FigmaVars Hooks

Design systems teams using Figma Variables faced a critical workflow challenge: there was no official way to programmatically access Figma's design variables from React applications. This created:

• Manual copy-paste workflows to sync design tokens from Figma to code
• Version drift between Figma variables and application code
• No way to validate variables at runtime in React apps
• Inability to dynamically load Figma variables in Storybook or dev tools
• Fragmented token export solutions that didn't leverage official APIs

When Figma released their Variables REST API in 2024, I saw an opportunity to build the missing piece: a React hooks library that made Figma Variables a first-class citizen in React development.

FigmaVars Hooks is a React 19 hooks library that provides type-safe access to the Figma Variables REST API, paired with a CLI tool for exporting variables into CI/CD pipelines.

React Hooks API

Built custom React hooks that fetch and cache Figma variables at runtime:

• useFigmaVariables() - Fetch all variables from a Figma file
• useFigmaVariable() - Get a specific variable by ID or name
• useFigmaCollection() - Access variable collections
• Built-in caching and request deduplication for performance
• Full TypeScript support with inferred types from Zod schemas

CLI Export Tool

Created figma-vars-export CLI for exporting Figma variables as JSON in CI/CD pipelines:

• Runs in GitHub Actions or any CI environment
• Exports variables to JSON format compatible with Style Dictionary
• Supports filtering by collection, mode, or variable name
• Validates exported data against Zod schemas before writing

Zod Validation

All API responses are validated at runtime using Zod schemas, ensuring type safety beyond TypeScript's compile-time checks. This prevents runtime errors from malformed API data and provides clear error messages when validation fails.

100% Test Coverage

Built comprehensive test suite with Vitest covering:

• All hook behaviors and edge cases
• API request/response mocking and error handling
• Zod schema validation for all data structures
• CLI command execution and file output

React 19 Features

Leveraged React 19's new capabilities:

• Server Components for initial data fetching when used in Next.js
• Use hook for async data loading
• Built-in caching strategies with React's cache function

Developer Experience

Optimized for DX:

• Clear error messages with suggestions for common issues
• Comprehensive TypeScript types exported from package
• Detailed README with code examples and API reference
• Minimal configuration required to get started

Use Cases

Enables powerful workflows:

• Live Storybook integration showing actual Figma variables
• Design token validation tools that check Figma against codebase
• Admin panels for managing design tokens across teams
• CI/CD pipelines that auto-sync Figma changes to code repos

FigmaVars Hooks bridges the gap between Figma Variables and React development:

• Eliminates manual token sync by providing programmatic access to Figma Variables directly from React
• Type-safe runtime validation using Zod ensures variables are valid before use in applications
• 100% test coverage provides confidence for teams adopting the library in production
• Open-source contribution to the design systems community, filling a critical gap in the Figma Variables ecosystem
• CLI tool enables CI/CD workflows that auto-sync design tokens on every Figma change

The library is published on npm, actively maintained, and serves as a foundation for teams building design token workflows with Figma Variables.