fig2json

Convert Figma .fig files to clean, optimized JSON for AI-powered design implementation.

Overview

fig2json extracts and transforms Figma design files into structured JSON, making it easy for LLMs to understand and implement your designs. The tool removes Figma-specific metadata and applies intelligent transformations to produce JSON optimized for HTML/CSS conversion.

How to Use

1. Save Your Figma Design Locally

In Figma, go to the top-left menu:

• Click File → Save local copy...
• Save the .fig file to your computer

2. Convert to JSON

Run fig2json on your saved file:

fig2json your-design.fig output-directory

This will:

• Extract all contents to output-directory/
• Convert the design to output-directory/canvas.json

3. Implement with AI

Ask your LLM to implement the design:

Implement the design found in output-directory/canvas.json

The clean JSON structure makes it easier for AI to understand your design and hopefully generate accurate HTML/CSS.

Tip: For easier LLM consumption, consider using jq to extract specific parts of the design or to further process the JSON before sending it to your LLM.

Installation

cargo install fig2json

Or build from source:

cargo build --release
# Binary will be at target/release/fig2json

Usage

Basic Usage

Convert a .fig file and extract to a directory:

fig2json design.fig output-dir

Convert a .fig file to stdout:

fig2json design.fig

Convert to a specific output file:

fig2json design.fig -o output.json

Command Line Flags

Flag	Description
-o, --output <FILE>	Output JSON file path (default: stdout). Cannot be used with extract directory mode.
--compact	Output compact JSON instead of pretty-printed (default is indented).
-v, --verbose	Enable verbose output for debugging.
--raw	Generate both transformed .json and raw .raw.json files. The raw version contains the original data without transformations.

Examples

Extract and convert with verbose output:

fig2json design.fig output-dir --verbose

Compact JSON output:

fig2json design.fig -o compact.json --compact

Generate both transformed and raw JSON:

fig2json design.fig output-dir --raw
# Creates: output-dir/canvas.json and output-dir/canvas.raw.json

Pipe to other tools:

fig2json design.fig | jq '.document.children[0]'

Transformations

The tool applies intelligent transformations to clean up the JSON:

• Removes default values: blendMode: "NORMAL", default letter spacing, line height
• Removes Figma-specific metadata: Internal IDs, text data, image thumbnails
• Removes redundant fields: Derived layout sizes, empty font properties
• Filters internal nodes: Removes internalOnly elements
• Preserves geometry: Keeps SVG paths for icons and images
• Optimizes structure: Only essential fields for HTML/CSS rendering

Use the --raw flag to also generate the untransformed JSON for comparison.

Output Structure

After extraction, you'll find:

output-directory/
├── canvas.json          # Main design file (transformed)
├── canvas.raw.json      # Raw untransformed data (if --raw flag used)
└── [other extracted files]

The canvas.json file contains the complete design tree with all layers, styles, and properties needed for implementation.

FAQ

What inspired this project?

This project was inspired by Evan Wallace's Figma File Parser.

How was this built?

This project was mostly vibe-coded with Claude Code.

What's the difference between transformed and raw JSON?

• Transformed JSON (default): Clean, optimized structure with Figma metadata removed and defaults stripped. Best for AI consumption and HTML/CSS generation.
• Raw JSON (--raw flag): Original decoded data with all Figma-specific fields intact. Useful for debugging or advanced use cases.

Does this work with Figma plugins?

No, this tool works with locally saved .fig files. You need to use Figma's "Save local copy" feature to export the file first.

License

MIT