Code Connect

Overview

Create Code Connect template files (.figma.ts) that map Figma components to code snippets. Given a Figma URL, follow the six-step workflow below to produce a validated template.

Note: This project may also contain parser-based .figma.tsx files (using figma.connect(), published via CLI). This skill covers templates files only — .figma.ts files that use the MCP tools to fetch component context from Figma.

References

Each file is loaded on demand — read one only when the task needs that depth (progressive disclosure).

• references/template-patterns.md — the Step 5 deep dive: property mapping per Figma type, exhaustive variant handling, interpolation rules, finding descendant layers, nested configurable instances, the full instance.*/InstanceHandle/TextHandle/SelectorOptions/Export quick reference, and the Rules & Pitfalls checklist · read when writing or reviewing the template body, or when Step 6 flags an issue.
• references/worked-example.md — a complete start-to-finish walkthrough of all six steps on one Button component · read when you want a concrete end-to-end example to adapt.
• references/api.md — the full Code Connect template API reference: figma.config.json configuration, the complete figma/instance API, publishing/CLI commands, type reference, best practices, and troubleshooting · read for authoritative API details, config, or publishing.
• references/advanced-patterns.md — advanced nesting: descendant/recursive templating, metadata.props passing between parent/child templates, findConnectedInstances filtering, and a multi-generation inheritance example · read for multi-level nested components or metadata prop passing.

Prerequisites

• Figma MCP server must be connected — verify that Figma MCP tools (e.g., getcodeconnect_suggestions) are available before proceeding. If not, guide the user to enable the Figma MCP server and restart their MCP client.
• Components must be published — Code Connect only works with components published to a Figma team library. If a component is not published, inform the user and stop.
• Organization or Enterprise plan required — Code Connect is not available on Free or Professional plans.
• URL must include node-id — the Figma URL must contain the node-id query parameter.
• TypeScript types — for editor autocomplete and type checking in .figma.ts files @figma/code-connect/figma-types must be added to types in tsconfig.json:

``json { "compilerOptions": { "types": ["@figma/code-connect/figma-types"] } } ``

The 6-step workflow

Parse URL → Discover → Fetch props → Identify component → Create template → Validate

Step 1: Parse the Figma URL

Extract fileKey and nodeId from the URL:

Always convert nodeId hyphens to colons: 1234-5678 → 1234:5678.

Worked example: Given https://www.figma.com/design/QiEF6w564ggoW8ftcLvdcu/MyDesignSystem?node-id=4185-3778 → fileKey = QiEF6w564ggoW8ftcLvdcu, nodeId = 4185-3778 → 4185:3778.

Step 2: Discover Unmapped Components

The user may provide a URL pointing to a frame, instance, or variant — not necessarily a component set or standalone component. Call the MCP tool getcodeconnect_suggestions with:

• fileKey — from Step 1
• nodeId — from Step 1 (colons format)
• excludeMappingPrompt — true (returns a lightweight list of unmapped components)

This tool identifies published components in the selection that don't yet have Code Connect mappings.

Handle the response:

• "No published components found in this selection" — the node contains no published components. Inform the user they need to publish the component to a team library in Figma first, then stop.
• "All component instances in this selection are already connected to code via Code Connect" — everything is already mapped. Inform the user and stop.
• Normal response with component list — extract the mainComponentNodeId for each returned component. Use these resolved node IDs (not the original from the URL) for all subsequent steps. If multiple components are returned (e.g. the user selected a frame containing several different component instances), repeat Steps 3–6 for each one.

Step 3: Fetch Component Properties

Call the MCP tool getcontextforcodeconnect with:

• fileKey — from Step 1
• nodeId — the resolved mainComponentNodeId from Step 2
• clientFrameworks — determine from figma.config.json parser field (e.g. "react" → ["react"])
• clientLanguages — infer from project file extensions (e.g. TypeScript project → ["typescript"], JavaScript → ["javascript"])

For multiple components, call the tool once per node ID.

