Figma Introduces Specs, Code Layers, and Payload Integration to Strengthen AI-Powered Design Workflows
Figma is expanding its design platform with new tools aimed at helping teams define brand rules, connect design and code systems, and build more dynamic digital products with AI. Announced during the company’s first Config event in India, the updates focus on making design systems easier to document, share, and follow across both human teams and AI agents.
One of the biggest announcements is Figma Specs, a new Markdown-based editor designed to help companies clearly define their design language. With Specs, teams can document brand guidelines, design principles, UI rules, component behavior, and other important product standards in one central place.
The feature is built to work directly inside Figma. Specs can exist as a standalone file or live alongside the design canvas, making it easier for designers, developers, product managers, and AI tools to understand the context behind a project. Users can also reference Figma canvas elements, embed FigJam diagrams, include code layers, and connect designs inside the document.
The goal is to give teams a reliable source of truth for design systems. As more companies experiment with AI-assisted design and development, having a clear set of rules becomes increasingly important. Figma wants Specs to help AI agents produce work that aligns more closely with a company’s brand, design standards, and product expectations.
Figma is also expanding the role of AI on the canvas. The company recently made its canvas-based agent available to more users, giving teams a way to generate, edit, and iterate on design work with AI assistance. Because AI outputs can vary, Figma is introducing more structure and context so teams can guide these tools toward more predictable and usable results.
Another major update is the wider rollout of code layers. This feature allows users to add code directly to designs on the canvas, making prototypes more interactive and closer to real software experiences. Previously introduced in private beta, code layers are now moving into public beta so more users can test the feature.
With code layers, teams can ask Figma’s agent to turn a design into code, adjust sections of existing code, or refine an interactive prototype. This could help designers and developers explore product ideas faster without waiting for a full engineering cycle. It also supports Figma’s broader push to become a central workspace where software teams decide what to build, test ideas, and prepare products for release.
Figma’s leadership has emphasized that AI is changing how software teams work. More code is being generated than ever before, but not all of it is intended for final production. Much of it is used for exploration, prototyping, and product discovery. Figma appears to be positioning its platform as the place where that early-stage experimentation can happen visually, collaboratively, and with stronger design system guidance.
The company also announced support for more than 20 new tools through its MCP efforts, including Open Code, Dia, Grok Bot, and Indian AI startup Sarvam. This expanded tool support is intended to make Figma more flexible for teams using different AI and development workflows.
Figma is also deepening its content management capabilities through Payload, the open-source headless CMS it acquired last year. The company is now integrating Payload with Figma Make, its tool for generating dynamic websites and managing content more directly.
This integration could make it easier for teams to design, generate, and update websites in a single workflow. Instead of separating design from content management, Figma is bringing both closer together. That could benefit marketing teams, product teams, and developers who need to launch and maintain web experiences quickly.
Figma says Payload has seen strong momentum, with downloads increasing sixfold over the past year. By connecting Payload with Figma Make, the company is strengthening its position in the growing market for AI-powered website creation, design-to-code tools, and collaborative product development platforms.
The announcements also highlight Figma’s growing focus on India. The company opened its first office in the country late last year, supporting sales, partnerships, go-to-market operations, and product support. Figma says India is now its largest user market outside the United States.
The company also noted that its platform is used by 40% of India’s top 100 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Hosting its first Config event in India signals how important the region has become for Figma’s future growth, especially as more Indian companies invest in digital products, design systems, and AI-driven workflows.
With Figma Specs, public beta access to code layers, expanded AI tool support, and Payload integration, Figma is moving beyond traditional design collaboration. The platform is becoming a more complete environment for product planning, prototyping, content management, and AI-assisted software creation.
For design teams, the updates promise better documentation and stronger design system control. For developers, they offer faster prototyping and closer design-to-code collaboration. For businesses, they create a clearer path to building consistent, brand-aligned digital products with the help of AI.
