figma-mcp-express

! touch "/tmp/fme-skill-loaded-${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID:-$PPID}" 2>/dev/null || true

Figma MCP Express

Use the compact core surface first. In default core profile, low-level write primitives are not top-level tools; full plugin capability is available through validated batch ops.

First Checks

1. Figma Desktop must be open with Plugins -> Development -> Figma MCP Express running.
2. Start with get_metadata; if multiple files are open, call list_channels and pass channel on every file-specific top-level tool call. For batch, put channel on the outer call, not inside ops[*].params.
3. If the plugin is not connected, ask the user to open the file and run the plugin. Do not retry in a loop.
4. Empty get_variable_defs ≠ no design system. It returns only local variables; a file subscribing to an external library shows empty here. Confirm with list_library_variable_collections before concluding there are no tokens. See references/tool-selection.md.

Tool Surface

• Default core profile = read/high-value tools + batch, search_batch_ops, get_batch_op_spec. (Legacy top-level write tools: FIGMA_MCP_TOOL_PROFILE=full.)
• Unfamiliar writes: search_batch_ops (intent words; e.g. delete_node op -> delete_nodes) -> get_batch_op_spec -> batch(validateOnly:true) -> batch.
• Do not write raw Plugin API JS, use_figma scripts, eval, or code strings — declarative batch ops only.

Working Rules

• Read wide-shallow, then targeted-deep. Two-phase bounded read for a large node: list shallow (get_design_context detail:"minimal" depth:1), then deep per frame (scan_text_nodes + get_node depth:2-3). depth bounds the work.
• After every write, validate structurally with a trailing/follow-up read; save_screenshots (not base64) is the final visual pass, not mutation proof.
• Build one logical section per batch; use continueOnError:true for scanned lists.
• For multi-file work, channel is mandatory — one channel per open file, on every file-specific call.

Read-tool choice, validation matrix, batch refs, import-key format, and gotchas live in the references below.

Reference Router

Need	Read
Read-tool choice, detail levels, style audit, common errors	references/tool-selection.md
Batch refs, projection, map, validation-first recipes, write-workflow recipes	references/batch-recipes.md
Permanent Figma Plugin API constraints (instance children, clone IDs, auto-layout children, etc.)	references/platform-constraints.md
Server bugs + workarounds with issue tracking (#33, #34)	references/mcp-known-bugs.md
Remaining failure modes: stale IDs, node format, spilled cache, text/font/image	references/gotchas.md
Parallel agents, channel partitioning, Watch-agent presence (origin + set_presence for status/task; per-session no-clobber)	references/multi-agent.md
Parameterized generators (type scale, color palette, component variants, design tokens)	MCP prompts: generate_type_scale, generate_color_palette, generate_component_variants, design_token_generation_strategy — invoke via the MCP prompts list

Exact operation names and params live in BatchOpCatalog; never copy op schemas into skill docs. Use get_batch_op_spec for the current schema.

Cannot Do

• Create new Figma files.
• Work on unopened files through the plugin, except REST-backed fetch_library_catalog with FIGMA_TOKEN.
• FigJam or Slides.
• Publish libraries.
• Arbitrary script execution.