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If you work on a design system, you’ve likely been asked the same question a hundred times:
Can’t we just generate the code from the Figma file?
Until now, the answer has been “sort of.”
Designs could be exported, plugins could guess at styles, and AI could try to interpret screenshots. But all of those methods lacked real context. They couldn’t see what your design actually meant… its intent, tokens, variables, or components.
That’s what Figma’s new Dev Mode MCP server changes.
What is MCP, and why should you care?
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, a new standard for feeding AI tools the real, structured data behind your design.
Figma just released their Dev Mode MCP server earlier this month.
With the Dev Mode MCP server enabled, your Figma file becomes an interactive context layer that AI coding tools can access. It’s like giving your dev tools X-ray vision: instead of guessing at your spacing, colors, or component logic, they now know.
That means:
Higher-fidelity code generation that respects your system’s styles, tokens, and layout
Faster handoff and iteration, especially with AI-enhanced IDEs like Cursor
More reliable design-to-code workflows, especially when your design system is cleanly structured
The better your design system, the better the code that comes out.
For more context about MCPs, Figma has a great primer in their resource library.
Want to try it? Start here, with examples.
If you’re curious about how this works and want to kick the tires yourself, here are a few resources to get you started.
Design system teacher Joey Banks explores and explains the basics.
UI/UX instructor Gary Simon shows how to convert a Figma design into HTML and CSS using Tailwind.
Front-end development agency Southleft founder/CEO TJ Pitre has been sharing his experiences with the earlier Figma-Context-MCP and then eventually with Figma’s newer Dev Mode MCP server.
What’s next?
If you’ve already built a thoughtful design system, you’re well set up to give this a shot.
MCP finally lets your system talk back.
You’re not just handing over a Figma file anymore. You’re providing code-ready context, instantly usable by developers, AI tools, and anything else wired into your product pipeline.
And if you haven’t structured your Figma files yet?
This is the wake-up call to start.
Try it out today:
Turn on the MCP server in Figma (via Preferences in the desktop app).
Open Cursor, paste in your design frame, and prompt: “Use the MCP server to build this with Tailwind CSS.”
Then sit back and watch your system go to work.
