They share three letters in common. That’s about where the similarities end.If you’ve seen a LinkedIn post where someone generates a full UI component inside Figma using natural language — and the caption says “Figma MCP” — there’s a good chance they’re actually using Figma Console MCP. The naming confusion is real, and it’s creating a lot of wrong assumptions about what each tool can do.This article sets the record straight.
Made by Figma, Inc. — A design-to-code bridge. Reads your Figma designs and translates them into code. Think of it as a one-way window: code looks at design.13 tools. REST API. Closed source.
Figma Console MCP
Made by Southleft — A full design system API. Reads, writes, creates, debugs, and manages your entire Figma file programmatically. Think of it as a two-way door: code and design flow both directions.57+ tools. Plugin API + REST API. Open source (MIT).
The biggest architectural difference is how each server talks to Figma — and this determines everything they can and can’t do.
Figma MCP (Official)
Figma Console MCP
Connection method
Figma REST API (cloud)
WebSocket Desktop Bridge + REST API
Runs where
Figma’s cloud (mcp.figma.com) or Desktop App
Your machine (npx) or self-hosted cloud
Plugin API access
No
Yes — full figma.* API
Authentication
OAuth (browser popup)
Personal Access Token
Source code
Closed source
Open source (MIT)
Transport
Streamable HTTP
stdio (local) or SSE (remote)
Why this matters: The Figma REST API is read-only for design data. You can fetch file structures, component metadata, and export images — but you cannot create a rectangle, change a fill color, or add a variable. The Plugin API can do all of that and more.Figma Console MCP’s Desktop Bridge plugin runs inside Figma, giving AI assistants the same power as any Figma plugin — create nodes, modify properties, manage variables, listen for events. The official Figma MCP does not have this capability.
This is where the two tools diverge most dramatically.
Capability
Figma MCP
Console MCP
Execute arbitrary Plugin API code
No
Yes
Create frames, shapes, text nodes
No
Yes
Create components and component sets
No
Yes
Modify auto-layout properties
No
Yes
Set fill colors and strokes
No
Yes
Resize and move nodes
No
Yes
Clone and delete nodes
No
Yes
Set text content on text nodes
No
Yes
Create child nodes inside containers
No
Yes
Arrange component sets with native visualization
No
Yes
Import rendered web UI as flat design layers
Yes
No
Generate FigJam diagrams from Mermaid syntax
Yes
No
Figma MCP’s generate_figma_design tool captures a rendered web page and imports it as flat design layers — it doesn’t programmatically create design elements. Figma Console MCP’s figma_execute runs actual Plugin API JavaScript, meaning anything a Figma plugin can do, the AI can do.
Figma Console MCP has 11 dedicated tools for variable and token management. Batch operations are 10-50x faster than individual calls. The figma_setup_design_tokens tool creates an entire token system — collection, modes, and up to 100 variables — in a single atomic operation.
Design phase: Use Figma Console MCP to create and manage design tokens, build component variants, and organize your design system
Handoff phase: Use Figma MCP to generate framework-specific code from those designs, with Code Connect ensuring the right existing components are used
Maintenance phase: Use Figma Console MCP’s parity analysis to catch drift between design and code, then use Figma MCP’s design system rules to keep AI code generation consistent
Both servers can be configured in the same MCP client simultaneously.
We see the LinkedIn posts. We see the YouTube videos. Someone uses Figma Console MCP to generate a full login screen inside Figma, complete with auto-layout and design tokens — and the caption says “Look what Figma MCP can do!”We get it. The names are confusingly similar. And honestly? Figma MCP walked so Figma Console MCP could run.Figma’s decision to build an official MCP server validated the entire concept of AI-powered design tooling. It proved that the design industry was ready for this. It opened the door for tools like ours to exist in a space that developers and designers already understood.We’re not here to compete with Figma. We’re here to extend what’s possible. The official MCP gives you a window into your designs. Figma Console MCP gives you the keys to the building.
Figma Console MCP is built by Southleft, a design and development studio. It is not affiliated with Figma, Inc. The official Figma MCP is built and maintained by the Figma team.