The response contains the Figma component's property definitions — note each property's name and type:

• TEXT — text content (labels, titles, placeholders)
• BOOLEAN — toggles (show/hide icon, disabled state)
• VARIANT — enum options (size, variant, state)
• INSTANCE_SWAP — swappable nested instances tied to a specific component (icon, avatar)
• SLOT — flexible content regions (freeform layout, mixed children); use getSlot() in templates (not the same as INSTANCE_SWAP)

Save this property list — you will use it in Step 5 to write the template.

Step 4: Identify the Code Component

If the user did not specify which code component to connect:

1. Check figma.config.json for paths and importPaths to find where components live
2. Search the codebase for a component matching the Figma component name. Check common directories (src/components/, components/, lib/ui/, app/components/) if figma.config.json doesn't specify paths
3. Read candidate files and compare their props interface against the Figma properties from Step 3 — look for matching variant types, size options, boolean flags, and slot props
4. If multiple candidates match, pick the one with the closest prop-interface match and explain your reasoning to the user
5. If no match is found, show the 2 closest candidates and ask the user to confirm or provide the correct path

Confirm with the user before proceeding to Step 5. Present the match: which code component you found, where it lives, and why it matches (prop correspondence, naming, purpose).

Read figma.config.json for import path aliases — the importPaths section maps glob patterns to import specifiers, and the paths section maps those specifiers to directories.

Read the code component's source to understand its props interface — this informs how to map Figma properties to code props in Step 5.

Step 5: Create the Template File (.figma.ts)

File location — place the file alongside existing Code Connect templates (.figma.tsx or .figma.ts files). Check figma.config.json include patterns for the correct directory. Name it ComponentName.figma.ts.

Template structure — every template file follows this shape:

// url=https://www.figma.com/file/{fileKey}/{fileName}?node-id={nodeId}
// source={path to code component from Step 4}
// component={code component name from Step 4}
import figma from "figma";
const instance = figma.selectedInstance;

// Extract properties from the Figma component (see property mapping below)
// ...

export default {
  example: figma.code`<Component ... />`, // Required: code snippet
  imports: ['import { Component } from "..."'], // Optional: import statements
  id: "component-name", // Required: unique identifier
  metadata: {
    // Optional
    nestable: true, // true = inline in parent, false = show as pill
    props: {}, // data accessible to parent templates
  },
};

Write the template body using the property list from Step 3. The full how-to — per-type property mapping, exhaustive variant handling (every enum value must be mapped), interpolation wrapping rules, finding descendant layers, nested configurable instances, conditional props, the instance.*/InstanceHandle/SelectorOptions/Export quick reference, and the Rules & Pitfalls checklist — lives in [references/template-patterns.md](references/template-patterns.md). For multi-level nesting or metadata prop passing between templates, see [references/advanced-patterns.md](references/advanced-patterns.md).

Step 6: Validate

Read back the .figma.ts file and review it against the following:

• Property coverage — every Figma property from Step 3 should be accounted for in the template. Flag any that are missing and ask the user if they were intentionally omitted.
• Valid, correctly typed code — all emitted code must be valid and correctly typed against the code component's Props interface. Never make up component properties — if a Figma property has no corresponding code prop, omit it rather than invent one.
• No hardcoded children — verify that every INSTANCE_SWAP property and child component slot uses the dynamic APIs (getInstanceSwap(), findInstance(), findConnectedInstance(), etc.) with executeTemplate(). No slot should contain hardcoded component content.
• Rules and Pitfalls — check for the common mistakes listed in [references/template-patterns.md](references/template-patterns.md) (string concatenation of template results, unnecessary hasCodeConnect() guards, missing type === 'INSTANCE' checks, etc.)
• Interpolation wrapping — strings (getString, getEnum, textContent) wrapped in quotes, instance/section values (executeTemplate().example) wrapped in braces, slot sections (getSlot) interpolated as snippet sections inside ` figma.code... `, booleans using conditionals

If anything looks uncertain, consult [references/api.md](references/api.md) for API details and [references/advanced-patterns.md](references/advanced-patterns.md) for complex nesting.

For a full worked walkthrough of all six steps on one component, see [references/worked-example.md](references/worked-example.md).