_rectangle` | Basic shapes | Buttons, backgrounds |
| `create_frame` | Layout containers | Page sections, cards |
| `create_text` | Text elements | Headlines, labels |
| `create_ellipse` | Circles/ovals | Profile pics, icons |
| `create_polygon` | Multi-sided shapes | Custom geometric elements |
| `create_star` | Star shapes | Decorative elements |
| `clone_node` | Duplicate elements | Copy existing designs |
| `group_nodes` | Organize elements | Component grouping |
| `ungroup_nodes` | Separate groups | Break apart components |
| `insert_child` | Nest elements | Hierarchical structure |
| `flatten_node` | Vector operations | Boolean operations |
### ✏️ Modification Tools
| Command | Purpose | Example Use |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| `set_fill_color` | Element colors | Brand color application |
| `set_stroke_color` | Border colors | Outline styling |
| `move_node` | Positioning | Layout adjustments |
| `resize_node` | Size changes | Responsive scaling |
| `delete_node` | Remove elements | Clean up designs |
| `set_corner_radius` | Rounded corners | Modern UI styling |
| `set_auto_layout` | Flexbox-like layout | Component spacing |
| `set_effects` | Shadows/blurs | Visual polish |
| `set_effect_style_id` | Apply effect styles | Consistent shadow styles |
### 📝 Text Tools
| Command | Purpose | Example Use |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| `set_text_content` | Text updates | Copy changes |
| `set_multiple_text_contents` | Batch text updates | Multi-element editing |
| `set_font_name` | Typography | Brand font application |
| `set_font_size` | Text sizing | Hierarchy creation |
| `set_font_weight` | Text weight | Bold/light variations |
| `set_letter_spacing` | Character spacing | Typography fine-tuning |
| `set_line_height` | Vertical spacing | Text readability |
| `set_paragraph_spacing` | Paragraph gaps | Content structure |
| `set_text_case` | Case transformation | UPPER/lower/Title case |
| `set_text_decoration` | Text styling | Underline/strikethrough |
| `get_styled_text_segments` | Text analysis | Rich text inspection |
| `load_font_async` | Font loading | Custom font access |
### 🎨 Component Tools
| Command | Purpose | Example Use |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| `get_local_components` | Project components | Design system audit |
| `get_remote_components` | Team libraries | Shared component access |
| `create_component_instance` | Use components | Consistent UI elements |
---
### Building DXT Package (Developers)
To create your own DXT package:
```bash
npm run build:dxt # Builds TypeScript and packages DXT
```
This creates `claude-talk-to-figma-mcp.dxt` ready for distribution.
---
## 🧪 Testing & Quality Assurance
### Automated Testing
```bash
bun run test # Run all tests
bun run test:watch # Watch mode
bun run test:coverage # Coverage report
```
### Integration Testing
```bash
bun run test:integration # Guided end-to-end testing
```
### Manual Verification Checklist
- [ ] WebSocket server starts on port 3055
- [ ] Figma plugin connects and generates channel ID
- [ ] AI tool recognizes "ClaudeTalkToFigma" MCP (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
- [ ] Basic commands execute (create rectangle, change color)
- [ ] Error handling works (invalid commands, timeouts)
- [ ] Channel communication works between AI tool and Figma
---
## 🐛 Troubleshooting & Support
### Connection Issues
- **"Can't connect to WebSocket"**: Ensure `bun socket` is running
- **"Plugin not found"**: Verify plugin import in Figma Development settings
- **"MCP not available"**:
- Claude Desktop: Run `bun run configure-claude` and restart Claude
- Cursor IDE: Check MCP configuration in `mcp.json` file
- Other AI tools: Verify MCP integration settings
### Execution Problems
- **"Command failed"**: Check Figma development console for errors
- **"Font not found"**: Use `load_font_async` to verify font availability
- **"Permission denied"**: Ensure you have edit access to the Figma document
- **"Timeout errors"**: Complex operations may need retry
