Build or update a professional-grade design system in Figma from a codebase. Use when the user wants to create variables/tokens, build component libraries, create individual components with proper variant sets and variable bindings, set up theming (light/dark modes), document foundations, or reconcile gaps between code and Figma. Also use when the user asks to create or generate any component in Figma — even a single one — since components require proper variable foundations, variant states, and design token bindings to be production-quality. This skill teaches WHAT to build and in WHAT ORDER — it complements the `figma-use` skill which teaches HOW to call the Plugin API. Both skills should be loaded together.
Build or update a professional-grade design system in Figma from a codebase. Use when the user wants to create variables/tokens, build component libraries, create individual components with proper variant sets and variable bindings, set up theming (light/dark modes), document foundations, or reconcile gaps between code and Figma. Also use when the user asks to create or generate any component in Figma — even a single one — since components require proper variable foundations, variant states, and design token bindings to be production-quality. This skill teaches WHAT to build and in WHAT ORDER — it complements the `figma-use` skill which teaches HOW to call the Plugin API. Both skills should be loaded together.
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Design System Builder — Figma MCP Skill
Build professional-grade design systems in Figma that match code. This skill orchestrates multi-phase workflows across 20–100+ use_figma calls, enforcing quality patterns from real-world design systems (Material 3, Polaris, Figma UI3, Simple DS).
Prerequisites: The figma-use skill MUST also be loaded for every use_figma call. It provides Plugin API syntax rules (return pattern, page reset, ID return, font loading, color range). This skill provides design system domain knowledge and workflow orchestration.
Always include figma-generate-library in the comma-separated skillNames parameter when calling use_figma as part of this skill. If this skill was loaded via an MCP resource, you MUST prefix the name with resource: (e.g. resource:figma-generate-library). This is a logging parameter — it does not affect execution.
1. The One Rule That Matters Most
For every phase, follow this communication contract.
Before starting a phase:
Post a user-facing checklist titled Phase N Checklist.
Include every task/subtask that will be attempted in that phase.
Include the phase exit criteria.
Do not begin mutating work for the phase until this checklist has been posted.
If the phase requires explicit approval, ask for approval after the checklist and wait.
During execution:
Before each major subsection, post a short update naming the exact section being worked on, using this format:
Working on Phase N.X: <section name>
Keep updates concise, but make the current work visible.
When a subsection completes, mark it as completed in the running checklist if the interface supports checklist/status updates; otherwise mention completion in the next progress update.
At the end of each phase:
Post a Phase N Summary with:
Completed tasks
Created or changed Figma objects
Validations performed
Decisions or conflicts resolved
Remaining risks or follow-ups
Then show the required phase artifact for that phase and continue automatically.
Only ask for explicit approval after Phase 0 or if a genuine decision fork arises (see Section 6). For Phases 1–4, the default is to continue automatically after the summary.
Stable Task IDs
Use one task ID format everywhere: P{phase}.{step}.
Rules:
Use lettered step IDs only: P0.a, P0.b, P1.a, P3.d.
Do not use plain bullet points for task lists.
Every phase checklist, progress update, validation note, and phase summary MUST reference the same task IDs
No setup exception: Creating a new Figma file, importing a library, creating pages, variables, collections, styles, or components all count as creation/mutation. Do not treat any of them as harmless setup.
This is NEVER a one-shot task. Building a design system requires 20–100+ use_figma calls across multiple phases, with mandatory progress between them. Any attempt to create everything in one call WILL produce broken, incomplete, or unrecoverable results. Break every operation to the smallest useful unit, validate, get feedback, proceed.
2. Mandatory Workflow
Work through the phases in order. Do not move to the next phase until the current phase's required actions and acceptance checks are complete. If a phase cannot pass, stop and report the blocker. Do not approximate, skip, or defer a failed phase unless the user explicitly approves the limitation. No best-effort substitutions. No quiet approximations. No handoff with missing source truth, missing visual truth, fake assets, approximate typography, broken interactions, or unverified states.
