Claude Talk to Figma MCP

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 ❤️

⚡ Quick Start (5 minutes)

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop + Figma Desktop + Bun installed

Installation

1. Setup:
   • macOs / Linux:
     • git clone https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp.git && cd claude-talk-to-figma-mcp && bun install && bun run build
   • Windows:
     • git clone https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp.git
     • cd claude-talk-to-figma-mcp
     • bun install
     • bun run build:win
2. Configure Claude: bun run configure-claude (restart Claude Desktop)
3. Install Figma Plugin: Import src/claude_mcp_plugin/manifest.json in Figma → Menu → Plugins → Development

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 in Claude: "Talk to Figma, channel {channel-ID}"

✅ Success: Claude 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 🎨
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)

Server Management

• Start: bun socket
• Stop: Ctrl+C in terminal
• Status: Check http://localhost:3055/status
• Restart: Required if connection issues occur

📚 Command Reference

📄 Document Tools

🔧 Creation Tools

✏️ Modification Tools

📝 Text Tools

🎨 Component Tools

🔧 Complete Installation Guide

Detailed Setup Process

1. Clone and Build:

   git clone https://github.com/arinspunk/claude-talk-to-figma-mcp.git
   cd claude-talk-to-figma-mcp
   bun install
   

   run the appropriate command based on your operating system:

   • macOs / Linux

   bun run build
   

   • Windows

   bun run build:win
   

2. Configure Claude Desktop:

   bun run configure-claude
   

   This script:

   • Locates your Claude config file (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json)
   • Creates a backup of existing configuration
   • Adds "ClaudeTalkToFigma" to your MCP list
   • Restart Claude Desktop after running this

3. Install Figma Plugin:

   • Open Figma → Menu > Plugins > Development
   • Select "Import plugin from manifest"
   • Navigate to src/claude_mcp_plugin/manifest.json
   • Plugin appears in your development plugins list

4. Verify Installation:

   • Claude Desktop: Check "ClaudeTalkToFigma" appears in MCPs selector
   • Figma: Find "Claude MCP Plugin" in your plugins
   • WebSocket: bun socket should start without errors

🧪 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
• Claude recognizes "ClaudeTalkToFigma" MCP
• Basic commands execute (create rectangle, change color)
• Error handling works (invalid commands, timeouts)

🐛 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": Run bun run configure-claude and restart Claude

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 Claude → 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

🏗️ 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 - Fixed opacity handling in color functions and added automated tests (PR #13, PR #14)
• easyhak - Fixed build script not working on Windows OS (PR #10)

📋 Version History

Current: 0.5.3

• Windows Compatibility: Added dedicated build command for Windows systems
• Cross-Platform Support: Improved developer experience across all operating systems
• Build Process Enhancement: Separated Unix/Linux and Windows build workflows
• Developer Experience: Resolved chmod dependency issues on Windows

See CHANGELOG.md for complete version history.

📄 License & Credits

License: MIT License - see LICENSE file

Authors:

• Xúlio Zé - Claude adaptation - GitHub
• Sonny Lazuardi - Original implementation - GitHub

Acknowledgments:

• Anthropic team for Claude and Model Context Protocol
• Figma community for excellent plugin API
• Bun team for fast JavaScript runtime