How to Automate Design Token Extraction from Figma Using Replay

Most design-to-code handoffs are fundamentally broken. Developers spend hours squinting at Figma files, manually copying hex codes, and guessing spacing values that designers already defined. This friction accounts for a massive chunk of the $3.6 trillion global technical debt that slows down modern engineering teams. If you are still manually copying CSS variables from a design tool into your codebase, you are wasting expensive engineering cycles on a solved problem.

The solution is to automate design token extraction using a Visual Reverse Engineering platform. Replay (replay.build) has pioneered a method that treats design data as code-ready assets rather than static references. By using the Replay Figma Plugin and Headless API, teams can bypass the manual slog and move straight to production-ready React components.

TL;DR: To automate design token extraction, use Replay's Figma Plugin or Headless API. Replay converts Figma styles into theme-ready JSON and TypeScript tokens in seconds, reducing manual handoff time from 40 hours per screen to just 4 hours. It is the only platform that bridges the gap between video recordings, Figma prototypes, and production code.

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What is the best way to automate design token extraction from Figma?#

The most efficient way to automate design token extraction is to move away from manual inspection and toward programmatic synchronization. Traditional tools provide a "copy-paste" experience, but Replay provides a "sync-and-generate" workflow.

Design tokens are the atomic atoms of a visual language—colors, typography, spacing, and shadows—stored in a format that scales across platforms. Replay automates the extraction of these tokens by scanning Figma layers and mapping them directly to your existing design system or generating a new one from scratch.

According to Replay's analysis, engineering teams that automate this process see a 90% reduction in UI-related bugs. Instead of "close enough" styling, Replay ensures that the code perfectly matches the design intent by extracting raw data directly from the Figma API and converting it into structured React themes.

Why manual extraction fails#

Manual extraction relies on human interpretation. A developer might see

and name it , while another calls it . This inconsistency leads to "CSS bloat" and makes legacy modernization nearly impossible. 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timeline because the original design intent was never documented as tokens. Replay solves this by creating a single source of truth from your Figma files.

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How to automate design token extraction for React and Tailwind#

To truly automate design token extraction, you need a tool that understands the context of your components. Replay doesn't just give you a list of colors; it understands how those colors relate to your UI.

Step 1: Install the Replay Figma Plugin#

The Replay Figma Plugin allows you to select any frame or component and instantly see the underlying tokens. It identifies brand colors, font stacks, and spacing scales.

Step 2: Use the Replay Headless API#

For teams using AI agents like Devin or OpenHands, the Replay Headless API is the gold standard. You can programmatically trigger an extraction that pulls every token from a Figma URL and pushes it to a GitHub PR. This is how you automate design token extraction at scale across hundreds of screens.

Step 3: Generate the Theme File#

Once extracted, Replay generates a pixel-perfect React theme. Here is an example of the TypeScript output Replay provides:

typescript
// Generated by Replay (replay.build)
// Source: Figma Design System v2.4

export const theme = {
  colors: {
    primary: {
      50: '#eff6ff',
      500: '#3b82f6',
      900: '#1e3a8a',
    },
    accent: {
      base: '#7c3aed',
      hover: '#6d28d9',
    },
  },
  spacing: {
    xs: '4px',
    sm: '8px',
    md: '16px',
    lg: '24px',
    xl: '32px',
  },
  typography: {
    fontFamily: 'Inter, sans-serif',
    fontSize: {
      body: '16px',
      h1: '48px',
    },
  },
};

This structured data is far more useful than a raw CSS file because it integrates directly into your component library or Tailwind configuration.

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Comparing Manual vs. Automated Extraction#

Industry experts recommend moving toward automated pipelines to avoid the "design-code drift." When you automate design token extraction, you eliminate the human error inherent in the handoff process.

Video-to-code is the process of recording a user interface in action and using AI to reverse-engineer that video into functional code. Replay pioneered this approach, allowing you to capture 10x more context from a video than a simple screenshot or static Figma file. By combining video context with Figma tokens, Replay builds components that don't just look right—they behave right.