Phase 0: DISCOVERY (always first — no use_figma writes yet)
3h. Optional: lightweight Code Connect mapping while context is fresh
Exit criteria met: variant count correct, all bindings verified, screenshot looks right
Phase 4: INTEGRATION + QA (final pass)
4a. Finalize all Code Connect mappings
4b. Accessibility audit (contrast, min touch targets, focus visibility)
4c. Naming audit (no duplicates, no unnamed nodes, consistent casing)
4d. Unresolved bindings audit (no hardcoded fills/strokes remaining)
4e. Final review screenshots of every page
3. Critical Rules
Plugin API basics (from use_figma skill — enforced here too):
Use return to send data back (auto-serialized). Do NOT wrap in IIFE or call closePlugin.
Return ALL created/mutated node IDs in every return value
Page context resets each call — always await figma.setCurrentPageAsync(page) at start. Call it at most once per script: each component or doc page is its own use_figma call. Never loop over figma.root.children and switch pages inside a mutating script — split that work into one focused call per target page (see figma-use → gotchas.md → Set current page once per use_figma call)
figma.notify() throws — never use it
Colors are 0–1 range, not 0–255
Font MUST be loaded before any text write: await figma.loadFontAsync({family, style}). Use await figma.listAvailableFontsAsync() to discover available fonts and verify exact style strings — if a load fails, query available fonts to find the correct name or a fallback.
Design system rules:
Variables BEFORE components — components bind to variables. No token = no component.
Inspect before creating — run read-only use_figma to discover existing conventions. Match them.
One page per component(default) — exception: tightly related families (e.g., Input + helpers) may share a page with clear section separation.
Scopes on every variable — NEVER leave as ALL_SCOPES. Background: FRAME_FILL, SHAPE_FILL. Text: TEXT_FILL. Border: STROKE_COLOR. Spacing: GAP. Radii: CORNER_RADIUS. Primitives: [] (hidden).
Code syntax on every variable — WEB syntax MUST use the var() wrapper: var(--color-bg-primary), not --color-bg-primary. Use the actual CSS variable name from the codebase. ANDROID/iOS do NOT use a wrapper.
Alias semantics to primitives — { type: 'VARIABLE_ALIAS', id: primitiveVar.id }. Never duplicate raw values in semantic layer.
Position variants after combineAsVariants — they stack at (0,0). Manually grid-layout + resize.
INSTANCE_SWAP for icons — never create a variant per icon. Cap variant matrices: if Size × Style × State > 30 combinations, split into sub-component.
Deterministic naming — use consistent, unique node names for idempotent cleanup and resumability. Track created node IDs via return values and the state ledger.
No destructive cleanup — cleanup scripts identify nodes by name convention or returned IDs, not by guessing.
Validate before proceeding — never build on unvalidated work. get_metadata after every create, get_screenshot after each component.
NEVER parallelize use_figma calls — Figma state mutations must be strictly sequential. Even if your tool supports parallel calls, never run two use_figma calls simultaneously.
Never hallucinate Node IDs — always read IDs from the state ledger returned by previous calls. Never reconstruct or guess an ID from memory.
Use the helper scripts — embed scripts from scripts/ into your use_figma calls. Don't write 200-line inline scripts from scratch.
4. State Management (Required for Long Workflows)
getPluginData() / setPluginData() are NOT supported in use_figma. Use getSharedPluginData() / setSharedPluginData() instead (these ARE supported), or use name-based lookups and the state ledger (returned IDs).
