---
title: "Figma MCP — Skills Must Be Explicitly Named in Prompts"
aliases: [figma-skill-invocation, figma-mcp-skill-reliability]
tags: [figma, mcp, skills, prompt-engineering, gotcha]
created: 2026-05-15
updated: 2026-05-15
---

# Figma MCP — Skills Must Be Explicitly Named in Prompts

## The Problem

The Figma MCP toolset is large (18+ tools). As it grows, AI does not reliably auto-select the right skill from an intent-level prompt like "push this UI to Figma". The skill may not be invoked at all, or the wrong tool sequence is used.

## The Fix: Always Name the Skill Explicitly

Prompt through the **artifact/skill name**, not the goal:

```
# BAD — AI may not select the right skill
"Create a Figma design for this component"

# GOOD — explicitly name the skill
"Use the figma-use skill to create a Figma design for this component"
"Run /figma-generate-design on this layout"
```

Available skills and when to name each:

| Skill name | Trigger phrase |
|-----------|---------------|
| `figma-use` | Any write-to-canvas task |
| `figma-generate-design` | Translating an app page/layout into Figma |
| `figma-generate-library` | Building a design system from code |
| `figma-code-connect` | Mapping Figma components to codebase components |
| `figma-use-figjam` | FigJam write tasks |
| `figma-generate-diagram` | Creating a FigJam diagram |

## Confirmation Signal

After invoking a Figma skill, a green dot icon should appear next to the tool name in the Claude Code tool panel. If the dot is absent, the skill did not activate — rephrase and explicitly name it.

## `use_figma` Code-to-Canvas: Layer Naming

When using `use_figma` to push code components to the canvas, be aware:
- Layer names are **generic** (e.g. `Frame`, `Text`, `Rectangle`) — they are NOT auto-named from your component/variable names
- Names are **editable after creation** — Figma lets you rename them in the layers panel
- Handoff quality is lower than `generate_figma_design` (which captures live localhost screenshots)

Use `generate_figma_design` when you need clean layer names for handoff; use `use_figma` for programmatic/scripted canvas operations.

## Related

- [[wiki/concepts/figma-mcp-tools-reference|figma-mcp-tools-reference]] — full tool reference
- [[wiki/concepts/figma-skills-reference|figma-skills-reference]] — all official Figma skills
- [[wiki/concepts/figma-design-to-code-workflow|figma-design-to-code-workflow]] — design-to-code workflow
