Frame Relay README

Frame-Relay

Turn your Figma components into a design kit your AI coding agent follows.

New to this? Follow the step-by-step setup guide for designers.

Status: public beta. Commands below install the beta tag of the CLI. Expect rough edges and tell us what you find with the beta feedback form.

Frame-Relay is for designers who already work with AI coding tools like OpenCode or Antigravity, and for small teams that want their Figma system to stay the source of truth while AI writes the UI. You keep designing in Figma. Your agent gets exact components, tokens and rules instead of guessing from screenshots.

How it works

1. Design in Figma. Build components the usual way, using the naming contract so exports stay predictable.
2. Export with the plugin. The Frame-Relay plugin turns your file into a kit: component specs, design tokens, icons and screenshots as plain JSON and image files.
3. Run sync. One command writes React + Tailwind components, token CSS, rule files for your AI, and MCP client configs into your project.
4. Build with your AI agent. Your agent reads the kit through the MCP server, then builds screens that match the design. Rules files keep it from inventing raw buttons or hard-coded colors.

Live mode is the optional fifth step: pair Figma with your agent and let it read the layer you have selected. See Live mode. Export mode always works without it.

60-second quickstart

# 1. Create a React + TypeScript app (Vite shown here; any React app works)
npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react-ts
cd my-app

# 2. Add Tailwind CSS v4
npm install tailwindcss @tailwindcss/vite
# Then add the tailwindcss() plugin to vite.config.ts and
# `@import "tailwindcss";` to src/index.css.

# 3. In Figma: run the Frame-Relay plugin, open the Export tab, click Export Kit (.zip)

# 4. Set up Frame-Relay and sync the kit
npx @frame-relay/cli@beta init --yes
npx @frame-relay/cli@beta sync --from ~/Downloads/frame-relay-kit-my-file.zip

# 5. Check the setup
npx @frame-relay/cli@beta doctor

Open the folder in OpenCode (or your AI tool), then ask: "Build a settings page with the kit components." The agent calls the MCP server for the component list, props and tokens, and builds.

Getting the Figma plugin: Frame-Relay is coming to Figma Community. Until it is approved, open Figma desktop, go to Plugins, Development, Import plugin from manifest, and pick packages/plugin/manifest.json from this repo.

Full walkthrough: Getting started. Ideas first: Concepts.

Setup guide for designers

These steps are written for a designer who has never used a terminal. A terminal is a window where you type short commands to your computer. Your AI coding tool has one built in.

Part 1: Get ready (once)

Step 1. Install Node.js. Go to nodejs.org, download the LTS version, and install it like any other app. Why: Frame-Relay runs on Node.js. Without it, your computer can't run the commands below.

Step 2. Install an AI coding tool. Pick one: Cursor, Antigravity, OpenCode or Claude Code. Install it and sign in. Why: This is the AI that will build your app. Frame-Relay teaches it to use your designs.

Step 3. Add the Frame-Relay plugin to Figma. Open Figma, search for "Frame-Relay" in Community plugins, and click Install. Until the listing is live, download the plugin zip from the latest GitHub release and follow these import steps. Why: The plugin is how your designs leave Figma and reach your AI.

Part 2: In Figma

Step 4. Design your components. Build your buttons, inputs and cards as Figma components. Follow the simple naming rules in the naming contract, such as naming a variant "Size=Large" or "State=Hover", and use Figma variables for your colors and spacing. Why: Clear names let Frame-Relay understand your design. Variables let it carry your exact colors and sizes into code.

Step 5. Check your file. Run the Frame-Relay plugin and open the Lint tab. Click Check file. Fix anything it lists, then check again. Why: It's like spell-check for your design file. It catches problems before they turn into messy code.

Step 6. Export your kit. Open the Export tab and click Export kit. A zip file downloads. Why: This zip is your whole design system packed into one box: colors, sizes, components and a picture of each one.

Part 3: Set up your app

Step 7. Create a project folder. Make a new folder on your computer, for example my-app. Use dashes, not spaces, in the name. Open the folder in your AI tool. Why: Your app's code needs a home.

Step 8. Ask your AI to set up the app. Paste this into your AI tool:

Set up a Vite + React + TypeScript app in this folder, with Tailwind CSS v4 and the "@/" path alias pointing to src. Then run npm run build to confirm it works.

Why: This creates an empty app that Frame-Relay knows how to work with.

Step 9. Set up Frame-Relay. Open the terminal in your AI tool and type:

npx @frame-relay/cli@beta init

Answer yes to its questions. Why: It looks at your app and gets it ready to receive your designs.

Step 10. Bring in your designs. Type this, with a space at the end:

npx @frame-relay/cli@beta sync --from

Then drag your zip file from Step 6 into the terminal and press Enter. Why: This opens the box. It turns your Figma components into real code, and writes rules telling your AI: "Always use these. Never invent your own."

Step 11. Run a health check.

npx @frame-relay/cli@beta doctor

You should see green ticks. Why: It's like the warning lights in a car. It confirms everything is connected before you start building.

Part 4: Build with your AI

Step 12. Ask your AI to build a screen. Start a new chat in your AI tool and ask for what you need, for example: "Build a login page using my design kit." Why: The AI now looks up your components before it builds, so it uses your buttons and inputs instead of making up its own.

Step 13. See your app. In the terminal, type:

npm run dev

Open the link it shows, usually http://localhost:5173, in your browser. Why: You see the page the AI built and can compare it with your Figma design.

Step 14. Check the AI's work.

npx @frame-relay/cli@beta check

Why: It catches any place the AI broke your rules, such as using a random color. If it finds something, ask the AI: "Fix the issues frame-relay check found."

Part 5: Extras

Step 15. Use live mode (optional). Ask your AI: "Start Frame-Relay live mode." It gives you a 6-digit code. In Figma, open the plugin's Live tab, type the code and click Connect. Now select anything in Figma and ask your AI: "Build something that matches my Figma selection." Why: Your AI sees what you select in Figma right away, so you can build from a design you haven't exported yet.

Step 16. When you change your designs. Repeat Steps 5, 6 and 10: check, export and sync again. Why: Your code stays matched to your latest Figma design. If you edited a generated component by hand, Frame-Relay keeps your edit and saves the new version beside it, so you never lose work.

Supported AI tools

sync writes the setup for each tool it finds, so the agent can start using the kit right away.

Until the stable release, the package is published with the beta tag only. The simplest setup is to install it as a dev dependency once: npm install -D @frame-relay/cli@beta. Sync then writes a command that uses the local install, and the MCP server starts without changes.

Documentation

The same docs are published at https://joseph-brendan.github.io/Frame-Relay/.

Contributing

Setup, commands, branch naming and release notes are in CONTRIBUTING.md. Security reports: SECURITY.md. What we collect: nothing, see PRIVACY.md.

License

MIT, copyright (c) 2026 Joseph Brendan.