Design software maker Figma has introduced a fresh set of developer and styling tools aimed at shaping how artificial intelligence agents interact with digital design systems. Revealed during the platform's inaugural Config gathering in India, the updates include a dedicated Markdown documentation editor, expanded interactive coding layers directly on the canvas, and a tighter integration with the headless content management system Payload. The core objective behind these rollouts is to provide clear guardrails and centralized context so that both native and external automated agents build interfaces that strictly respect corporate brand rules.
Guiding Automated Workflows Through Figma Specs
Leading the announcements is Figma Specs, a new Markdown-powered editor designed to streamline how design standards are documented across organizations. The feature acts as an operational single source of truth that team members and autonomous agents can consult while assembling components inside Figma. Users have the flexibility to maintain Specs as standalone documents or embed them directly alongside active design boards on the canvas.
Beyond standard text authoring, Specs allows designers to link live canvas assets directly into documentation, insert FigJam diagrams, and attach functional code layers. Teams can consolidate their design tokens, UI libraries, and production code repositories into one shared interface. Because generative AI models can frequently produce inconsistent or non-deterministic layouts, establishing this structured context provides the boundaries necessary to keep automated generations accurate and predictable.
Interactive Code Layers Enter Public Beta
In addition to documentation tooling, Figma has transitioned its code layers capability into an open beta for the broader community. The feature allows creators to embed functional programming code directly into canvas layouts, making prototypes substantially more reactive and representative of finished software. Initially previewed in a private testing phase back in June, the tool is now accessible to the public following the India conference debut.
The system allows users to instruct an on-canvas agent to translate interface elements into clean code, or selectively modify snippets to iterate on functional behaviors. Commenting on the shift in software workflows, Figma chief design officer Loredana Crisan emphasized that the platform is where engineering and product groups define what they eventually launch. Loredana Crisan noted, "There are 17-times more lines of code being produced today than in the past. But when you’re looking at releases, only 1.3-times more releases." Crisan explained that a significant volume of modern code is generated not for immediate shipping, but rather to explore, experiment, and refine how a product should look and function.
Expanded MCP Ecosystem and Deeper CMS Integration
Figma is also expanding its connectivity across external systems by supporting over 20 new developer utilities through its Model Context Protocol (MCP) framework. The roster of integrated services now includes Open Code, Dia, Grok Bot, and Indian artificial intelligence startup Sarvam, giving engineers broader flexibility when linking custom automated models to their projects.
Meanwhile, the platform is deepening its tie-in with open source headless CMS Payload, which Figma bought last year. The headless architecture is being incorporated into Figma Make, letting teams construct dynamic web properties and handle live content updates directly from the design environment. Demonstrating rapid developer adoption, Payload experienced a sixfold surge in downloads over the preceding 12 months.
Strategic Expansion Across the Indian Market
The introduction of these tools at the India event underscores the region's expanding weight in Figma's international growth. Late last year, the company established its first local office in India, setting up teams across sales, partnerships, product support, and go-to-market operations. Outside of the United States, India now stands as Figma's largest user market worldwide, with approximately 40% of the top 100 businesses traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange actively deploying the design suite across their product pipelines.
