Most Figma Designers Don't Know Layers Can Become Live Interactive Code on the Canvas
A single click can turn a static Figma layer into working, interactive code—flyouts, dropdowns, maps, and animations—without ever leaving the canvas.
01. What It Is
Code layers are a Figma feature that converts any design layer or frame into an interactive, functional element powered by real code. Instead of faking interactivity with static frames and prototype links, you get a live layer that actually behaves like the finished product—dropdowns that open, maps that pan, animations that run, and shaders that render, all inside Figma itself.
Under the hood, code layers use React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. You can create them either by prompting Figma's AI to generate the interaction for you, or by editing the code manually if you want precise control. Because they live on the canvas, code layers can tap into your design system components and variables, so what you build stays consistent with the rest of the file.
Code layers exist in two Figma products: Figma Sites (launched June 2025) uses them to add custom, React-backed interactions to published sites, and Figma Design (announced at Config 2026 on June 24, 2026) brings them directly onto the design canvas for interactive prototyping. Early access in Figma Design began in July 2026.
Why It Matters
The traditional design-to-code handoff is where ideas go to die—designers describe an interaction, engineers rebuild it, and something always gets lost in translation. Code layers collapse that loop: designers can prototype genuinely interactive behavior themselves, test it, and iterate without waiting on a separate build. That means faster validation of ideas, more realistic user testing, and far less back-and-forth between design and engineering.
Who Can Benefit
- Product designers who want prototypes that behave like the real thing instead of clickable static screens
- Design system teams who need interactive components tied to real variables and tokens
- Small teams and startups without a dedicated front-end engineer for early prototyping
- Designers curious about code who want to learn React and Tailwind in a familiar canvas
02. Step-by-Step Guide
- 1
Confirm access and enable AI features
Code layers are available on all Figma plans per official documentation, but you need edit access to the file and AI features must be enabled in your account or organization settings. If you're on a managed team, an admin may need to turn AI features on first.
- 2
Choose the right product
Decide whether you're working in Figma Design (interactive prototyping directly on the canvas, early access from July 2026) or Figma Sites (custom React-backed interactions for published sites, available since June 2025). The core concept is the same, but the context differs.
- 3
Select a layer or frame to convert
Pick the design layer or frame you want to make interactive. Code layers can convert any layer with a single click or a single prompt, so start with something concrete like a button, a menu, or a card.
- 4
Generate the interaction by prompting
Use the AI prompt option and describe the behavior you want—for example, an expanding dropdown, an animated flyout, or a pannable map. Figma generates the interaction as a code layer using React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS.
- 5
Refine manually if needed
Open the code layer and edit it directly to fine-tune timing, styling, or logic. Because code layers support design system components and variables, reference your existing tokens to keep everything on-brand.
- 6
Test on the canvas
Interact with the layer live inside Figma—open the dropdown, trigger the animation, pan the map. There's no separate preview build required; the interaction runs on the canvas itself.
Turn this frame into an interactive dropdown menu: it should stay collapsed by default, expand smoothly when clicked, show the list items with hover states, and close when I click outside. Use my design system's colors and spacing variables.
Pro Tips
- Start with small, self-contained interactions (a single dropdown or toggle) before attempting complex multi-state flows—it's easier to debug and refine.
- Lean on your design system variables inside the prompt so generated code inherits your real tokens instead of hardcoded values.
- If the AI-generated result is close but not perfect, edit the code directly rather than re-prompting from scratch—it's often faster.
- Use code layers to prototype interactions that were impossible to fake with static prototypes, like maps, shaders, and physics-based animations.
Warnings & Limitations
- Two different products support code layers—make sure you know whether you're in Figma Design or Figma Sites, since the workflow context differs.
- Early access to code layers in Figma Design began in July 2026 with limited availability, so the feature may not be enabled for your account yet.
- You must have edit access to the file and AI features must be enabled; view-only collaborators can't create code layers.
- Generated code should be reviewed before it's treated as production-ready—AI output can still need cleanup and testing.
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