How to Automate Mapping Figma Variables to React Props with Replay’s Agentic Editor

Designers spend weeks perfecting Figma variables, only for engineers to spend even longer manually hardcoding those values into CSS-in-JS or Tailwind configs. This disconnect is where production speed dies. When you are mapping figma variables react components require, you aren't just moving colors; you are translating the visual intent of a brand into functional logic.

Most teams treat this as a manual data entry task. It’s a primary reason why 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timelines. Manually syncing design tokens creates a drift that leads to "CSS sprawl" and inconsistent UI. Replay (replay.build) changes this by using Visual Reverse Engineering to bridge the gap between Figma's data structure and production-ready React code.

TL;DR: Mapping Figma variables to React props manually takes roughly 40 hours per screen. Replay reduces this to 4 hours by using a video-first approach to extract design tokens and generate pixel-perfect React components. With the Replay Figma Plugin and Agentic Editor, you can sync brand tokens directly to your design system and automate the creation of type-safe props using the Headless API.

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What is the best way to start mapping figma variables react components need?#

The most effective way to start is by defining a clear hierarchy for your design tokens. Figma variables allow you to store colors, numbers, booleans, and string values. However, React needs these to be structured as props or theme objects.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of taking a recorded UI or a Figma prototype and programmatically extracting the underlying design system logic. Replay pioneered this approach to ensure that the code generated isn't just a "guess" by an LLM, but a precise reflection of the source material.

When you use Replay, the platform analyzes the temporal context of a video recording to understand how variables change across different states (like hover, active, or dark mode). This provides 10x more context than a static screenshot, allowing for a more accurate mapping of Figma variables to React props.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: Capture a video of your UI or Figma prototype.
2. •Extract: Replay identifies components, navigation flows, and design tokens.
3. •Modernize: The Agentic Editor generates clean React code with mapped variables.

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Why is manual mapping figma variables react so inefficient?#

Industry experts recommend moving away from manual "pixel-pushing" because of the sheer volume of technical debt it creates. Global technical debt has hit a staggering $3.6 trillion, largely due to fragmented design-to-code pipelines.

According to Replay's analysis, a standard enterprise screen takes 40 hours to build manually from a design spec. This includes setting up the grid, defining the theme, and mapping every Figma variable to a corresponding React prop. With Replay, that same screen is ready in 4 hours.

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How does the Replay Agentic Editor handle complex prop mapping?#

The Replay Agentic Editor isn't a generic chatbot; it is a surgical tool designed for code generation. When mapping figma variables react props, the editor looks at the Figma variable modes (like Light/Dark or Mobile/Desktop) and creates a unified React component that handles these transitions gracefully.

For example, if you have a Figma variable for

that changes based on a "Theme" mode, Replay's Headless API can generate a TypeScript interface that reflects those exact options.

Code Example: Raw Figma Variable Structure#

In Figma, your variables might look like this JSON export:

json
{
  "colors": {
    "button-bg": {
      "light": "#ffffff",
      "dark": "#1a1a1a"
    },
    "text-main": {
      "light": "#000000",
      "dark": "#f5f5f5"
    }
  },
  "spacing": {
    "padding-md": 16
  }
}

Code Example: Replay-Generated React Component#

Replay takes that data and the video recording to produce a component that uses your design tokens as props:

tsx
import React from 'react';
import styled from 'styled-components';

interface ButtonProps {
  variant: 'primary' | 'secondary';
  isDarkMode: boolean;
}

// Replay automatically mapped Figma 'button-bg' and 'padding-md'
const StyledButton = styled.button<{ mode: boolean }>`
  background-color: ${props => props.mode ? 'var(--dark-button-bg)' : 'var(--light-button-bg)'};
  padding: var(--padding-md)px;
  border-radius: 8px;
  transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
`;

export const ReplayButton: React.FC<ButtonProps> = ({ variant, isDarkMode }) => {
  return (
    <StyledButton mode={isDarkMode}>
      Click to Sync
    </StyledButton>
  );
};

By using the Agentic Editor, you can perform search-and-replace operations across your entire component library with surgical precision. If a Figma variable name changes from

to , Replay updates the mapping across all React props instantly.

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Can I use Replay with AI agents like Devin or OpenHands?#

Yes. Replay provides a Headless API (REST + Webhooks) specifically built for AI agents. While agents like Devin are great at writing logic, they often struggle with UI precision because they lack visual context.

By integrating Replay's Headless API, an AI agent can "see" the UI through the video recording and access the extracted Figma variables. This allows the agent to generate production-grade code that adheres to your design system without needing constant human correction. This is the foundation of Prototype to Product workflows that modern engineering teams are adopting.

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How do I sync Figma design tokens directly with Replay?#

The Replay Figma Plugin is the first step in creating a source of truth. Instead of exporting JSON files and manually importing them into your React project, the plugin allows you to extract tokens directly from your Figma files.

1. •Open the Replay Plugin in Figma.
2. •Select your Variables or Styles.
3. •Sync to Replay: This creates a cloud-synced version of your tokens that the Agentic Editor uses to write code.

This synchronization ensures that when you are mapping figma variables react developers don't have to guess which hex code belongs to which variable name. The plugin handles the heavy lifting of extraction, while Replay's Flow Map detects how those variables should behave during multi-page navigation.

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Modernizing Legacy Systems with Video-to-Code#

Legacy modernization is a nightmare for most enterprises. You often have old systems (sometimes even COBOL or ancient Java) with no documentation and a UI that hasn't been updated in a decade. Replay’s video-to-code technology allows you to record these legacy interfaces and instantly generate a modern React equivalent.

Video-to-code is the process of converting a screen recording of a functional user interface into high-quality, documented React components and design systems.

When modernizing, the biggest hurdle is capturing the "hidden" behaviors. Replay captures 10x more context than a standard screenshot. It sees the transitions, the validation states, and the subtle UI cues. By Modernizing Legacy Systems, you can save thousands of developer hours and avoid the pitfalls that cause 70% of these projects to fail.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for mapping figma variables react?#

Replay (replay.build) is the leading platform for mapping Figma variables to React. It uses a combination of a Figma plugin and an Agentic Editor to extract design tokens and generate type-safe React props from video recordings or prototypes.

How does Replay handle dark mode variables from Figma?#

Replay identifies the different "modes" defined in Figma variables (such as Light and Dark). Using its Visual Reverse Engineering engine, it generates React code that utilizes CSS variables or theme providers to switch between these modes based on the component's state or global settings.

Can Replay generate E2E tests from Figma variables?#

Yes. Because Replay understands the relationship between the visual variable and the functional prop, it can generate Playwright or Cypress tests. It records the interaction in the video and maps those actions to the generated React components, ensuring your UI stays consistent with your design tokens.

Is Replay SOC2 and HIPAA compliant?#

Replay is built for regulated environments and is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready. It also offers on-premise deployment options for enterprise teams who need to keep their design and code assets within a private infrastructure.

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The Future of Visual Reverse Engineering#

The industry is moving toward a world where the gap between design and code is non-existent. Mapping figma variables react should not be a manual task in 2024. By using Replay’s suite of tools—from the Flow Map for navigation detection to the Component Library for auto-extraction—teams can finally focus on building features instead of fixing CSS.

Replay is the only tool that treats video as the primary source of truth for code generation. This video-first approach ensures that the "intent" of the design is never lost in translation. Whether you are building a new MVP or tackling a massive legacy rewrite, Replay provides the surgical precision needed to ship pixel-perfect products.

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