use_figma — Figma Plugin API Skill

Use the use_figma tool to execute JavaScript in Figma files via the Plugin API. All detailed reference docs live in references/.

Always include figma-use in the comma-separated skillNames parameter when calling use_figma. If this skill was loaded via an MCP resource, you MUST prefix the name with resource: (e.g. resource:figma-use). This is a logging parameter used to track skill usage — it does not affect execution.

If Figma MCP tools appear as deferred tools, batch-load all their schemas in a single ToolSearch call using the select: syntax — e.g. ToolSearch query="select:use_figma,get_screenshot,get_metadata,create_new_file". One round trip beats six.

If the task involves building or updating a full page, screen, or multi-section layout in Figma from code, also load figma-generate-design. It provides the workflow for discovering design system components via search_design_system, importing them, and assembling screens incrementally. Both skills work together: this one for the API rules, that one for the screen-building workflow.

If the task involves creating or building a component in Figma (even a single component), also load figma-generate-library. It provides the component creation workflow — variable foundations, variant sets, design token bindings — that figma-use alone doesn't cover.

Before anything, load plugin-api-standalone.index.md to understand what is possible. When you are asked to write plugin API code, use this context to grep plugin-api-standalone.d.ts for relevant types, methods, and properties. This is the definitive source of truth for the API surface. It is a large typings file, so do not load it all at once, grep for relevant sections as needed.

IMPORTANT: Whenever you work with design systems, start with working-with-design-systems/wwds.md to understand the key concepts, processes, and guidelines for working with design systems in Figma. Then load the more specific references for components, variables, text styles, and effect styles as needed.

