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Justin_Taylor
Justin_Taylor
New Participant
September 10, 2026
Question

File System Access API for Plugins

  • September 10, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 64 views

Is it possible to use the File System API in Figma Plugins?

For example running window.showDirectoryPicker() in the console works, but trying to run it in a plugin returns undefined, likely because it's in an iFrame.

I was checking the manifest settings to see if it’s possible to add permissions at that stage, but it doesn’t look like there are any relevant options.

Ability to use the File System API would be very useful for plugins that need to export documents to local disk at multiple points in time without requiring the user to select the same folder over and over again, and without the need for a sidecar desktop app to manage local files.

4 replies

Justin_Taylor
Justin_TaylorAuthor
New Participant
September 11, 2026

Looks like this question has been asked a few times, but no clear answer from the Figma team:

 

 

    Jaycee Lewis
    Figmate
    Jaycee Lewis
    Figmate
    September 11, 2026

    Hey hey ​@Justin_Taylor 🤩 Thanks for the great question. I love digging in to API-related questions. I’m going to try a simple test to see if I can get us more details on our challenges here. Or fail. Either way, we’ll learn something 😉 

    One question for you:

    When you say exporting at multiple points in time, is that multiple exports within a single plugin session, or do you need the same folder to still be there when the plugin runs again tomorrow?

    Thank you! Talk soon — Jaycee

      Justin_Taylor
      Justin_TaylorAuthor
      New Participant
      September 11, 2026

      Thanks for the follow up Jaycee, yes what we’re looking to achieve with our current project is the ability for the user to select an output folder once, and then be able to automate various exports during the plugin session or in future plugin sessions, without needing to select the output folder every single time.

      The File System API allows for this sort of functionality, and it looks possible in Figma, it doesn’t look possible in Figma plugins at the moment. File System API is the first place that made sense to look for this, so I wanted to ask if this was possible before we go down the route of building a separate desktop app just to write files to disk from the plugin. Thanks

      Jaycee Lewis
      Figmate
      Jaycee Lewis
      Figmate
      September 11, 2026

      Thank you ​@Justin_Taylor 🙌 I took this to the Plugin API team. I’ll follow up with any questions or replies for us. Have a great weekend! — Jaycee

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