Figma adds code layers and AI plugin tools

Figma announced a package of product updates at Config 2026, showcased in San Francisco, that bring executable code and expanded AI features onto the design canvas, reporting by The Next Web and The Verge. Core introductions include code layers, native motion and animation support, AI-generated shader fills and effects, new AI skills for Figma's design assistant, and the ability to build custom plugins by writing text prompts, according to The Verge and The Next Web. The Next Web reports in-person tickets for the three-day event sold out.

Per The Next Web, the code layers feature allows teams to clone repositories directly onto the Figma canvas, convert components into code-backed layers, and extract interactive flows into editable design elements. The Next Web reports code layers run on custom React code, are available within Figma Sites, and support npm packages including motion libraries and 3D frameworks. The Verge describes AI motion graphics and a chatbot-driven interface for turning text prompts into animations and shader effects. The Next Web reports users can edit code with an integrated code composer or via AI chat.

Companies integrating runnable code into collaborative design tools reflect a broader pattern where design and engineering workflows converge to shorten handoff cycles. Observers following the sector note that embedding code and package support in the design layer reduces friction for prototype-to-interactive testing, while AI-driven motion and shader tooling follows an industry trend of using generative interfaces to automate repetitive creative tasks.

For product designers, front-end engineers, and developer-experience teams, the combination of code-aware design artifacts and promptable AI skills suggests new opportunities for iterative prototyping, faster validation of interactions, and tighter sync between visual assets and runnable UI code. Industry reports indicate the underlying support for npm packages and React could make these capabilities immediately useful for teams that already depend on component libraries and JavaScript ecosystems.

Observers will look for documentation and versioning behavior around code layers, how sync and merge conflicts between canvas edits and source repositories are handled, and how plugin creation via prompts maps to platform security and extension governance. Public reporting shows deeper ties to Figma Weave following Figma's acquisition of Weavy last October; observers will watch how media and agent capabilities from that product surface in design workflows.