What is Figmaboy?
Figmaboy is a local-first desktop design editor built with Tauri and Svelte. It bundles a figmaboy-mcp stdio server that gives Codex two offline read tools for saved designs and live tools to edit the open canvas. Edits share the same undo history and autosave as manual changes.
Figmaboy is a desktop app where you draw and style native layers by hand, with a Codex chat in the right sidebar. Replies, tool calls and approvals stay in that sidebar next to the canvas.
The MCP is part of the app. A figmaboy-mcp stdio binary ships inside every desktop build, and the built-in Codex tab receives it automatically, with no registration step or terminal command.
What changes in your agent's output
- Codex builds with native frames, groups, shapes, text, images and icons, so every element stays editable in the layer panel.
- Designs use one top-level frame per screen with named sections, not a flat list of root layers.
- Codex is told to call
design_capabilitiesbefore it creates a design, then check each frame withframe_screenshot. - Generated artwork is placed as a normal image layer with
image_place.
Offline and live modes
With the app closed, the MCP opens the local SQLite workspace read-only and returns saved pages, layers and previews. With the app open, a loopback bridge lets Codex inspect and edit the current design.
- The bridge port is random and loopback-only, and a random token sits in a file readable only by your user on Unix.
- The MCP process never writes to the database, so validation, undo and autosave stay in the app.
- Typing
/evolveon a selected frame rebuilds it from an empty sibling instead of restyling the original.
Who Figmaboy is for
Best for
- Designers who want a local editor with an agent inside it, rather than a plugin inside Figma. Related: Figma UI MCP.
- People who want an agent to build interfaces from saved designs, Related: DESIGN.md.
- Teams who prefer that design files and chat history stay on their own machine.
Not for
- Anyone who works inside Figma files. Figmaboy has its own editor and its own document format.
- Users without the Codex CLI. The built-in chat requires installing it and signing in once.
- Anyone wanting a hosted MCP. The server and data run locally.
Use it with UiChemy
Figmaboy designs live in its own editor, not in Figma. A frame copied as an image can still serve as a reference for a WordPress build: UiChemy's Composer then writes the layout as real code inside Elementor or Gutenberg. Click Get Started on uichemy.com.
Connect Figmaboy MCP: A Local Design Editor With Codex Beside the Canvas to your AI client
nix-shell --run 'cargo build --locked --release --manifest-path src-tauri/mcp/Cargo.toml'Install the desktop app
Pick an installer from the Figmaboy download page: AppImage, deb or rpm on Linux, DMG on macOS for Apple Silicon or Intel, and NSIS or MSI on Windows. Each release includes SHA256SUMS.
Install Codex
Install the Codex CLI and sign in once. Open a design, then select Codex in the right sidebar.
Start working
The bundled MCP is supplied to the built-in chat automatically. Describe a screen or a change and Codex uses the tools.
Reference saved designs
Copy a design ID from its card and ask Codex to build from that design and page. Unique names also work.
Optional external client
To use the MCP from Codex CLI or an IDE outside the app, follow the External Codex clients docs. Or build the binary yourself with the command above.
Endpoints and ports
https://0xmiki.github.io/figmaboy/docs/Quickstart and external client setup~/Library/Application Support/com.miki.figmaboy/editor-bridge.jsonPort, token and process ID of the open editorFIGMABOY_BRIDGE_FILE, FIGMABOY_DB_PATHFor non-default bridge or database pathsWhat you can do with it
- Codex beside the canvasChat, tool calls and approvals sit in the sidebar while edits land on the open document.
- Shared undo and autosaveCodex edits use the same history and local autosave as manual edits.
- Offline design contextSaved designs stay readable by the MCP even when the desktop app is closed.
- Native stylingSolid and gradient fills, per-corner radii, strokes, blend modes, shadows, blur and typography controls.
- Composer shortcuts
@selection,@current-frame,@pageand@designscope the request, and/review,/evolve,/save,/compactand/undorun actions. - Evolve reconstructionRebuilds a frame from an empty sibling, with isolated rendering and a visual review before any comparison.
- Local-first securityLoopback-only bridge, token file with restricted permissions, and a read-only database connection in the MCP.
Tools it exposes
designs_list
Offline. Searches saved designs and returns IDs, names, projects, timestamps and page counts.
design_context_get
Offline. Takes a file ID or name and an optional page, and returns the saved document, layer tree, asset metadata, revision and preview.
design_capabilities
Live. Reports what the design tools can do, and Codex should call it before creating a design.
types_get
Returns the machine-readable TypeScript contract at runtime.
nodes_center
Centers nodes when aligning layers.
nodes_set_border_radius
Sets rounded corners on surfaces.
image_place
Places a generated PNG, JPEG or WebP as an image layer.
frame_screenshot
Captures a screenshot of a completed frame for review.
Frequently asked questions
What is Figmaboy?
Figmaboy is a local-first desktop design editor with a Codex chat beside the canvas. You can draw layers by hand or ask Codex to build and refine native, editable interfaces in the open document.
Do I need to configure the MCP server?
Not for the built-in chat. The README says Figmaboy supplies its bundled MCP to the Codex tab automatically, with no setup prompt or registration. A separate external setup exists only for Codex clients outside the app.
What does the MCP do when the app is closed?
Codex can still read saved designs. The two offline tools list designs and return a page's saved document, layer tree, asset metadata, revision and preview. Offline context is read-only, so open the design in Figmaboy before asking for changes.
Which operating systems does Figmaboy run on?
The README lists Linux with AppImage, Debian and RPM packages, macOS DMG builds for Apple Silicon and Intel, and Windows NSIS and MSI installers. macOS builds are ad hoc signed but not notarized, and Windows builds are not code-signed.
Does it change my Codex configuration?
No. The app passes the bundled MCP path as a process-local override, and the README says it does not change ~/.codex/config.toml or add Figmaboy chats to your main Codex history.
Does Figmaboy work with Claude or Cursor?
The README describes Codex only, both the built-in tab and external Codex CLI or IDE clients. It does not document Claude or Cursor support, so treat other agents as untested.
How is it different from a Figma plugin bridge?
Figmaboy is its own editor with its own document format, so there is no Figma file to bridge and no plugin to import. If you work in Figma files, compare Figma UI MCP and the Figma MCP page.