1. Critical Rules

1. Use return to send data back. The return value is JSON-serialized automatically (objects, arrays, strings, numbers). Do NOT call figma.closePlugin() or wrap code in an async IIFE — this is handled for you.
2. Write plain JavaScript with top-level await and return. Code is automatically wrapped in an async context. Do NOT wrap in (async () => { ... })().
3. figma.notify() throws "not implemented" — never use it 3a. Return node IDs and keep workflow state outside the Figma file. Set human-readable component purpose and usage in node.description only on a COMPONENT or COMPONENT_SET — never on a frame or instance. 3b. Narrow before accessing type-specific properties. Check node.type, use a capability guard such as "characters" in node, or prefilter with findAllWithCriteria. characters requires a text-capable node; optional chaining does not protect unsupported property access.
4. console.log() is NOT returned — use return for output
5. Size construction calls for safe retry and validate from evidence. Do not split a working operation solely to create validation checkpoints. Batch related work when the resulting script remains safe to retry; a complete section or page may be built in one call. Split when crossing page context, when partial execution would be difficult to recover, or after an actual failure requires a targeted retry. Return affected IDs and relevant counts, names, or bounds from each write—this counts as structural validation. Run a separate structural check only when required evidence is missing or after a relevant mutation. Normally take one screenshot after composition and one after a visual fix. The most recent passing screenshot is the final check; do not repeat it when nothing relevant changed. Stop once requirements pass.
6. Colors are 0–1 range (not 0–255): {r: 1, g: 0, b: 0} = red. Paint color objects use {r, g, b} only — no a field; opacity goes at the paint level ({ type: 'SOLID', color: {...}, opacity: 0.5 }).
7. Fills/strokes are read-only arrays — clone, modify, reassign
8. Every text edit follows the canonical recipe: load font → await → mutate → return affected node IDs. Skipping the load throws Cannot write to node with unloaded font "<family> <style>". The rule covers more than characters — it applies to any operation on nodes with unloaded fonts (appendChild, insertChild, setBoundVariable, setExplicitVariableModeForCollection, setValueForMode, findAll callbacks touching text). When mutating existing text, load the node's current fonts via getStyledTextSegments(['fontName']), not a hardcoded default. Inter is preloaded in most environments so other families surface this bug more often — the recipe is the same for every font. Use await figma.listAvailableFontsAsync() first if the style string is unverified — never guess ("SemiBold" vs "Semi Bold" is a common footgun). For FONT_FAMILY-scoped variables, load every value across every relevant mode before setBoundVariable("fontFamily", …), setValueForMode, or setExplicitVariableModeForCollection. lineHeight/letterSpacing take {unit, value}, not bare numbers. See Canonical text-edit recipe.
9. Pages load incrementally — use await figma.setCurrentPageAsync(page) to switch pages and load their content. The sync setter figma.currentPage = page does NOT work and throws "Setting figma.currentPage is not supported". Page context resets to the first page at the start of every use_figma call, so re-switch each call; switch at most once per call and fan multi-page work out in parallel — see Page Rules and gotchas.md.
10. setBoundVariableForPaint returns a NEW paint — must capture and reassign
11. createVariable accepts collection object or ID string (object preferred)
12. layoutSizingHorizontal/Vertical is value-restricted by structural context — FIXED always works, HUG and FILL do not. 'HUG' is valid only on an auto-layout frame itself OR on a TEXT child of one. 'FILL' is valid only on a child of an auto-layout frame that is also not absolute-positioned, not inside an immutable frame, and not a canvas-grid child. Practical consequence: append to an auto-layout parent FIRST, then set HUG/FILL — a newly-created or unparented node can't satisfy the rule yet. The property itself exists on every SceneNode; the error is value-rejection, not "no such property". See Gotchas. 12a. Use auto-layout for containers that hold related children. When children have a structural relationship — stacked, side-by-side, aligned, gapped, hugged — wrap them in figma.createAutoLayout(), not figma.createFrame() with absolute x/y. Absolute coordinates govern where a container sits on the canvas; auto-layout governs how its children relate inside it. Skipping the container leaves no protection against text reflow, content changes, or overlap. 12b. layoutSizing* and *AxisSizingMode are different enums — don't cross them. layoutSizingHorizontal/layoutSizingVertical (set on a child) take 'FIXED'|'HUG'|'FILL'; primaryAxisSizingMode/counterAxisSizingMode (set on the frame itself) take 'FIXED'|'AUTO'. So layoutSizingVertical = 'AUTO' is invalid (use 'HUG'), and counterAxisSizingMode = 'FILL' throws Expected 'FIXED' | 'AUTO', received 'FILL' (use 'FIXED'/'AUTO'). Two more errors from the same setter — Error: in set_layoutSizingHorizontal: node must be an auto-layout frame or a child of an auto-layout frame and Error: in set_layoutSizingHorizontal: FILL can only be set on children of auto-layout frames — mean the node isn't in an auto-layout context yet; recommendation: make the parent auto-layout (figma.createAutoLayout()) and appendChild the node before setting (see Rule 12). See Gotchas. 12c. resize() resets sizing modes to FIXED, so call it BEFORE setting layoutSizing*. A wrapping TEXT block needs textAutoResize = 'HEIGHT' plus an explicit FIXED width (resize()), NOT FILL alone — the default WIDTH_AND_HEIGHT mode ignores FILL and collapses the node to a near-zero-width thread. Verify node.width > 0 afterward.
13. Position new top-level nodes away from (0,0). Nodes appended directly to the page default to (0,0). Scan figma.currentPage.children to find a clear position (e.g., to the right of the rightmost node). This only applies to page-level nodes — nodes nested inside other frames or auto-layout containers are positioned by their parent. See Gotchas.
14. On use_figma error, obey safeToRetryWithoutCanvasRead. If true, fix the error and retry. If false, read the canvas, determine what changed, then make changes. See Error Recovery.
15. MUST return ALL created/mutated node IDs. Whenever a script creates new nodes or mutates existing ones on the canvas, collect every affected node ID and return them in a structured object (e.g. return { createdNodeIds: [...], mutatedNodeIds: [...] }). This is essential for subsequent calls to reference, validate, or clean up those nodes. No state persists across use_figma calls, so pass IDs from previous calls as string literals, not variables. See common-patterns.md for worked multi-step examples.
16. Always set variable.scopes explicitly when creating variables. The default ALL_SCOPES pollutes every property picker — almost never what you want. Use specific scopes like ["FRAME_FILL", "SHAPE_FILL"] for backgrounds, ["TEXT_FILL"] for text colors, ["GAP"] for spacing, etc. See variable-patterns.md for the full list.
17. await every Promise. Never leave a Promise unawaited — unawaited async calls (e.g. figma.loadFontAsync(...) without await, or figma.setCurrentPageAsync(page) without await) will fire-and-forget, causing silent failures or race conditions. The script may return before the async operation completes, leading to missing data or half-applied changes.
18. Never read componentPropertyDefinitions from a variant component. Narrow the owner first: use the node itself when it is a COMPONENT_SET, use a COMPONENT only when its parent is not a COMPONENT_SET, and otherwise promote a variant COMPONENT to its parent set. Optional chaining does not make the getter safe. See Component-property owner narrowing.

