---
title: "What is Figma Console MCP?"
description: "A beginner's guide to understanding MCP, Figma Console MCP, and how AI assistants can transform your design workflow."
---

# Understanding Figma Console MCP

New to AI-powered design tools? This guide explains everything you need to know—no technical background required.

---

## What is an MCP?

**MCP** stands for **Model Context Protocol**. Think of it as a universal translator that lets AI assistants (like Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or ChatGPT) communicate with external tools and services.

Without MCP, AI assistants are limited to what they already know. With MCP, they can:
- **Connect** to tools like Figma, GitHub, or databases
- **Read** real data from your actual projects
- **Take action** on your behalf (with your permission)

**Simple analogy:** If an AI assistant is like a helpful colleague, MCPs are like giving them access to your tools. Instead of describing your Figma file over chat, they can actually *look at it*.

---

## What is Figma Console MCP?

**Figma Console MCP** is a specific MCP server that connects AI assistants to Figma. It transforms your design system from static files into a queryable API.

### What it enables:

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Extract" icon="download">
    Pull design tokens, components, and styles as structured data
  </Card>
  <Card title="Sync" icon="arrows-rotate">
    Bidirectional token sync between Figma and your codebase (DTCG + CSS)
  </Card>
  <Card title="Create" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
    Build UI components and layouts directly in Figma through conversation
  </Card>
  <Card title="Audit" icon="universal-access">
    Accessibility scanning with WCAG checks, component scorecards, and code analysis
  </Card>
</Columns>

### In plain English:

Instead of manually copying values from Figma, you can ask:

```
"What's the padding on the Button component?"
```

Instead of transcribing tokens to CSS, you can say:

```
"Export all color variables as CSS custom properties"
```

Instead of building UI by hand, you can describe:

```
"Create a card component with an image, title, and action button"
```

The AI reads your actual design system, uses your real tokens, and generates accurate code—or creates designs directly in Figma.

---

## Why Does This Matter?

### The Problem

Every time a developer opens Figma, eyeballs the padding, and writes `margin: 16px` instead of `var(--spacing-md)`—that's design system debt.

**Common pain points:**
- Design tokens manually transcribed to CSS (and often wrong)
- Component specs described in Slack messages
- "Just check Figma" that leads to guesswork and approximation
- Designs and code drift apart over time

### The Solution

**What if your design system was queryable?**

Figma Console MCP makes this real. Your design system becomes:

- **Programmable** — Tokens export to CSS, Tailwind, or Sass automatically
- **Queryable** — AI can look up any value, any component, any style
- **Alive** — Single source of truth that developers can access directly
- **Creative** — AI can create designs using your actual tokens and components

**Result:** Developers stop guessing at values. Design debt decreases. Designs and code stay in sync.

---

## Who Is This For?

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Designers">
    ### Make Your Design System Programmable

    Your design system is a product. Developers are your users. Give them an API.

    **With Figma Console MCP, you can:**
    - Export design tokens in any format (CSS, Tailwind, Sass, JSON)
    - Generate documentation automatically
    - Let developers query component specs directly
    - Create consistent UI through AI-assisted design

    **Example prompt:**
    ```
    "Generate a style guide from my color and typography variables"
    ```
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Developers">
    ### Query Design Systems, Don't Guess

    Stop treating Figma as a screenshot machine.

    **With Figma Console MCP, you can:**
    - Get exact token values without opening Figma
    - Implement components with accurate specs
    - Auto-generate token files from source
    - Stay in sync with design updates

    **Example prompt:**
    ```
    "Get the Button component specs and implement it in React using our design tokens"
    ```
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Accessibility">
    ### Full-Spectrum Accessibility Scanning

    WCAG coverage across design and code, without maintaining a rule database.

    **With Figma Console MCP, you can:**
    - Lint designs for 14 WCAG checks with AA/best-practice level tagging
    - Audit components for state coverage, focus quality, and color-blind safety
    - Scan HTML code with axe-core (104 rules) for ARIA, labels, and semantics
    - Compare design intent vs code implementation with parity checks

    **Example prompt:**
    ```
    "Run an accessibility audit on the Button component and scan the code for issues"
    ```
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Design System Teams">
    ### Manage Large Token Libraries Effortlessly

    Scale your design system management with AI assistance.

    **With Figma Console MCP, you can:**
    - Audit token usage across components
    - Batch create variables for new themes
    - Document components automatically
    - Ensure consistency across large libraries

    **Example prompt:**
    ```
    "Add a Dark mode to all color variables with appropriate values"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

---

## How Do I Get Started?

**First, decide what you want to do:**

| I want to... | Setup | Time |
|--------------|-------|------|
| **Create and modify designs with AI** | NPX Setup (Recommended) | ~10 min |
| **Design from Claude.ai, v0, Replit, or Lovable** | Cloud Mode | ~5 min |
| **Just explore my design data** (read-only) | Remote Mode | ~2 min |

