figma-ui-mcp

What it does

figma-ui-mcp connects an MCP client to a document open in Figma Desktop through a companion Figma plugin, with no Figma API token. The server runs over stdio on your machine and also opens a small HTTP bridge; the plugin polls that bridge, picks up queued operations and runs them against the open file through Figma's plugin API.

Writing works by sending a short JavaScript snippet to figma_write. The server runs it in a Node vm context (require, process, fetch and timers removed, 30-second limit) where a figma object exposes helpers to create frames, shapes and text, edit, clone, move or delete nodes, set up variables and text styles, add prototype links and place icons or images. Reading goes through figma_read operations that return node trees, per-node details with resolved variables and styles, ready CSS, component maps, searches, and PNG, JPG or SVG exports. figma_rules collects a file's colour tokens, type styles, variables and components into one markdown sheet for code generation, and several open Figma files can be targeted at once by session id (v2.3.0 and later).

The bridge listens on 127.0.0.1 port 38451 by default. The code reads three settings the README does not mention: FIGMA_MCP_PORT and FIGMA_MCP_HOST change the address, and FIGMA_MCP_LONG_POLL_MS the poll hold time (8000 ms). If the port is taken it tries the next nine; if a process on the port fails its health check at start-up, the server kills it with lsof and kill -9 (server/bridge-server.js).

What it needs

Node.js 18 or later (npx). Figma Desktop with the project's plugin imported by hand from its manifest (Plugins > Development > Import plugin from manifest) and running while you work; the Figma web app cannot reach localhost. The plugin must be re-imported after each update that changes it, and the client restarted after adding the server.

Limits

Works only with Figma Desktop and only while the bridge plugin is open in the file; the browser version of Figma is not supported. The plugin is not auto-updated, so a plugin older than the npm package can mismatch (figma_status reports pluginVersion to check). Variables do not persist between figma_write calls: each runs in a fresh sandbox. The bridge accepts a fixed list of operations, 5 MB request bodies and up to 50 queued operations per session; plugin operations time out after 60 to 90 seconds depending on type. Port fallback covers 38451 to 38460 only.

Who it suits

Suits a designer or front-end developer on Figma Desktop who wants an assistant to sketch screens straight onto the canvas and to pull existing designs back as structure, CSS or tokens for code, without handing over a Figma API token. It works on whatever file is open, locally, and can change or delete nodes, so it is less suited to read-only inspection of shared team files, to headless or CI use where no desktop app runs, or to anyone limited to Figma in the browser. It is a community project, not published by Figma.