Is there a way to align shapes or components to frames without overriding "Scale" constraints?

I believe this behavior changed for me around May 1. I am using the Figma Desktop App version 116.8.5 on macOS. I have a sinking feeling this is the new expected behavior and will not be considered a bug, but I hope someone has a workaround or the devs reconsider this change.

To replicate: Place a shape layer inside a frame, select the shape, and set its vertical and horizontal restraints to “Scale”.

Use the alignment controls in the right sidebar or Arrange menu to change the shape’s position relative to its frame. The positioning changes as expected, but it also adjusts the layer’s vertical and horizontal constraints to override the previously set constraint (“Scale”) with new ones (“Right” and “Bottom” in my screenshot).

In my opinion, the Align controls should not adjust Constraints settings. They can be used in conjunction, but they should not be tied together intrinsically.

A decent workaround for my use case would be the ability to set constraint options with a keyboard shortcut or menu item (so I can create a macro that first adjusts alignment, then reverts constraints to “Scale”). Any other workaround folks can think of?

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This is driving me crazy! I really dislike the change. Have you gotten used to it yet, or found a fix?

I have gotten used to it, but I still hope it is changed in a future version. It has added 2 clicks to a very common task in my work. No workaround that I have found.

Alright, thank you. I’ve sent a request to Figma support, and I hope I’ll get an answer to whether this is the new intended behavior or not, and expressed my desire to be able to change it.

I’ve been looking for quite some time to change this behaviour as well. Have you got any useful return from Figma support @dustavsson?

Nope, I’ve resorted to trying to getting used to it. But it still bothers me a lot from time to time.

this is driving me crazy too! I kept wondering why my stuff weren’t scaling properly. Is there a request ticket I can upvote?