For detailed WRONG/CORRECT examples of each rule, see Gotchas & Common Mistakes.

2. Page Rules (Critical)

The async-only setter and the per-call context reset are covered in Rule 9. This section elaborates the one rule that needs a worked example: switch pages at most once per script, and fan multi-page work out in parallel.

Never loop over figma.root.children and switch pages inside the loop — each switch reloads the file. If the work spans multiple pages, split it into N use_figma calls (one per target page) and emit them in parallel — a single assistant message containing N use_figma tool-use blocks. The harness runs them concurrently; each script sets currentPage exactly once.

Explicit instruction: when fanning out, you MUST issue the N tool calls in one message. Do not send them across multiple turns. Do not await one before issuing the next. Sequential per-page calls waste the entire benefit of splitting.

// AVOID — switches pages N times in one script, reloads the file each time
for (const page of figma.root.children) {
  await figma.setCurrentPageAsync(page);
  // ... touch this page ...
}

// PREFER — read-only discovery call to get page IDs, then in the NEXT message
// emit N parallel use_figma tool calls (one per page), each setting currentPage once.

Default to parallel fan-out for any multi-page work — reads and writes alike. You can also call use_figma multiple times to build incrementally (e.g. return metadata about existing nodes, then modify them in a subsequent script). See gotchas.md → Set current page once per use_figma call for the full rationale.

3. return Is Your Output Channel

The agent sees ONLY the value you return — console.log() is invisible (Rule 4), and thrown errors are auto-captured (let them propagate or throw explicitly). The hard requirement is Rule 15: every script that creates or mutates canvas nodes MUST return all affected node IDs plus any actionable status in a structured object — e.g. return { createdNodeIds: [...], mutatedNodeIds: [...], count: 5, errors: [] } — so subsequent calls can reference, validate, or clean them up.

4. Editor Mode

use_figma works in design mode (editorType "figma", the default). FigJam ("figjam") and Slides ("slides") have different sets of available node types — most design nodes are blocked in FigJam, and FigJam-only nodes are blocked in Slides.

Tell the editor from the URL: Design = figma.com/design/..., FigJam = figma.com/board/..., Slides = figma.com/slides/.... Confirm before assuming an API is available.

Available in design mode: Rectangle, Frame, Component, Text, Ellipse, Star, Line, Vector, Polygon, BooleanOperation, Slice, Page, Section, TextPath.

Blocked in design mode: Sticky, Connector, ShapeWithText, CodeBlock, Slide, SlideRow, SlideGrid, InteractiveSlideElement, Webpage.

Available in Slides mode: Rectangle, Frame, Component, Text, Ellipse, Star, Line, Vector, Polygon, BooleanOperation, Slice, Section, TextPath, Slide, SlideRow, SlideGrid, InteractiveSlideElement.

Blocked in Slides mode: Sticky, Connector, ShapeWithText, CodeBlock, Webpage, Page.

Design-only APIs (not just node types): figma.createPage() is available only in Design files (figma.com/design/...). In both FigJam (figma.com/board/...) and Slides (figma.com/slides/...) it throws TypeError: figma.createPage no such property 'createPage' on the figma global object. Do not emit figma.createPage() in FigJam or Slides workflows.

Slides note: There is no dedicated read tool for Slides files yet. Use use_figma with read-only scripts for inspection (see Section 6 "Inspect first" pattern), and get_screenshot / await node.screenshot() for visual context. For Slides-specific API guidance, load the figma-use-slides skill.

