MCP (Model Context Protocol)

A standard that helps AI assistants connect to tools like Figma with rich context. The bridge between your design files and AI coding tools.

All Dictionary

What it is

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard that helps AI assistants connect to tools like Figma with rich context: tokens, components, styles, and structure.

Simple analogy

Instead of describing a design verbally to an AI, you hand it the full blueprint. MCP is the handshake protocol that makes this possible.

Why this matters for designers

Better context leads to higher-quality code generation and stronger design-to-code workflows. Without MCP, you copy-paste screenshots and hope the AI understands. With MCP, the AI reads your actual design data.

How it works in practice

  1. You enable an MCP server in your design tool (Figma, Tokens Studio, etc.)
  2. You connect from an MCP-capable client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
  3. The AI can now query your design tokens, component specs, and file structure directly