Automating Figma React.js Code Generation Using an MCP Server

Source: Dev.to

Build faster UI pipelines with AI‑assisted design‑to‑code workflows

Modern product teams want UI development to move at the speed of design. The handoff between Figma designers and React engineers remains a major bottleneck—manual translation, pixel‑pushing, styling inconsistencies, and rework.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) unlocks a new way to bridge this gap: a server‑driven, AI‑powered pipeline that can ingest Figma design metadata and generate clean, production‑ready React components automatically.

In this post we’ll walk through:

• What the MCP Server architecture looks like
• How a custom Figma MCP Server extracts design tokens, frames, nodes
• How React.js code is generated (including Tailwind, styled‑components, or CSS Modules)
• A real example using the MCP client and an LLM
• Why this pattern is the future of design‑engineering automation

What Is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol created by Anthropic that allows tools, data sources, and applications to expose capabilities to AI models through standardized “servers.”

Think of MCP as a bridge between external systems (e.g., Figma) and an AI model, enabling structured, contextual transformations—like design → code.

An MCP server can expose:

• Resources – files, schemas, nodes, design tokens
• Tools – commands such as getFrame(id), exportComponent(), etc.
• Events – design updates, token changes

This makes MCP perfect for automating design‑to‑code workflows.

Architecture: Figma → MCP Server → LLM → React Code

[Figma File]
   ↓ (API)
[Figma MCP Server]
   ↓ structured JSON
[LLM / Code Generator]
   ↓ React output
[React UI Component Library]

The MCP server acts as the normalizer—pulling precise Figma metadata and giving the LLM the right context to generate accurate JSX.

Building a Figma MCP Server

A minimal server exposes tools like:

{
  "tools": [
    { "name": "getNode", "description": "Fetch a Figma node by ID" },
    { "name": "getDesignTokens", "description": "Extract global color/text/spacing tokens" },
    { "name": "exportFrameAsReact", "description": "Convert a frame into a JSX component" }
  ]
}

Example MCP Server (Node.js)

import { Server } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server";
import { getFigmaNode, extractTokens, generateReact } from "./figma-utils.js";

const server = new Server();

server.tool("getNode", async ({ id }) => {
  return await getFigmaNode(id);
});

server.tool("getDesignTokens", async () => {
  return await extractTokens();
});

server.tool("exportFrameAsReact", async ({ frameId }) => {
  const frame = await getFigmaNode(frameId);
  return generateReact(frame);
});

server.start();

This server now exposes structured Figma data to any MCP‑enabled LLM client.

How React Code Is Generated

When the MCP server returns design JSON, the LLM converts it into:

1. Component structure – mapped from Figma frames to React functional components.
2. Styles – based on the chosen styling approach:
   • Tailwind CSS
   • CSS Modules
   • Styled Components
3. Auto‑extracted tokens – colors, fonts, spacing become reusable constants.

Example Input → Output

Figma MCP Server Output (simplified)

{
  "type": "FRAME",
  "name": "ButtonPrimary",
  "width": 120,
  "height": 40,
  "fills": [{ "color": "#0A66C2" }],
  "cornerRadius": 8,
  "children": [
    {
      "type": "TEXT",
      "characters": "Sign In",
      "fontSize": 16,
      "color": "#FFFFFF"
    }
  ]
}

Generated React Component

export default function ButtonPrimary() {
  return (
    <button className="bg-[#0A66C2] rounded-[8px] text-white text-[16px] w-[120px] h-[40px]">
      Sign In
    </button>
  );
}

A larger UI (cards, dashboards, modals) works the same way.

The MCP + AI Advantage

• Deterministic context – The MCP server provides structured JSON rather than screenshots or unstructured descriptions.
• Repeatable code style – You can lock in folder structure, naming conventions, component templates, styling library, and prop patterns.
• Automated updates – When a designer changes a property (e.g., button radius from 8 px → 6 px), an MCP event triggers the LLM to regenerate code and optionally create a PR automatically.
• Team‑wide consistency – All components inherit the same design tokens and base patterns.

Consuming the Server from an MCP Client

const response = await client.callTool("exportFrameAsReact", {
  frameId: "12345"
});

console.log(response.output);

The call returns the path to the generated file, e.g., /src/components/ButtonPrimary.jsx. This can be extended to automatically open a PR or sync to Storybook.

Why This Changes the Design‑to‑Code Workflow

This is the “Factory Model” for UI engineering—predictable, auditable, and automated.

What’s Next?

You can extend your Figma MCP Server with:

• Auto‑generated Storybook stories
• Accessibility checks (ARIA)
• Variants → React props mapping
• Responsive breakpoints from AutoLayout
• AI‑assisted layout corrections