5. Efficient APIs — Prefer These Over Verbose Alternatives

These APIs reduce boilerplate, eliminate ordering errors, and compress token output. Always prefer them over the verbose alternatives.

node.query(selector) — CSS-like node search

Find nodes within a subtree using CSS-like selectors. Replaces verbose findAll + filter loops.

// BEFORE — verbose traversal
const texts = frame.findAll(n => n.type === 'TEXT' && n.name === 'Title')

// AFTER — one-liner with query
const texts = frame.query('TEXT[name=Title]')

Selector syntax:

• Type: FRAME, TEXT, RECTANGLE, ELLIPSE, COMPONENT, INSTANCE, SECTION (case-insensitive)
• Attribute exact: [name=Card], [visible=true], [opacity=0.5]
• Attribute substring: [name*=art] (contains), [name^=Header] (starts-with), [name$=Nav] (ends-with)
• Dot-path traversal: [fills.0.type=SOLID], [fills.*.type=SOLID] (wildcard index)
• Instance matching: [mainComponent=nodeId], [mainComponent.name=Button]
• Combinators: FRAME > TEXT (direct child), FRAME TEXT (any descendant), A + B (adjacent sibling), A ~ B (general sibling)
• Pseudo-classes: :first-child, :last-child, :nth-child(2), :not(TYPE), :is(FRAME, RECTANGLE), :where(TEXT, ELLIPSE)
• Node ID: #nodeId or bare GUID
• Comma: TEXT, RECTANGLE (union)
• Wildcard: * (any type)

QueryResult methods:

Scope: node.query() searches within that node's subtree. To search the whole page: figma.currentPage.query('...'). There is no global figma.query().

Examples:

// Recolor all text inside cards
figma.currentPage.query('FRAME[name^=Card] TEXT').set({
  fills: [{type: 'SOLID', color: {r: 0.2, g: 0.2, b: 0.8}}]
})

// Get names and positions of all frames
return figma.currentPage.query('FRAME').values(['name', 'x', 'y'])

// Find the first component named "Button"
const btn = figma.currentPage.query('COMPONENT[name=Button]').first()

// Find all instances of a specific component
figma.currentPage.query(`INSTANCE[mainComponent=${compId}]`)

// Find nodes with solid fills using dot-path traversal
figma.currentPage.query('[fills.0.type=SOLID]')

node.set(props) — batch property updates

Set multiple properties in one call. Returns this for chaining.

// BEFORE — one line per property
frame.opacity = 0.5
frame.cornerRadius = 8
frame.name = "Card"

// AFTER — single call
frame.set({ opacity: 0.5, cornerRadius: 8, name: "Card" })

Priority key ordering: layoutMode is always applied before other properties (like width/height) regardless of object key order. This prevents the common bug where resize() behaves differently depending on whether layoutMode is set.

Width/height handling: width and height are routed through node.resize() automatically — setting { width: 200 } calls resize(200, currentHeight).

Chaining with query:

// Find all rectangles named "Divider" and update them
figma.currentPage.query('RECTANGLE[name=Divider]').set({
  fills: [{type: 'SOLID', color: {r: 0.9, g: 0.9, b: 0.9}}],
  cornerRadius: 2
})

figma.createAutoLayout(direction?, props?) — auto-layout frames

Creates a frame with auto-layout already enabled and both axes hugging content. This is the default container whenever children have a structural relationship to each other (see Rule 12a).

// BEFORE — manual setup, easy to get ordering wrong
const frame = figma.createFrame()
frame.layoutMode = 'VERTICAL'
frame.primaryAxisSizingMode = 'AUTO'
frame.counterAxisSizingMode = 'AUTO'
frame.layoutSizingHorizontal = 'HUG'
frame.layoutSizingVertical = 'HUG'

// AFTER — one call, layout ready
const frame = figma.createAutoLayout('VERTICAL')

Children can immediately use layoutSizingHorizontal/Vertical = 'FILL' after being appended — no need to set sizing modes manually.