### Recommended: NPX Setup (Full Capabilities)

Get all 107 tools including design creation, variable management, and component instantiation.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get a Figma Token">
    Visit [Figma Help](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/8085703771159-Manage-personal-access-tokens) and create a Personal Access Token
  </Step>
  <Step title="Configure Your MCP Client">
    Add the server config with your token to Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, or any MCP client
  </Step>
  <Step title="Connect to Figma Desktop">
    Install the Desktop Bridge Plugin — one-time import, no debug flags needed. Run it in your Figma file to connect.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Restart Your MCP Client">
    Restart your MCP client to load the new config
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Cloud Mode (Web AI Clients)

Using Claude.ai, v0, Replit, or Lovable? Get full write access (96 tools) without installing Node.js.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Run the Desktop Bridge Plugin">
    Open the plugin in Figma Desktop (Plugins → Development → Figma Desktop Bridge)
  </Step>
  <Step title="Tell Your AI to Connect">
    Say "Connect to my Figma plugin" — your AI generates a 6-character pairing code
  </Step>
  <Step title="Enter the Code in the Plugin">
    Toggle Cloud Mode in the plugin, enter the code, and click Connect
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Remote Mode (Read-Only)

If you just want to explore or evaluate the tool, use Remote Mode. It's read-only (9 tools) but requires zero setup.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Claude Desktop Settings">
    Claude menu → Settings → Connectors
  </Step>
  <Step title="Add Custom Connector">
    Name: `Figma Console (Read-Only)` / URL: `https://figma-console-mcp.southleft.com/sse`
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
**Remote mode without pairing is read-only** (9 tools). For write access from web AI clients, use Cloud Mode above. For full capabilities with real-time monitoring, use NPX Setup.
</Warning>

<Card title="Full Setup Guide" icon="book-open" href="/setup">
  Detailed step-by-step instructions for all setup methods and AI clients.
</Card>

---

## What Can I Do With It?

Here are real prompts you can try right now:

### Design System Extraction

```
Get all design variables from https://figma.com/design/YOUR_FILE_ID
```

```
Export color styles as Tailwind config
```

```
Show me the Button component with a visual reference image
```

### Component Implementation

```
Get the Card component specs and help me implement it in React
```

```
What's the spacing between elements in the navigation bar?
```

### Accessibility Scanning

```
Run an accessibility check on this page and show me all WCAG violations
```

```
Audit the Button component for accessibility completeness and color-blind safety
```

### Design Creation (Local & Cloud Mode)

```
Create a notification toast with icon, title, and dismiss button
```

```
Build a user profile card using the Avatar and Button components
```

---

## Three Ways to Connect

Figma Console MCP offers three connection tiers with different capabilities:

| Feature | Local (NPX/Git) | Cloud Mode | Remote (Read-Only) |
|---------|-----------------|------------|-------------------|
| **Total tools** | **107** | **96** | **9** |
| **Setup** | ~10 minutes | ~5 minutes | ~2 minutes |
| **Create designs** | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| **Edit designs** | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| **Manage variables** | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| **Read design data** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| **Accessibility scanning** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| **Variables on any plan** | ✅ | ✅ | Enterprise only |
| **Requires Node.js** | Yes | No | No |

**Start with NPX Setup** for the complete experience. **Use Cloud Mode** to design from any web AI client without local installs. **Use Remote** for quick read-only exploration.

<Card title="Compare Modes in Detail" icon="code-compare" href="/mode-comparison">
  Understand the technical differences and choose the right setup.
</Card>

---

## Frequently Asked Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need to know how to code?">
    No! You interact through natural language. Just describe what you want in plain English, and the AI handles the technical details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is my Figma data secure?">
    Yes. Remote mode uses OAuth (the same secure login as "Sign in with Google"). Your credentials are never shared with the MCP server—only temporary access tokens. Local mode keeps everything on your machine.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does this replace Figma's official Dev Mode MCP?">
    No—they're complementary! Figma's official MCP generates code from designs. Figma Console MCP extracts raw data, debugs plugins, and creates designs. Use both for the complete workflow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What AI assistants work with this?">
    Any MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot (VS Code 1.102+), Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, and others. Web-based clients like Claude.ai, v0, Replit, and Lovable work via Cloud Mode. If your AI tool supports MCP servers, it works with Figma Console MCP.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need Node.js installed?">
    Only for Local Mode (NPX/Git). Cloud Mode runs entirely in Cloudflare Workers — you just need Figma Desktop with the Desktop Bridge plugin. Remote read-only mode needs nothing at all.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is this free?">
    Yes! Figma Console MCP is open-source (MIT license). The hosted remote server is free to use. You can also self-host if you prefer.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

---

## Next Steps

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="Setup Guide" icon="rocket" href="/setup">
    Connect your AI assistant in minutes
  </Card>
  <Card title="Use Cases" icon="lightbulb" href="/use-cases">
    Real-world examples and workflows
  </Card>
  <Card title="All Tools" icon="wrench" href="/tools">
    Complete reference for 107 tools
  </Card>
</Columns>

---

<Note>
**Open Source** — Figma Console MCP is MIT licensed. Contribute, customize, or self-host for enterprise requirements on [GitHub](https://github.com/southleft/figma-console-mcp).
</Note>
