Figma Plugin Development

Build plugins that extend Figma's functionality using the Plugin API.

Architecture

Figma plugins run in two threads communicating via postMessage:

• Main thread (sandbox): Plugin API access, node manipulation, figma.* calls
• UI thread (iframe): HTML/CSS/JS interface, no Figma API access, npm packages allowed

Key Principles

• Main thread handles all Figma document operations
• UI thread handles user interface and external APIs
• Communication between threads via figma.ui.postMessage() and onmessage
• Plugins must be performant — avoid blocking the main thread

Quick Start Checklist