The Pulse
Figma Brings Specs, Code Layers and Agent Guidance to Its Canvas
At Config India on October 15, 2026, Figma announced Specs, a Markdown-based home for project context, and moved code layers into open beta. The updates add new ways for teams and AI agents to work with design systems, code and prototypes o
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Figma announced a set of design, code and agent workflow updates at Config India on October 15, adding a Markdown-based context tool called Specs and moving code layers into open beta. The changes place product intent, working prototypes and technical inputs closer together in the company’s collaborative canvas.
Specs gives agents a written brief
Figma describes Specs as a native home for written intent, visual exploration and technical details. The tool is rolling out in open beta on paid plans. It is designed to give teams and their agents a shared reference for the decisions and context behind a project, alongside the visual work on the canvas.
The company is also expanding what its agent can draw on when working with design systems. Guidelines attached to published design libraries are now in open beta, while code sources are in closed beta. Those sources can include GitHub repositories and npm packages, which Figma says can help the agent build and edit components and code layers that reflect a team’s existing system.
Figma lists a combined design system—bundling design libraries, code libraries and guidelines in one place—as a preview feature. The distinction matters: Specs and guidelines are in open beta, code sources remain closed beta, and the combined system has not yet moved beyond preview.
Code layers open to more teams
Code layers let users create interactive, code-backed prototypes on the Figma canvas. Figma says a project can start by converting a design frame, importing a GitHub repository, capturing a website with its Chrome extension or prompting from scratch. The feature is now in open beta; creating and editing inside a code layer will be free on paid plans through November 4, 2026.
The approach gives teams a place to explore working interfaces alongside their designs, rather than treating code as a separate handoff artifact. Figma’s earlier code-layer rollout was a closed beta; the October update broadens access while keeping the temporary free-use window tied specifically to paid plans.
Payload and MCP extend the workflow
Figma also introduced Payload in Figma Make, its prompt-to-code product. The integration can scaffold a Payload backend with a content management system, database, media handling, APIs, authentication and an admin panel. Figma says the rollout spans all plans, connecting prototype work with the data and content needed for a production application.
Its MCP server, which connects Figma to external AI tools, now supports 20 new partners, according to the company. Users can use those tools to create code layers, edit Specs or generate images on the Figma canvas. The announcement extends Figma’s agent strategy beyond prompts: it pairs agents with written guidelines, design libraries and code that teams already use.
Different features, different access
The new releases arrive after Figma’s agent became generally available on October 6. At Config India, the company’s focus shifts to the material agents can use and the shared workspace where people can review their output. The available access varies by feature: Specs and guidelines are in open beta, code sources are in closed beta, and the consolidated design-system feature remains a preview.
For code layers, the practical terms are clearer: open beta is underway, and paid-plan users can create and edit them without an additional charge through November 4, 2026. Figma’s release notes describe that as a time-limited offer; they do not say what pricing will apply after that date.