Entity type
Idempotency key
How to check existence
Scene nodes (pages, frames, components)
setSharedPluginData('dsb', 'key', value) or unique name
node.getSharedPluginData('dsb', 'key') or page.findOne(n => n.name === 'Button')
Variables
Name within collection
(await figma.variables.getLocalVariablesAsync()).find(v => v.name === name && v.variableCollectionId === collId)
Styles
Name
getLocalTextStyles().find(s => s.name === name)
Tag every created scene node immediately after creation:
node.setSharedPluginData('dsb', 'run_id', RUN_ID); // identifies this build run
node.setSharedPluginData('dsb', 'phase', 'phase3'); // which phase created it
node.setSharedPluginData('dsb', 'key', 'component/button');// unique logical key
State persistence: Do NOT rely solely on conversation context for the state ledger. Write it to disk:
/tmp/dsb-state-{RUN_ID}.json
Re-read this file at the start of every turn. In long workflows, conversation context will be truncated — the file is the source of truth.
Idempotency check before every create: query by name + state ledger ID. If exists, skip or update — never duplicate.
Resume protocol: at session start or after context truncation, run a read-only use_figma to scan all pages, components, variables, and styles by name to reconstruct the {key → id} map. Then re-read the state file from disk if available.
Continuation prompt (give this to the user when resuming in a new chat):
"I'm continuing a design system build. Run ID: {RUN_ID}. Load the figma-generate-library skill and resume from the last completed step."
5. Library Discovery and search_design_system — Reuse Decision Matrix
Search FIRST in Phase 0, then again immediately before each component creation.
Start with get_libraries to understand what libraries are available before searching blindly:
// Discover all libraries accessible to the file
get_libraries({ fileKey })
// Returns:
// libraries_added_to_file: [{ name, libraryKey, description, source }, ...]
// libraries_available_to_add: [{ name, libraryKey, description, source }, ...]
// libraries_available_to_add_next_offset: number | null
Use the returned libraryKey values to scope searches to specific libraries via includeLibraryKeys. This avoids noisy results when many libraries are available.
If libraries_available_to_add_next_offset is non-null, more org libraries are available — call get_libraries again with offset set to that value. Org libraries page in batches of 20; community UI kits only appear on the first page.
// Search across all libraries (default)
search_design_system({ query, fileKey, includeComponents: true, includeVariables: true, includeStyles: true })
// Search within a specific library only
search_design_system({ query, fileKey, includeLibraryKeys: ["lk-abc123..."], includeComponents: true })
Reuse if all of these are true:
Component property API matches your needs (same variant axes, compatible types)
Token binding model is compatible (uses same or aliasable variables)
Naming conventions match the target file
Component is editable (not locked in a remote library you don't own)
Rebuild if any of these:
API incompatibility (different property names, wrong variant model)
Token model incompatible (hardcoded values, different variable schema)
Ownership issue (can't modify the library)
Wrap if visual match but API incompatible:
Import the library component as a nested instance inside a new wrapper component
Expose a clean API on the wrapper
Priority order: local existing → subscribed library import → unsubscribed UI Kit library from libraries_available_to_add (icons especially) → create new.
6. Decision Forks
Ask the user when paths fork — when two or more reasonable answers exist and no clear winner comes from the codebase, the Figma file, or the locked plan. Don't silently default. Present each option with its tradeoff and your recommendation; pick only after the user steers.
When NOT to ask: if exactly one path is clearly correct from the source of truth (code, Figma file, agreed plan), take it. This section is for genuine ambiguity, not for offloading every decision.
Fork situation
What to surface
Example ask
Code ≠ Figma on a token, component, or value
Both versions side by side, with provenance (file/line vs node)
"Code says --color-bg-primary = #FFFFFF, Figma has color/bg/primary = #FAFAFA. Which wins?"
Subscribed library has a close-but-not-exact match
Library component summary + gap list
"Library has Button with no loading state. Reuse + wrap locally, or rebuild from scratch?"
Scope ambiguity at plan-lock (0d)
What's clearly in, what's clearly out, what's ambiguous
"Spec lists Button and Input; Field is referenced but not defined. In or out of v1?"
If the user rejects an option you already built on: fix before moving on. Never build on rejected work.
7. Naming Conventions
Match existing file conventions. If starting fresh:
