/figma-to-prototype — Turn mockups into working code

Paste a Figma screenshot or provide a Figma URL and get a working prototype. Extracts design tokens (colors, typography, spacing, layout), maps components to code, and produces production-ready output. Goes beyond wireframing — this builds the actual thing.

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Doctrine inherited (Step 7 — 0626 rollout, locked 2026-06-04)

Output complies with output-tenets.md, output-simplicity.md, design-production.md. Step 6 calibration: see [[feedback_execution_doctrine_refinements_step6]].

Refinements applied: R1 (prototype code is internal — DESIGN.md cites inline for engineering), R3 (placeholder copy capability-led), R9 (verb-led component names).

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Claude Code Triggers

Invoke this skill when user says:

• "/figma-to-prototype [URL or description]"
• "Turn this mockup into code"
• "Prototype this design"
• "Build this from the Figma"
• "Convert this screenshot to a working page"
• User pastes a screenshot with "make this work"

Do NOT invoke when:

• User wants a wireframe description (use /mockup)
• User wants landing page copy only (use /landing-page-copy)
• User wants to explore a Figma file without building (use Figma MCP directly)

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Inputs

Parameter	Required	Description
Design source	Yes	Figma URL, pasted screenshot, or file path to mockup image
Scope	No	static (HTML/CSS) / interactive (React with state) / full (React with routing) — default: static
Target	No	html-only / framer / lovable / local — default: html-only
Brand hub	No	Client brand hub file for design token validation (colors, typography, components)

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Design integration — DESIGN.md → Figma variables

Upstream contract: When prototyping for a client, this skill consumes the client's DESIGN.md file at projects/consulting/{client}/brand/{MMYY}-brand-kit.md. DESIGN.md tokens map 1:1 to Figma variables via the Figma MCP.

Token → Figma variable mapping:

DESIGN.md token group	Figma variable collection
colors.*	"Colors" collection (mode-aware: light/dark)
typography.*	"Typography" styles (text style per token)
rounded.*	"Radius" number variables
spacing.*	"Spacing" number variables
components.*	Component variants (button-primary, button-primary-hover → variant property)

Cross-references: DESIGN.md {path.to.token} references become Figma variable aliases. button-primary.backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}" → Figma component variable bound to Colors/primary.

Required workflow:

1. Read DESIGN.md tokens at the start of the prototype session
2. Use Figma MCP figma:figma-create-design-system-rules to seed the file with brand-correct variables
3. Use figma:figma-generate-design to produce branded screens that reference those variables
4. Validate via mcp__claude_ai_Figma__get_variable_defs — every component should reference a variable, never a hardcoded value

Forbidden:

• Hardcoded color/font/radius values in Figma frames when a DESIGN.md token exists
• Creating prototype components that don't trace back to a DESIGN.md components.* entry

Authority: Full integration contract in .claude/rules/design-production.md (auto-loaded). When in doubt, that file wins.

If no DESIGN.md exists: pause and recommend running /brand-kit first. Do not invent tokens.

Bidirectional mode. This skill supports both directions:

• Forward (Figma → prototype): the original mode — read a Figma frame and generate working React code (Steps 1–5 below).
• Inverse (DESIGN.md → Figma variables): read the client's DESIGN.md and seed a Figma file with brand-correct variable collections (Colors / Typography / Radius / Spacing) + component variants. Use figma:figma-create-design-system-rules to seed, then mcp__claude_ai_Figma__get_variable_defs to validate. Useful for new-client onboarding (replaces manual variable setup, ~1–2 hours saved per client). The inverse mode is conceptually attributed to nexu-io/open-design/skills/figma-create-design-system-rules + the figma/skills upstream that the open-design stub points to (Apache-2.0, /steal lift 2026-05-13).

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Process

Step 1: Capture the design

From Figma URL: Extract fileKey and nodeId from the URL, then use Figma MCP:

get_design_context(fileKey, nodeId) → code hints + screenshot
get_screenshot(fileKey, nodeId) → visual reference
get_variable_defs(fileKey) → design tokens (if defined)

From pasted screenshot: The image is already in context. Analyze it visually.

From file path: Read the image file directly.

Step 2: Analyze the design

Extract from the visual:

1. Layout structure — Grid system, column count, section hierarchy, responsive breakpoints
2. Component inventory — Header, hero, features, testimonials, CTA, footer, cards, forms, etc.
3. Design tokens:
   • Colors (primary, secondary, accent, background, text)
   • Typography (font families, sizes, weights, line heights)
   • Spacing (padding, margins, gaps — identify the base unit)
   • Border radius, shadows, opacity
4. Content — Headlines, body text, button labels, image placeholders
5. Interactive elements — Buttons, links, forms, toggles, tabs, modals

Output as structured inventory:

DESIGN ANALYSIS
═══════════════════════════════════════

Layout: {single-column / 2-column / grid / etc.}
Sections: {count} — {list}
Components: {list of detected components}

Tokens:
  Primary: #XXXXXX
  Secondary: #XXXXXX
  Background: #XXXXXX
  Text: #XXXXXX
  Font: {detected font or best match}
  Base spacing: {Xpx}

Interactive: {buttons, forms, etc.}
═══════════════════════════════════════

Step 3: Map components to code

For each detected component, choose the implementation approach:

Component	Static (HTML/CSS)	Interactive (React)
Header/Nav	Semantic HTML + Tailwind	React component with mobile menu state
Hero	CSS grid/flexbox	Same + CTA button handler
Features grid	CSS grid	Same + optional toggle/tab state
Testimonials	Static cards	Carousel with state
Pricing	Static table	Toggle (monthly/annual)
Form	HTML form	React form with validation
Footer	Semantic HTML	Same

Step 4: Generate code

Static (html-only):

• Single index.html with inline Tailwind CSS (via CDN)
• Responsive design with mobile breakpoints
• All content from the mockup included
• Placeholder images using neutral gradients or SVG patterns

Interactive (local):

• Vite + React + TypeScript + Tailwind
• Component-per-section architecture
• State management for interactive elements
• Responsive with mobile-first approach

For Framer:

• Use Framer MCP to create pages and components directly
• Map design tokens to Framer's styling system

For Lovable:

• Generate specification for /vibe-coding skill
• Include all design tokens and component specs

Step 5: Verify fidelity

After generating code, create a fidelity report:

FIDELITY REPORT
═══════════════════════════════════════

Accurately reproduced:
  [x] Layout structure and hierarchy
  [x] Color palette (extracted tokens)
  [x] Typography hierarchy
  [x] Component placement
  [x] Responsive behavior

Interpreted (not exact):
  [~] Exact spacing values (estimated from visual)
  [~] Font choice (closest web-safe match)
  [~] Shadow values (approximated)

Missing (needs manual refinement):
  [ ] Custom illustrations (used placeholders)
  [ ] Animations/transitions
  [ ] Micro-interactions

═══════════════════════════════════════

Step 6: Deploy (if target specified)

• html-only: Save file, open in browser for review
• local: Run npm run dev for local preview
• framer: Push via Framer MCP
• lovable: Hand off to /vibe-coding with Lovable target

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Design Token Extraction

When Figma MCP provides design variables (get_variable_defs), map them to a tokens file:

{
  "colors": {
    "primary": "#XXXXXX",
    "secondary": "#XXXXXX",
    "accent": "#XXXXXX",
    "background": "#XXXXXX",
    "surface": "#XXXXXX",
    "text": "#XXXXXX",
    "textMuted": "#XXXXXX"
  },
  "typography": {
    "fontFamily": "Inter, sans-serif",
    "h1": { "size": "48px", "weight": "700", "lineHeight": "1.1" },
    "h2": { "size": "36px", "weight": "600", "lineHeight": "1.2" },
    "h3": { "size": "24px", "weight": "600", "lineHeight": "1.3" },
    "body": { "size": "16px", "weight": "400", "lineHeight": "1.6" },
    "small": { "size": "14px", "weight": "400", "lineHeight": "1.5" }
  },
  "spacing": {
    "base": "8px",
    "sectionGap": "96px",
    "containerMax": "1200px"
  },
  "borderRadius": {
    "small": "4px",
    "medium": "8px",
    "large": "16px",
    "full": "9999px"
  }
}

If no Figma variables are available, extract tokens visually from the screenshot using best judgment.

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Integration with existing skills

• /mockup — Can accept mockup output as input (wireframe description → prototype)
• /landing-page-wireframe — Can accept wireframe output and convert to code
• /vibe-coding — Build engine for interactive prototypes
• /brand-kit — Validates extracted tokens against established brand
• Figma MCP — Primary data source for design context and tokens
• Framer MCP — Deployment target for Framer sites

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Notes

• For simple screenshots, static mode is usually sufficient and much faster
• The quality of the prototype depends heavily on the clarity of the screenshot — high-res, full-page captures work best
• Custom illustrations and complex SVGs will be replaced with placeholders — flag these for manual replacement
• This skill produces code, not design — refinement happens in code, not back in Figma
• For client landing pages, combine with /landing-page-copy to ensure the copy is optimized, not just visually matched

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Final ship gate

Run /premortem --output before ship. See /premortem skill for the 5 execution domains (will-it-resonate / will-it-convert / will-it-stay-on-brand / will-stakeholder-push-back / will-it-degrade-over-time) and output template.

Trivial-case escape: ## Premortem\nNo failure modes — trivial change satisfies the contract for genuinely trivial outputs.