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Adrian Townsend
New Member
August 28, 2025
Question

Feature Request: Ability to Remap Library Variables to Local Variables

  • August 28, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 135 views

Hi Figma team,

I’m working with a central design system library that uses variables for colors, typography, spacing, etc. The challenge I’m running into is how to customize those variables per project/client without editing the library file.

Here’s the workflow I’d love to have:

  • In the library file, components are built using semantic variables (e.g., Brand / Primary, Text / Default).

  • In a project file, I create local variables with the same semantic structure but mapped to project-specific brand values.

  • I want to be able to relink or remap library variables to my local variables, so that when I update the local variable values, all linked components automatically update.

Right now, even if I duplicate the variable structure locally, components still reference the library’s variable IDs, and there’s no way to swap or remap them to my local set. The only options are:

  • Manually rebind variables one by one (tedious), or

  • Carry all brands inside the library as modes (not scalable when working with many clients).

Feature request:

  • Allow local variables with the same name/structure to automatically replace library variables in the project file.

  • This would make it much easier to reuse a single design system across many branded projects without duplicating or detaching components.

This feature would dramatically improve workflows for agencies and teams working with multi-brand systems or white-labeled projects.

Thanks for considering!

    3 replies

    Jett
    New Member
    March 12, 2026

    Ran into the same issue today and thank you for posting this!

    Peter Sodja
    New Member
    March 13, 2026

    I need this too.

    An upgrade to this feature request would be that the user can keep the library variables, but have the option to override them individually. 

    Jett
    New Member
    March 13, 2026

    I need this too.

    An upgrade to this feature request would be that the user can keep the library variables, but have the option to override them individually. 

    Right now, you can use the Swab Variables plugin https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1349108836145173291/swap-variables but it doesn’t work with text styles especially if you have multiple modes with different font families.