Figma Specs, code layers enter open beta at Config India

Figma put code layers and a new feature called Specs into open beta on October 15, 2026, at its first Config conference in India. Code layers puts working code on the Figma canvas, next to the designs. Specs gives teams a shared Markdown document that both people and AI agents can read. Together they move more of the path from design to shipped code inside Figma.

Code layers: working code on the canvas

Code layers lets teams build code-backed prototypes on the canvas and work on them together, Figma's announcement says. It is in open beta for all plans.

Teams can start from scratch or import a supported prototyping codebase from GitHub or a local folder. Code imported from GitHub stays connected to the repository. A Figma Chrome extension can capture a live web page as a code layer.

Designers can refine a code layer by prompting the Figma agent, adding comments or editing the code directly. A tool called Extract designs turns the screens back into editable Figma frames. Changes can be pushed to a Git branch and reviewed in a pull request before they are merged.

Code layers uses AI credits, Figma says. Creating and editing code layers is free on paid plans through November 4, 2026. Figma first announced code layers in a private beta in June, TechCrunch reports.

Specs: Markdown on the canvas

Specs is a container for Markdown, a plain-text format with simple marks for headings and lists. A spec lives on the canvas, and several people can edit it at once. Existing .md files can be dragged onto the canvas to become specs.

A spec can hold FigJam boards, design frames and other canvas items next to its text. Agents can reply to comments inside a spec. Specs can also be sent to coding agents through Figma's MCP server. MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is a standard way for AI tools to connect to other software.

Specs is in open beta on all paid plans, on web, desktop and mobile.

Rules for agents and more MCP partners

The other updates aim to make agents, Figma's own and outside ones, follow a team's design rules. According to Figma CEO Dylan Field's post, they arrive at different stages:

Feature	What it does	Status
Code layers	Code-backed prototypes on the canvas	Open beta, all plans
Specs	Shared Markdown documents on the canvas	Open beta, paid plans
Guidelines	Design rules the agent follows	Open beta, paid plans
Code sources	Brings in GitHub repos or npm packages	Closed beta, paid plans
System map and System check	Tools for managing a design system	Preview
Payload in Figma	Data-backed websites built with Figma Make	All plans, rolling out over the coming weeks
Figma MCP	20 new partner integrations	Available now

The MCP partners include OpenCode, Dia, Junie by JetBrains and Meta Muse, Figma says. TechCrunch also names Grok Bot and Sarvam. Figma's own agent became generally available on October 6, according to its release notes.

Payload is the content management system Figma bought last year, TechCrunch reports. Figma says Payload downloads grew sixfold over the past 12 months.

Why India

India is Figma's largest market outside the US, TechCrunch reports. Forty percent of the top 100 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange use Figma, it adds.

"There are 17-times more lines of code being produced today than in the past," Loredana Crisan, Figma's chief design officer, told TechCrunch. Crisan argued that much of that code is written to explore ideas rather than to ship.

What this means for developers

For engineers who work with designers in Figma:

• Expect prototypes as real code. Code layers can live in a GitHub repository and send changes as pull requests. Decide now who reviews those pull requests and which branches designers may push to.
• Write your rules down once. Guidelines and Specs give agents a written source of design rules. Teams with a design system should capture its rules there, so Figma's agent and outside coding agents follow the same patterns.
• Connect your coding agent. The Figma MCP server now covers code layers, specs and visual assets. If you already use an MCP-capable coding agent, test pulling a spec into it before building from screenshots.
• Watch the credit meter after November 4. Code layers run on AI credits. The free period on paid plans ends November 4, 2026, so track usage during the beta to estimate the cost.