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Question

Slot updates from library components are not applied to instances

  • June 17, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 12 views
Fabrice Brzycki

Hi,

we are running into a serious issue with slots in our design system.

Our setup is this: we create and maintain our components in a shared library file, which represents our design system. These components are then used as instances in separate design/view files. Many of our components rely heavily on slots for flexible content areas.

The problem: when we publish changes to the design system library and update them in the view file, the slots inside the component instances are not updated correctly. For example, variable assignments such as spacing or padding values are not applied to the existing slot content (instances inside).

The only workaround we currently have is to fully reset the slots in the instances. But this removes the custom content every time, which makes the workflow unusable for real product work.

This is critical for us because our entire design system is built around slots. It used to work more reliably, but in the current state it is basically unusable.

This seems related to other reported slot issues. It’s not fixed for us.

Could you please confirm whether this is a known bug and if a fix is planned?

    1 reply

    djv
    Figmate
    • djv
    • Community Support
    • June 18, 2026

    Hi ​@Fabrice Brzycki, thanks for reaching out!

    I completely understand the frustration and how this must be slowing down your workflow. Thanks for also taking the time to share this in such detail. It's helpful to understand exactly how your design system is set up. To make sure we fully understand what you're running into, I have a couple of quick questions:

    • Are the variable assignments (e.g., spacing, padding) that aren't applying located inside the slot content itself, or on the slot container?
    • Have these components been customized/edited inside the slot instances, or are they still using the default slot content from the library?

    The primary reason I ask… as of April 7th, there was a behavior update to slots. Edited slot content no longer links back to the main component, which means library updates won't automatically propagate to slot content that has been modified. This was an intentional change for experience consistency. If your slot content has been customized at all, it would explain why variable assignments from the library aren't coming through. A few things that should still work in the meantime:

    • Variables are still fully supported inside slot content
    • Keeping spacing/padding variable bindings outside the slot boundary where possible
    • Using variable mode changes (e.g., switching a size mode from S → M) instead of direct variant swapping to achieve dynamic behavior. Here's a helpful guide.

    With these details, we can troubleshoot further. I understand how critical this is for a design system built around slots, so I want to ensure I point you in the right direction. 

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