Accepts an optional props object as the first or second argument:

figma.createAutoLayout({ name: 'Card', itemSpacing: 12 })               // HORIZONTAL + props
figma.createAutoLayout('VERTICAL', { name: 'Column', itemSpacing: 8 })  // VERTICAL + props

node.placeholder — shimmer overlay for AI-in-progress feedback

Sets a visual shimmer overlay on a node indicating work is in progress. Always remove the shimmer when done — leftover shimmers confuse users and indicate incomplete work.

// Mark as in-progress
frame.placeholder = true

// ... build out the content ...

// MUST remove when done — never leave shimmers on finished nodes
frame.placeholder = false

When building complex layouts, set placeholder = true on sections before populating them, then set placeholder = false on each section as it's completed.

await node.screenshot(opts?) — inline screenshots

Capture a node as a PNG and return it inline in the response. Eliminates the need for a separate get_screenshot call.

// Take a screenshot of a frame (returned inline in the tool response)
await frame.screenshot()

// Custom scale (default auto-scales: 0.5x or capped so max dimension ≤ 1024px)
await frame.screenshot({ scale: 2 })

// Include overlapping content from sibling nodes
await frame.screenshot({ contentsOnly: false })

When to use: Follow Rule 5. Take a composition screenshot when visual evidence is needed. If a visual fix follows, take one post-fix screenshot; that passing screenshot is final. Do not take an additional unchanged “final” screenshot.

Auto-naming: The image caption includes node metadata — "Card (300x150 at 0,60).png" — giving spatial context without parsing the image.

Default scaling: Uses 0.5x scale, but automatically caps so the largest output dimension never exceeds 1024px. Explicit { scale: N } bypasses the cap.

6. Incremental Workflow (How to Avoid Bugs)

The most common causes of waste are unnecessary fragmentation, redundant validation, and scripts that cannot be retried safely. Use Rule 5's safe-retry and evidence-based validation contract.

Key rules

• Choose call boundaries for recoverability, not validation cadence. Batch related creation, property updates, parenting, and targeted diagnostics when safe. A complete page may be one call; do not split it into header/content/footer calls merely to validate each section. Slides override: in Slides files, slides are isolated subtrees — the relevant limit is complexity per slide, not total nodes across slides. Building 3–5 new slides in one call is safe, and so is applying the same edit (e.g. adding a footer, recoloring a heading) across every slide in the deck in a single call. See figma-use-slides for the deck-building workflow.
• Build top-down, starting with placeholders. Create the outer structure first with placeholder = true on each section, then incrementally replace placeholders with real content in subsequent calls.

The pattern

1. Inspect first. Before creating anything, run a read-only use_figma to discover what already exists in the file — pages, components, variables, naming conventions. Match what's there.
2. Build the skeleton. Create the top-level structure with placeholder sections. Set placeholder = true on each section so the user sees progress.
3. Fill in content in retry-safe batches. Multiple related sections may be populated together when the operation remains safe to retry. Set each section's placeholder = false when done.
4. Return IDs from every call (Rule 15) — you'll need created node/variable/collection IDs as inputs to subsequent calls.
5. Return validation evidence from writes. Return IDs and the relevant counts, names, hierarchy, or bounds. Add a separate audit only for missing evidence or after a mutation invalidates earlier evidence. Follow Rule 5 for visual checks.
6. Fix before moving on. If validation reveals a problem, fix it before proceeding to the next step. Don't build on a broken foundation.

Suggested step order for complex tasks

Step 1: Inspect file — discover existing pages, components, variables, conventions
Step 2: Create tokens/variables (if needed)
       → return collection, variable, and mode counts
Step 3: Create individual components
       → return component IDs and relevant child/variant counts
Step 4: Compose layouts from component instances
       → return layout IDs/bounds + take a composition screenshot
Step 5: Apply a targeted visual fix only if needed
       → take one post-fix screenshot; this is final
Step 6: Stop if nothing relevant changed