### Performance Issues
- **Slow responses**: Large documents may require more processing time
- **Memory usage**: Close unused Figma tabs, restart if necessary
- **WebSocket disconnects**: Server auto-reconnects, restart if persistent
### Common Solutions
1. **Restart sequence**: Stop server → Close AI tool → Restart both
2. **Clean reinstall**: Delete `node_modules` → `bun install` → `bun run build`
3. **Check logs**: Server terminal shows detailed error messages
4. **Update fonts**: Some team fonts require manual loading in Figma
5. **Configuration check**: Verify MCP setup in your AI tool's settings
6. **Port conflicts**: Ensure port 3055 is not used by other applications
---
## 🏗️ Advanced Topics
### Architecture Deep Dive
```
+----------------+ +-------+ +---------------+ +---------------+
| | | | | | | |
| Claude Desktop |<--->| MCP |<--->| WebSocket Srv |<--->| Figma Plugin |
| (AI Agent) | | | | (Port 3055) | | (UI Plugin) |
| | | | | | | |
+----------------+ +-------+ +---------------+ +---------------+
```
**Design Principles**:
- **MCP Server**: Business logic, validation, default values
- **WebSocket Server**: Message routing and protocol translation
- **Figma Plugin**: Pure command executor in Figma context
**Benefits**:
- Clear separation of concerns
- Easy testing and maintenance
- Scalable architecture for additional tools
### Project Structure
```
src/
talk_to_figma_mcp/ # MCP Server implementation
server.ts # Main entry point
tools/ # Tool categories by function
document-tools.ts # Document interaction
creation-tools.ts # Shape and element creation
modification-tools.ts # Property modification
text-tools.ts # Text manipulation
utils/ # Shared utilities
types/ # TypeScript definitions
claude_mcp_plugin/ # Figma plugin
code.js # Plugin implementation
manifest.json # Plugin configuration
```
### Contributing Guidelines
1. **Fork and Branch**: `git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`
2. **Code Standards**: Follow existing TypeScript patterns
3. **Testing**: Add tests for new functionality
4. **Documentation**: Update relevant sections
5. **Pull Request**: Clear description of changes
#### Recent Contributors
- **[Taylor Smits](https://github.com/smitstay)** - DXT Package Support implementation, automated CI/CD workflows, testing improvements, and bug fixes ([PR #17](https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp/pull/17), [PR #16](https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp/pull/16), [PR #13](https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp/pull/13), [PR #14](https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp/pull/14))
- **[easyhak](https://github.com/easyhak)** - Fixed build script not working on Windows OS ([PR #10](https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp/pull/10))
---
## 📋 Version History
### Current: 0.6.1
- **🔧 Tool Fix**: The `set_stroke_color` tool now correctly accepts a `strokeWeight` of `0` for creating invisible strokes.
### Previous: 0.6.0
- **🚀 DXT Package Support**: one-click installation via Claude Desktop's extension manager (Thanks to [Taylor Smits](https://github.com/smitstay) - [PR #17](https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp/pull/17))
- **📦 Automated Distribution**: GitHub Actions workflow for automatic DXT package generation and release uploads
- **⚡ Enhanced UX**: Installation time reduced from 15-30 minutes to 2-5 minutes for end users
- **🔧 Developer Tools**: New build scripts for DXT packaging (`npm run build:dxt`, `npm run pack`)
See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for complete version history.
---
## 📄 License & Credits
**License**: MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) file
**Authors**:
- **Xúlio Zé** - *Claude adaptation* - [GitHub](https://github.com/arinspunk)
- **Sonny Lazuardi** - *Original implementation* - [GitHub](https://github.com/sonnylazuardi)
**Acknowledgments**:
- Anthropic team for Claude and Model Context Protocol
- Figma community for excellent plugin API
- Bun team for fast JavaScript runtime
