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Bug: AI claims "Workspace is completely empty" and cannot see existing project files

  • April 7, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 41 views

AhmedE

There is a severe synchronization bug between the Figma Make UI and the AI's backend environment. Even though my project files are fully generated and clearly visible to me in the file tree (e.g., InviteToJoinModal.tsx, avatar.tsx), the AI assistant claims it cannot see them at all.

Because the AI thinks the workspace is completely empty, it is impossible to prompt it to make edits, add new components, or reference existing code.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Open a Figma Make session with generated code/components.

  2. Verify that the files are visible in the left-hand file explorer.

  3. Prompt the AI to edit an existing file or read the current code.

  4. The AI will fail to execute the edit and return error messages claiming the files do not exist.

What I Have Already Tried (None of which worked):

  • Rebooting the workspace via chat prompt.

  • Duplicating the Figma file and starting a brand new session.

  • Saving a local copy of the Figma file, uploading it again, and starting fresh.

  • Result: The AI still claims the workspace is empty every time.

Technical Evidence (Exact AI Output Logs): When I push the AI to tell me why it can't see the files I am looking at, it outputs these exact errors:

  • "I see the issue - the project files aren't accessible in my environment. This appears to be a workspace synchronization problem."

  • "I can see the workspace is completely empty - there are no files present. It appears this is a fresh workspace or the project files weren't transferred over."

Eventually, the AI leaked this internal system error, which points directly to the root cause (a volume mounting/sandbox mismatch on the backend):

"Based on what I'm seeing, it appears that: The bash tool works in /tmp/sandbox. The read/write/edit tools work in a completely different isolated environment. I'm encountering a technical issue where the file editing tools are operating in a different environment from where your project files are located."

Is the engineering team aware that the AI's read/write environment is failing to sync with the actual project files? Right now, the AI is completely blind to the codebase.

Best answer by Junko3

Hi ​@AhmedE,

 

Thank you for this detailed report. 

I understand the core problem: the AI chat in Figma Make is unable to see or access files that are clearly visible to you in the file explorer of the code editor, blocking you from making any edits.


Based on your report, this does sound related to a known issue our engineering team has been investigating. The good news is that they believe they have recently deployed a fix that should resolve this.

Could you please do a full refresh and then try prompting again to see if the issue is now resolved on your end?


We really appreciate you taking the time to provide such a thorough breakdown. Please let us know if you still see the same issue.

2 replies

  • Figmate
  • Answer
  • April 8, 2026

Hi ​@AhmedE,

 

Thank you for this detailed report. 

I understand the core problem: the AI chat in Figma Make is unable to see or access files that are clearly visible to you in the file explorer of the code editor, blocking you from making any edits.


Based on your report, this does sound related to a known issue our engineering team has been investigating. The good news is that they believe they have recently deployed a fix that should resolve this.

Could you please do a full refresh and then try prompting again to see if the issue is now resolved on your end?


We really appreciate you taking the time to provide such a thorough breakdown. Please let us know if you still see the same issue.


AhmedE
  • Author
  • New Member
  • April 8, 2026

Hi ​@Junko3 

Nice to hear that the problem is known. Unfortunately I ran out of AI credits while trying to fix the problem, I need to wait 1 week to try again and see if the problem got fixed.