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Dev Mode MCP Server not accessible — Professional plan

  • August 12, 2026
  • 5 replies
  • 51 views
Marc Favro

Hi Figma Support,

I've been working through the Figma MCP setup for Claude Desktop and have hit a series of issues I can't resolve through the documented steps. I'm consolidating everything here in the hope that someone can look at my account on the backend.

My setup:

  • Figma Professional plan, Full seat
  • Figma Desktop app version 126.7.10 (latest)
  • Claude Desktop app (latest)
  • macOS

What I'm trying to do:

I'm using Claude as a design collaborator — specifically, I want to select sections of a page in Figma and have Claude read the layout so we can discuss what needs to change. My immediate use case is building out copy for a case study: I need Claude to understand how the page is structured so it can help me structure the copy that I have written so that it will fit the actual layout, and so I can point to specific sections as we work through revisions together.

Where I am now:

The local Dev Mode MCP server appears to be running in Figma — I can see it enabled in the Dev Mode panel at 127.0.0.1:3845. However, Claude Desktop is not connecting to it. Session activity shows "Not sent" despite the server being active. My current node selection shows an estimated token count of ~170k, flagged with a warning.

What I've already tried:

  1. The "Enable Dev Mode MCP Server" option was not initially visible in Figma → Preferences. I eventually found the toggle in the Dev Mode panel right sidebar instead.
  2. Confirmed port 3845 is active via lsof -i :3845.
  3. Added http://127.0.0.1:3845/mcp to Claude Desktop's config file (claude_desktop_config.json) and restarted both applications — no change.
  4. Went through Figma's "Set up third-party agents for Figma MCP" dialog. Claude Code CLI shows "Needs auth" and the flow loops without resolving. Claude Desktop is listed under "How to set up other agents" but has no auto-install option — only "Get Figma integration," which navigates to the plugin detail page with no authentication step.
  5. The MCP panel in Figma's inspect sidebar shows "Figma MCP in Claude, Cursor" as a connected client, but session activity remains "Not sent."

My questions:

  • Is Claude Desktop (not Claude Code CLI) a fully supported client for the local Dev Mode MCP server?
  • Is there additional configuration required for Claude Desktop beyond the claude_desktop_config.json edit that isn't documented?
  • Can you confirm on the backend whether my account has MCP access fully enabled, and whether there's anything on your side preventing the server from communicating with Claude Desktop?

Any documentation specific to Claude Desktop — separate from the Claude Code CLI instructions — would also be helpful.

 

Thank you,
Marc Favro

Best answer by Jaycee Lewis

Hey ​@Marc Favro 👋 Good news: get_design_context does work on the remote server. What doesn't work is selection-based prompting. The remote server can't see what's selected on your canvas, so it needs a link instead.

Right-click your frame in Figma Design > Copy link to selection, then paste that URL into Claude with your prompt. Something like: “Read the layout of this frame and walk me through how it's structured.”—the key is not referring to a selection at all. The example prompts in our tools doc are written selection-first.

One correction: I said a 127.0.0.1 address isn't reachable. That's true for connectors, but Claude Desktop reaches local servers through a separate path. Your original config file instinct isn’t incorrect. Probably not an issue with remote working, and I didn't want to leave it without comment.

Additionally: download_assets is a remote-only tool, so the fact that it returned real data is a good sign. Being on a Professional plan with a Full seat means you should be good to go.

For your case study workflow, try get_metadata before get_design_context. It returns a sparse outline of layer names, types, and sizes rather than full styling. Closer to what you actually want for structuring copy, and it sidesteps the ~170,000 token warning ⚠️ Outline first, then pull design context on just the sections you're revising is the efficient approach.

Talk soon!

Jaycee

5 replies

Jaycee Lewis
Figmate

Hey ​@Marc Favro 🤩 Thanks for the thoughtful question and including all your details.

Main issue: I wonder if the local server is the wrong road here. Claude Desktop reaches connectors from Anthropic's cloud, not from your machine — so a 127.0.0.1 address isn't reachable no matter how it's configured. The remote server at https://mcp.figma.com/mcp is publicly reachable, works on all seats and plans, doesn't need the desktop app running, and is the recommended path now. Can you try adding it as a connector in Claude Desktop > Settings > Connectors and let me know what you see?

Question:

  • What does the MCP server section of your inspect panel say right now? "Figma MCP in Claude, Cursor" might just be a list of supported clients, not a live connection — want to make sure we're reading the same thing

Last thing: that ~170k token selection warning is problematic. Selections that big tend to time out or come back incomplete — Splitting the page is the recommended option

Talk soon! — Jaycee

Marc Favro
  • Marc Favro
  • Author
  • New Member
  • August 13, 2026

Hey Jaycee, thanks for the response.

To answer your questions first:

1. The MCP server section of my inspect panel shows "Session activity: Not sent" with an estimated token count of ~170k flagged with a warning. There's an example prompt and a "Copy example prompt" button — it looks like a list of supported clients rather than an active connection.

2. I checked Claude Desktop → Settings → Connectors and Figma is already listed there as a Desktop connector with a connected status. So the remote server (mcp.figma.com) is already connected — I didn't need to add it manually.

With that confirmed, here's the issue I'm running into: `download_assets` works fine via the remote connection and successfully returned real data from my file. But `get_design_context` — the core tool I need for design review and design-to-code workflows — returns this error even with the remote server connected:

"To use this tool, you need to enable the Dev Mode MCP Server in the Figma desktop app."


So the remote server works for some tools but not the one that matters most. It seems like `get_design_context` specifically requires the local Dev Mode server.

Can you clarify whether `get_design_context` is supported on the remote server, or is it local-only? If it's local-only, how is it supposed to be reached from Claude Desktop given that 127.0.0.1 isn't accessible from Anthropic's cloud?

Thanks
Marc

Jaycee Lewis
Figmate
  • Jaycee Lewis
  • Figmate
  • Answer
  • August 13, 2026

Hey ​@Marc Favro 👋 Good news: get_design_context does work on the remote server. What doesn't work is selection-based prompting. The remote server can't see what's selected on your canvas, so it needs a link instead.

Right-click your frame in Figma Design > Copy link to selection, then paste that URL into Claude with your prompt. Something like: “Read the layout of this frame and walk me through how it's structured.”—the key is not referring to a selection at all. The example prompts in our tools doc are written selection-first.

One correction: I said a 127.0.0.1 address isn't reachable. That's true for connectors, but Claude Desktop reaches local servers through a separate path. Your original config file instinct isn’t incorrect. Probably not an issue with remote working, and I didn't want to leave it without comment.

Additionally: download_assets is a remote-only tool, so the fact that it returned real data is a good sign. Being on a Professional plan with a Full seat means you should be good to go.

For your case study workflow, try get_metadata before get_design_context. It returns a sparse outline of layer names, types, and sizes rather than full styling. Closer to what you actually want for structuring copy, and it sidesteps the ~170,000 token warning ⚠️ Outline first, then pull design context on just the sections you're revising is the efficient approach.

Talk soon!

Jaycee

Marc Favro
  • Marc Favro
  • Author
  • New Member
  • August 14, 2026

Hey Jaycee,

This is exactly what I needed — thank you. The link-based approach makes sense and the tip about using `get_metadata` first before pulling full design context is genuinely useful for how I'm planning to use this.

Appreciate the correction on the 127.0.0.1 point too.

Thanks again
Marc

Jaycee Lewis
Figmate
  • Jaycee Lewis
  • Figmate
  • August 14, 2026

Yoi got it ​@Marc Favro 🙌 Have fun building! — Jaycee

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