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Design Context Extraction

When to Use

Every code generation session starts here. get_design_context is the core tool — it converts Figma's visual representation into structured data AI agents can translate into code.

Decision

If you need... Use... Why
Full layout, component structure, styles get_design_context (default) Complete representation for code generation
Large frame that may exceed context get_metadata first, then targeted get_design_context Metadata identifies sub-nodes to fetch individually
Visual reference alongside structure get_design_context + get_screenshot Structural + visual = highest accuracy
Framework-specific output Prompt with framework name Default is React + Tailwind
Component reuse from codebase Specify component path in prompt Agent maps Figma components to your files

Pattern

# Link-based (remote or desktop server)
"Generate [figma-link] in plain HTML and CSS"
"Implement [figma-link] using components from src/components/ui/"
"Generate [figma-link] in Vue using our design tokens"

# Selection-based (desktop server only)
"Implement my current Figma selection in React"
"Generate the selected frame using Tailwind utility classes"

# Targeted extraction for large frames
"Get the metadata for [figma-link] first, then generate only the hero section"

Common Mistakes

  • Not specifying a framework — agent defaults to React + Tailwind regardless of your stack
  • Asking to "generate the whole page" when the frame is complex — break large pages into sections and generate each individually
  • Expecting pixel-perfect output on the first pass — MCP output is a strong starting point, not a final implementation

See Also