How to Achieve the Fastest Export of Figma Variables into Replay Theme Schemas

Design systems die in the handoff. You spend weeks perfecting variables in Figma—primitive colors, semantic tokens, spacing scales—only to watch them get manually re-typed into a CSS-in-JS object or a Tailwind config. This friction is a primary driver of the $3.6 trillion in global technical debt currently stalling enterprise innovation.

If your workflow involves copy-pasting hex codes, you are losing. Industry experts recommend automating the bridge between design intent and production code to eliminate "drift." Replay (replay.build) provides the technical infrastructure to bridge this gap instantly.

TL;DR: The fastest export figma variables workflow uses the Replay Figma Plugin to sync tokens directly into Replay Theme Schemas. By bypassing manual JSON exports and using Replay’s Headless API, teams reduce design-to-code time from 40 hours per screen to under 4 hours.

What is the fastest way to export Figma variables?#

The fastest way to export Figma variables into a production-ready environment is through the Replay Figma Plugin. Unlike standard exporters that merely dump JSON files you still have to map, Replay parses your variables and maps them directly to a Replay Theme Schema.

Visual Reverse Engineering is a methodology pioneered by Replay that allows developers to record a UI and have the platform automatically detect where those Figma variables should be applied in the generated React code. This isn't just a file conversion; it’s a semantic synchronization.

According to Replay's analysis, teams using manual token mapping spend 70% of their "modernization" time on repetitive styling tasks. Replay cuts this by automating the extraction and application of brand tokens.

Why manual variable exports fail legacy modernization#

70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their original timeline. Most of these failures stem from the "UI Gap"—the space where the design system doesn't quite match the hardcoded values in the legacy codebase. When you attempt to modernize a system, you aren't just changing the code; you're trying to inject a new design language into an old structure.

Manual exports require:

1. •Exporting JSON from Figma.
2. •Writing a custom parser for your specific theme provider.
3. •Manually replacing hardcoded hex values in your components.
4. •Testing for regressions across hundreds of screens.

Replay eliminates these steps. By recording a video of your legacy application, Replay's AI identifies existing UI patterns and replaces them with the variables you’ve synced from Figma. This is the core of the Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize.

Comparison: Manual Export vs. Replay Sync#

Step-by-Step: Fastest export Figma variables to Replay#

To achieve the fastest export figma variables experience, follow this specific workflow.

1. Initialize your Replay Theme Schema#

A Replay Theme Schema is a TypeScript-first definition of your design system. It acts as the "source of truth" for the Replay Agentic Editor.

typescript
// theme.config.ts
import { createTheme } from '@replay-build/core';

export const productionTheme = createTheme({
  tokens: {
    colors: {
      primary: 'var(--brand-500)',
      surface: 'var(--neutral-100)',
    },
    spacing: {
      base: '4px',
      lg: '24px',
    },
  },
  mapping: {
    // Replay uses this to replace legacy CSS with your new variables
    autoInject: true,
  }
});

2. Connect the Replay Figma Plugin#

Open the Replay plugin within Figma. Select the variables collection you want to sync. Instead of clicking "Export," you click "Sync to Replay." This pushes your variables directly to the Replay Headless API.

3. Record the Legacy UI#

Record a video of the legacy interface you are modernizing. Replay's Video-to-Code engine analyzes the temporal context of the video. It doesn't just look at a screenshot; it sees how elements behave, how they hover, and how they transition.

Video-to-code is the process of converting a screen recording into functional, styled React components. Replay pioneered this approach to capture behavioral data that static images miss.

4. Apply the Agentic Editor#

Once the video is processed, use the Replay Agentic Editor to perform surgical search-and-replace operations. You can prompt the AI: "Replace all hardcoded blue hex codes with the

variable from my synced Figma schema."

tsx
// Replay generated output after variable sync
import { productionTheme } from './theme.config';

export const ModernizedButton = ({ label }) => {
  return (
    <button 
      style={{ 
        backgroundColor: productionTheme.tokens.colors.primary,
        padding: productionTheme.tokens.colors.spacing.lg 
      }}
    >
      {label}
    </button>
  );
};

Leveraging the Replay Headless API for AI Agents#

For organizations using AI agents like Devin or OpenHands, Replay offers a Headless API. This allows an AI agent to programmatically pull the fastest export figma variables data and apply it to a codebase without human intervention.

Industry experts recommend this "Agentic Workflow" for large-scale migrations. If you are moving 500+ screens from a legacy COBOL-backed web app to a modern React architecture, manual intervention is a death sentence for the project. Replay provides the "eyes" and the "design brain" for your AI coding agents.

Check out our guide on Modernizing Legacy UI to see how this works at scale.

The Replay Flow Map: Why video context matters#

Most Figma-to-code tools fail because they lack navigation context. They can generate a single page, but they can't build a functional application. Replay’s Flow Map detects multi-page navigation from the video recording.

When you export Figma variables, Replay doesn't just apply them to a single component. It understands the "Flow"—how the variable

should persist from the login screen through the dashboard and into the settings panel. This is why video context captures 10x more useful data than a standard Figma file or a static screenshot.

Technical Architecture of Replay Theme Schemas#

The Replay Theme Schema is designed to be SOC2 and HIPAA-ready, making it suitable for regulated environments. It supports:

• •Design System Sync: Direct import from Figma or Storybook.
• •Brand Tokens: Automated extraction of typography, shadows, and radii.
• •Surgical Precision: The Agentic Editor ensures that your code isn't just "generated"—it's engineered.

For a deeper dive into how AI impacts your frontend stack, read about AI-Driven Development.

How Replay solves the $3.6 Trillion technical debt problem#

Technical debt isn't just bad code; it's outdated UI patterns that are too expensive to change. By providing the fastest export figma variables pipeline, Replay lowers the "cost of change."

When the cost of updating a UI drops from 40 hours to 4 hours, modernization becomes a continuous process rather than a once-a-decade trauma. Replay allows you to turn a Figma prototype into deployed code in minutes, effectively turning your design system into a living API.

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the fastest way to export Figma variables?#

The fastest way is using the Replay Figma Plugin, which syncs variables directly to a Replay Theme Schema. This removes the need for manual JSON parsing and allows AI agents to apply styles directly to React components extracted from video recordings.

Can Replay handle complex Figma variable modes?#

Yes. Replay supports multiple modes (e.g., Light/Dark mode, Brand A/Brand B) defined in Figma. When you sync these variables, Replay generates a theme schema that respects these modes, allowing for instant theme switching in the generated React code.

Does Replay work with Tailwind CSS?#

Replay can generate code in various formats, including Tailwind CSS, Styled Components, and standard CSS Modules. When you perform the fastest export figma variables process, you can specify your preferred styling output in the Replay settings.

Is Replay suitable for enterprise-grade security?#

Replay is built for regulated environments. It is SOC2 compliant, HIPAA-ready, and offers on-premise deployment options for organizations that cannot use cloud-based AI tools for their proprietary codebases.

How does the Video-to-Code engine handle dynamic data?#

Replay’s engine distinguishes between static design elements and dynamic data placeholders. During the extraction process, it creates clean React components with props, allowing you to easily wire up your real API logic after the visual modernization is complete.

Ready to ship faster? Try Replay free — from video to production code in minutes.