What to validate at each step

7. Error Recovery & Self-Correction

On any use_figma error, obey safeToRetryWithoutCanvasRead (Rule 14): true → correct the identified error and retry without adding a diagnostic canvas read; false → read the canvas, determine what changed, then make changes. If the same API or property error occurs twice, inspect its definition once and fix the root cause before retrying; do not continue decomposing the operation around the same invalid mutation. Errors whose fix is already a Critical Rule are diagnosed there — "not implemented" (figma.notify, Rule 3), the layoutSizing* HUG/FILL rejections (Rules 12, 12b), "Setting figma.currentPage is not supported" (Rule 9), componentPropertyDefinitions on a variant (Rule 18), and characters/description on the wrong node type (Rules 3a, 3b). The rows below cover failures the contract doesn't name:

When the script succeeds but the result looks wrong

Call get_metadata for structural correctness (hierarchy, counts, positions) and get_screenshot for visual correctness — look closely for cropped/clipped text (line heights cutting off content) and overlapping elements, which are common and easy to miss. Identify whether the discrepancy is structural or visual, then write a targeted fix script that modifies only the broken parts — don't recreate everything.

For the full validation workflow, see Validation & Error Recovery.

8. Pre-Flight Checklist

Before submitting ANY use_figma call, re-read the script against the operating contract in Section 1. Every gate that used to be enumerated here now lives there — a script that violates any of these is not ready to submit:

• Output — uses return (not figma.closePlugin()), not wrapped in an async IIFE, no console.log() as output; returns structured data with ALL created/mutated node IDs (Rules 1, 2, 4, 15)
• Color & fills — 0–1 range; paint color is {r, g, b} only (no a); fills/strokes reassigned as new arrays (Rules 6, 7)
• Type narrowing — characters, description, and componentPropertyDefinitions guarded/narrowed before access (Rules 3a, 3b, 18)
• Pages — switches use await figma.setCurrentPageAsync(page), at most once per call (Rule 9)
• Layout & sizing — related children in figma.createAutoLayout(); top-level nodes positioned away from (0,0); HUG/FILL set after appendChild; resize() before sizing modes; wrapping TEXT uses textAutoResize='HEIGHT' + FIXED width (Rules 12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 13)
• Text — canonical font recipe with style names verified via listAvailableFontsAsync(); lineHeight/letterSpacing as {unit, value}; FONT_FAMILY variables load every mode's value first (Rule 8)
• Async & state — every Promise awaited; multi-step IDs passed as string literals (Rules 15, 17)

9. Discover Conventions Before Creating

Always inspect the Figma file before creating anything. Different files use different naming conventions, variable structures, and component patterns. Your code should match what's already there, not impose new conventions.

When in doubt about any convention (naming, scoping, structure), check the Figma file first, then the user's codebase. Only fall back to common patterns when neither exists.

Quick inspection scripts

List all pages and top-level nodes:

const pages = figma.root.children.map(p => `${p.name} id=${p.id} children=${p.children.length}`);
return pages.join('\n');

List existing components across all pages:

search_design_system is an option for published components. For on-canvas components, use the two-step fan-out — don't loop pages inside one script.

Step 1: one read-only use_figma to get page IDs:

return figma.root.children.map(p => ({ id: p.id, name: p.name }));

Step 2: in the next assistant turn, emit one use_figma per page in parallel (a single message containing N tool-use blocks). Each runs:

const page = await figma.getNodeByIdAsync(PAGE_ID);
await figma.setCurrentPageAsync(page);
// findAllWithCriteria uses an indexed type lookup — hundreds of times faster
// than the findAll(n => n.type === '…') side-effect-in-predicate antipattern.
const matches = page.findAllWithCriteria({ types: ['COMPONENT', 'COMPONENT_SET'] });
return matches.map(n => ({ page: page.name, name: n.name, type: n.type, id: n.id }));

List existing variable collections and their conventions:

const collections = await figma.variables.getLocalVariableCollectionsAsync();
const results = collections.map(c => ({
  name: c.name, id: c.id,
  varCount: c.variableIds.length,
  modes: c.modes.map(m => m.name)
}));
return results;

10. Reference Docs

Load these as needed based on what your task involves:

11. Snippet examples

You will see snippets throughout documentation here. These snippets contain useful plugin API code that can be repurposed. Use them as is, or as starter code as you go. If there are key concepts that are best documented as generic snippets, call them out and write to disk so you can reuse in the future.