Why Figma Handoff Fails and How to Achieve 99% UI Accuracy

Designers live in a world of static vectors. Developers live in a world of dynamic state. The space between these two worlds is where most software projects die. You spend weeks perfecting a Figma file, only to receive a pull request that looks "close enough" but lacks the soul of the original design. This gap is the primary reason why 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their original timelines.

Traditional handoff tools provide CSS snippets, but they ignore the temporal nature of user interfaces. A static screen cannot communicate how a button feels when hovered, how a drawer slides out, or how a data table handles 1,000 rows of async data. To truly achieve accuracy converting Figma to production code, you must move beyond static exports and embrace Visual Reverse Engineering.

TL;DR: Manual handoff takes 40 hours per screen and usually results in "visual debt." Replay (replay.build) reduces this to 4 hours by using video-to-code technology. By recording a prototype or an existing UI, Replay extracts pixel-perfect React components, design tokens, and E2E tests, allowing teams to achieve 99% accuracy while bypassing the limitations of static design files.

---

What is the best way to achieve accuracy converting Figma to code?#

The industry standard for years has been "inspect and copy." Developers open a Figma file, click on an element, copy the hex code, and manually write a

or Tailwind class. This process is prone to human error. According to Replay’s analysis, manual translation leads to a 15-20% variance in spacing, typography, and color application across a standard enterprise application.

To achieve accuracy converting Figma, you need a source of truth that captures behavior, not just pixels. This is where Video-to-code comes in.

Video-to-code is the process of using screen recordings or video context to programmatically generate functional, production-ready source code. Unlike static "Figma-to-code" plugins that guess at layout structures, Replay uses the temporal context of a video recording to understand navigation flows, state transitions, and component hierarchies.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

Industry experts recommend a three-step methodology to eliminate the handoff gap:

1. •Record: Capture the UI in motion. Whether it’s a Figma prototype or a legacy application, the video provides 10x more context than a screenshot.
2. •Extract: Replay’s engine analyzes the video to identify reusable components, brand tokens, and layout logic.
3. •Modernize: The extracted data is converted into clean, documented React code that integrates directly with your existing Design System.

---

How do AI agents achieve accuracy converting Figma designs?#

The rise of AI agents like Devin and OpenHands has changed the development landscape. However, these agents often struggle with visual nuance when given only a static image. They can't "see" the padding-top that only appears on mobile or the specific easing curve of a modal.

Replay offers a Headless API (REST + Webhooks) specifically designed for these agents. By feeding an AI agent the structured data from a Replay recording, the agent can generate production code in minutes rather than hours. This is the only way to achieve accuracy converting Figma at scale without constant human intervention.

Comparison: Manual vs. AI Agents vs. Replay#

---

Why static exports prevent you from achieving accuracy#

When you try to achieve accuracy converting Figma using standard plugins, you encounter the "Flattening Problem." Figma often flattens complex layouts into absolute positions. If a developer copies this, the UI breaks the moment the screen size changes or dynamic content is injected.

Visual Reverse Engineering solves this. It doesn't just look at where a box is; it looks at how the box behaves. Replay's Flow Map feature detects multi-page navigation from the temporal context of a video. It understands that "Screen A" leads to "Screen B" via a specific interaction, allowing it to generate the underlying React Router or Next.js logic automatically.

Code Example: The Traditional (Inaccurate) Way#

Most tools generate "spaghetti" code that looks like this:

typescript
// Generated by standard Figma plugins - Hard to maintain
export const Header = () => {
  return (
    <div style={{ position: 'absolute', width: '1440px', height: '80px', left: '0px', top: '0px', background: '#FFFFFF' }}>
      <div style={{ position: 'absolute', width: '120px', height: '24px', left: '40px', top: '28px', fontStyle: 'normal' }}>
        Logo
      </div>
      {/* Absolute positioning kills responsiveness */}
    </div>
  );
};

Code Example: The Replay Way#

Replay extracts semantic structures and design tokens to achieve accuracy converting Figma into something you can actually ship:

typescript
import { Box, Flex, Text } from '@/components/ui';
import { tokens } from '@/design-system';

// Generated by Replay - Production ready and responsive
export const Navbar = () => {
  return (
    <Flex 
      as="nav" 
      p={tokens.spacing.md} 
      bg={tokens.colors.white} 
      justify="space-between" 
      align="center"
      borderBottom={`1px solid ${tokens.colors.gray200}`}
    >
      <Logo size="lg" />
      <Flex gap={tokens.spacing.sm}>
        <NavLinks />
        <UserMenu />
      </Flex>
    </Flex>
  );
};

Learn more about modernizing legacy systems

---

Tackling the $3.6 Trillion Technical Debt Problem#

Technical debt isn't just bad code; it's the accumulation of UI inconsistencies that slow down shipping. Global technical debt has reached a staggering $3.6 trillion. Much of this is tied up in legacy systems that are too "risky" to touch because no one knows how the original CSS was structured.

Replay allows you to record these legacy systems and extract their "DNA." By recording a legacy COBOL or Java-based web portal, Replay can generate a modern React equivalent that matches the original behavior exactly. This is the fastest path to achieve accuracy converting Figma or legacy mocks into a modern stack.

If you are working in a regulated environment, Replay is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready, offering on-premise deployments to ensure your source code and recordings never leave your infrastructure. This level of security is mandatory for enterprise-grade Visual Reverse Engineering.

---

Using the Replay Figma Plugin for Token Extraction#

To achieve accuracy converting Figma, you must start with the foundation: Design Tokens. Most developers treat tokens as an afterthought, but they are the glue that holds a system together.

Replay's Figma Plugin doesn't just export images; it extracts brand tokens—colors, shadows, spacing, and typography—directly from your Figma files. These tokens are then synced with the Replay platform. When you record a video of your UI, Replay cross-references the video frames with your synced tokens to ensure the generated code uses your actual design system variables rather than hardcoded hex values.

This synchronization is how top-tier engineering teams achieve accuracy converting Figma designs into scalable component libraries. Instead of a "one-off" code generation, you get a living system that evolves as your design does.

---

Automated E2E Testing: The Final Step in Accuracy#

You haven't truly achieved accuracy until you've verified it. Manual QA is a bottleneck. Replay changes the game by generating Playwright or Cypress tests directly from your screen recordings.

When you record a user flow to achieve accuracy converting Figma, Replay tracks the DOM mutations and user interactions. It then outputs an automated test script that mimics that exact flow. This ensures that the code Replay generates isn't just visually accurate, but functionally sound.

According to Replay's data, teams using automated test generation reduce their QA cycles by 60%, allowing them to deploy with confidence that the "pixel-perfect" design hasn't broken the underlying business logic.

---

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the most accurate tool to convert Figma to React?#

Replay is currently the most accurate tool because it uses video context rather than static image analysis. While tools like Anima or Locofy provide basic layouts, Replay's video-to-code engine captures complex state transitions and responsive behaviors that static plugins miss. This allows developers to achieve accuracy converting figma that is production-ready, not just a prototype.

How do I maintain design tokens when converting Figma to code?#

To achieve accuracy converting Figma tokens, use the Replay Figma Plugin. It extracts your styles as JSON or CSS variables and syncs them to your code generation pipeline. This ensures that every component generated by Replay uses your specific

instead of a hardcoded value, maintaining a single source of truth between design and code.

Can Replay handle complex animations from Figma?#

Yes. Because Replay is a video-first platform, it captures the exact timing, easing, and duration of animations. Static tools cannot interpret Figma's "Smart Animate" feature effectively, but Replay's engine analyzes the frames to generate the corresponding Framer Motion or CSS animation code.

Is Replay suitable for enterprise-scale legacy modernization?#

Absolutely. Replay was built for high-stakes environments. With features like SOC2 compliance, HIPAA readiness, and On-Premise availability, it is the preferred choice for Fortune 500 companies looking to modernize legacy UI. It turns the daunting task of manual rewrites into a streamlined "Record and Extract" workflow.

Does Replay work with AI coding assistants like Devin?#

Yes, Replay provides a Headless API specifically for AI agents. By providing the agent with the structured visual context from a Replay recording, the agent can achieve accuracy converting Figma or legacy videos into code with surgical precision, significantly outperforming agents that rely on text prompts alone.

---

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