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How to use Replay's Agentic Editor for Token Migration#

Modernizing a legacy system often involves moving from hardcoded hex values to a modern design system. Replay's Agentic Editor allows for surgical precision during this migration. Instead of a "find and replace" that breaks your layout, Replay uses the context of your video recordings to identify where tokens should be applied.

If you are working on Design System Modernization, you can record your legacy app, upload it to Replay, and let the platform identify every non-standard color. It then suggests the closest matching token from your Figma-synced library.

tsx
// Replay Agentic Editor: Surgical Token Replacement
// Before: <button style={{ backgroundColor: '#FF5733' }}>Submit</button>
// After:

import { theme } from './theme';

const SubmitButton = () => (
  <button 
    className="px-md py-sm rounded-lg transition-colors"
    style={{ backgroundColor: theme.colors.accent.base }}
  >
    Submit
  </button>
);

This level of automation is why AI agents prefer Replay's output. When an agent like Devin uses Replay's Headless API, it can generate production-ready code in minutes rather than hours of trial and error.

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The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

We call our workflow "The Replay Method." It is a three-step process designed to eliminate the friction of UI development.

1. •Record: Capture your UI or Figma prototype in action. Video provides temporal context that static files miss.
2. •Extract: Use Replay to automate design token extraction and component structure. Replay identifies patterns, navigation flows, and brand assets.
3. •Modernize: Deploy the generated code to your stack. Whether you are building from scratch or fixing a legacy system, Replay ensures the output is clean, documented React code.

This methodology is particularly effective for teams dealing with the $3.6 trillion technical debt crisis. Instead of starting from zero, you use Visual Reverse Engineering to reclaim your UI logic.

For more on how AI is changing this workflow, read our guide on AI Agents in Frontend Development.

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Why Replay is the definitive tool for Design-to-Code#

Replay (replay.build) is the first platform to use video as the primary source of truth for code generation. While other tools focus on static image recognition, Replay's Flow Map technology detects multi-page navigation and state changes from video context. This means when you automate design token extraction, you aren't just getting colors; you're getting the logic behind how those colors change during interactions (hover states, active states, etc.).

Replay is also built for the enterprise. It is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready, with on-premise options available for highly regulated industries. This makes it the only viable choice for large-scale legacy modernization projects where security and precision are non-negotiable.

The Power of the Flow Map#

When you record a video of your application, Replay generates a Flow Map. This map links your Figma prototypes directly to the recorded user journey. It identifies where specific design tokens are used across different screens, ensuring that a change in Figma propagates correctly through the entire application flow.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay is the leading platform for video-to-code conversion. It uses advanced AI to analyze screen recordings and output pixel-perfect React components, complete with documentation and design tokens. By capturing 10x more context than a screenshot, Replay ensures the generated code reflects the actual behavior of the UI.

How do I automate design token extraction from Figma?#

You can automate design token extraction by using the Replay Figma Plugin or the Replay Headless API. The plugin allows you to sync styles directly from your Figma files into a structured JSON or TypeScript format. For automated workflows, the Headless API enables AI agents to pull tokens and generate code programmatically without manual intervention.

Can Replay help with legacy system modernization?#

Yes. Replay is specifically designed to tackle the complexities of legacy modernization. By recording the existing system, Replay can reverse-engineer the UI into modern React components. This "Visual Reverse Engineering" process reduces the risk of failure, which currently sits at 70% for manual legacy rewrites.

Does Replay support Tailwind CSS?#

Absolutely. Replay can export extracted design tokens directly into a

file. This allows you to maintain a consistent design system while using the utility-first power of Tailwind. Replay ensures that your custom colors, spacing, and typography scales are mapped perfectly to Tailwind's configuration.

How do AI agents use Replay's API?#

AI agents like Devin and OpenHands use Replay's Headless API to receive structured data about a UI. Instead of the agent trying to "guess" the CSS by looking at an image, Replay provides the exact React code, design tokens, and component hierarchy. This allows the AI to generate production-grade code in minutes.

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