Claude Talk to Figma MCP
Enables Claude Desktop and other AI tools to interact directly with Figma, allowing for powerful AI-assisted design capabilities through natural language commands.
README Documentation

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 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 or Cursor + Figma Desktop + Bun installed
2. Setup
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)
- Download: Get the latest
claude-talk-to-figma-mcp.dxt
from releases - 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:
- Go to Cursor Settings → Tools & Integrations
- Click "New MCP Server" to open
mcp.json
config (screenshot) - Add this configuration:
{ "mcpServers": { "ClaudeTalkToFigma": { "command": "bunx", "args": ["claude-talk-to-figma-mcp@latest"] } } }
- Save the file (screenshot)
4. Setup Figma Plugin (Required for all methods)
Import src/claude_mcp_plugin/manifest.json
in Figma → Menu → Plugins → Development
4. First Connection
- Start server:
bun socket
(verify athttp://localhost:3055/status
) - Connect plugin: Open Claude MCP Plugin in Figma → copy channel ID
- 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
- Make Claude a UX expert: Use this prompt 🎨
- Connect to your project: "Talk to Figma, channel {channel-ID}"
- 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:
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
bun run test # Run all tests
bun run test:watch # Watch mode
bun run test:coverage # Coverage report
Integration Testing
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
- Claude Desktop: Run
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
- Restart sequence: Stop server → Close AI tool → Restart both
- Clean reinstall: Delete
node_modules
→bun install
→bun run build
- Check logs: Server terminal shows detailed error messages
- Update fonts: Some team fonts require manual loading in Figma
- Configuration check: Verify MCP setup in your AI tool's settings
- 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
- Fork and Branch:
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
- Code Standards: Follow existing TypeScript patterns
- Testing: Add tests for new functionality
- Documentation: Update relevant sections
- Pull Request: Clear description of changes
Recent Contributors
- Taylor Smits - DXT Package Support implementation, automated CI/CD workflows, testing improvements, and bug fixes (PR #17, PR #16, PR #13, PR #14)
- easyhak - Fixed build script not working on Windows OS (PR #10)
📋 Version History
Current: 0.6.1
- 🔧 Tool Fix: The
set_stroke_color
tool now correctly accepts astrokeWeight
of0
for creating invisible strokes.
Previous: 0.6.0
- 🚀 DXT Package Support: one-click installation via Claude Desktop's extension manager (Thanks to Taylor Smits - PR #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 for complete version history.
📄 License & Credits
License: MIT License - see LICENSE file
Authors:
Acknowledgments:
- Anthropic team for Claude and Model Context Protocol
- Figma community for excellent plugin API
- Bun team for fast JavaScript runtime