Figma Common Errors Skill

Figma Common Errors

Overview

Quick reference for the most common Figma REST API and Plugin API errors, with exact error messages and working solutions.

Prerequisites

Figma API credentials configured
Access to your application logs or browser console

Instructions

Step 1: Identify the Error Category

REST API HTTP Errors

| Status | Error | Cause | Solution | |--------|-------|-------|----------| | 400 | Bad Request | Malformed request, invalid node IDs | Verify node ID format (pageId:nodeId, e.g., 0:1) | | 403 | Forbidden | Invalid token, wrong scopes, no file access | Regenerate PAT with correct scopes; verify file sharing | | 404 | Not Found | Wrong file key, deleted file, wrong endpoint | Check file key from URL; verify file exists | | 429 | Rate Limited | Too many requests | Read Retry-After header; implement backoff | | 500 | Internal Server Error | Figma server issue | Retry with exponential backoff; check status.figma.com |

Step 2: Diagnose Specific Errors

403 Forbidden -- Token Issues

# Test your token
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  -H "X-Figma-Token: ${FIGMA_PAT}" \
  https://api.figma.com/v1/me
# 200 = token valid, 403 = invalid/expired

# Check what scopes your request needs
# file_content:read  -> GET /v1/files/:key
# file_comments:read -> GET /v1/files/:key/comments
# file_variables:read -> GET /v1/files/:key/variables/local
# webhooks:write     -> POST /v2/webhooks

Common 403 causes:

PAT expired (90-day maximum lifetime)
Token missing required scope (e.g., using file_content:read but calling comments endpoint)
File not shared with the token owner
OAuth token not refreshed after expiry

429 Rate Limited

// Figma returns these headers on 429:
// Retry-After: <seconds>            -- wait this long before retrying
// X-Figma-Rate-Limit-Type: <type>   -- "low" or "high" tier
// X-Figma-Plan-Tier: <plan>         -- your plan level

async function handleRateLimit(response: Response) {
  if (response.status === 429) {
    const retryAfter = parseInt(response.headers.get('Retry-After') || '60');
    const limitType = response.headers.get('X-Figma-Rate-Limit-Type');
    console.warn(`Rate limited (${limitType}). Retrying in ${retryAfter}s`);
    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, retryAfter * 1000));
    return true; // signal to retry
  }
  return false;
}

404 Not Found

# Verify your file key is correct
# URL format: https://www.figma.com/design/<FILE_KEY>/<file-name>
# The file key is the string between /design/ and the next /

# Test the file key
curl -s -H "X-Figma-Token: ${FIGMA_PAT}" \
  "https://api.figma.com/v1/files/${FIGMA_FILE_KEY}" \
  | jq '.name // "FILE NOT FOUND"'

Images Endpoint Returns `null`

// GET /v1/images/:key returns null for nodes that cannot render
const images = await exportImages(['0:1', '0:2']);

for (const [nodeId, url] of Object.entries(images)) {
  if (url === null) {
    // Node failed to render. Common causes:
    // - Node is invisible (visibility: false)
    // - Node has 0% opacity
    // - Node ID does not exist in the file
    // - Node has no visual content (e.g., an empty frame)
    console.error(`Failed to render node ${nodeId}`);
  }
}

Step 3: Plugin API Errors

| Error | Context | Cause | Solution | |-------|---------|-------|----------| | figma is not defined | Node.js / browser | Running plugin code outside Figma sandbox | Plugin code only runs inside Figma desktop app | | Cannot read property of undefined | Plugin | Accessing deleted node reference | Re-query node: figma.getNodeById(id) | | Plugin timed out | Plugin | Operation took too long | Use figma.commitUndo() and batch operations | | Quota exceeded | Plugin | Too many nodes created | Limit to ~5000 nodes per operation | | Permission denied | Plugin | Missing manifest.json permission | Add required permission to permissions array |

Step 4: Quick Diagnostic Script

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Figma API Diagnostics ==="

# 1. Check Figma service status
echo -n "Figma Status: "
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://www.figma.com && echo " OK" || echo " DOWN"

# 2. Validate token
echo -n "Token Valid: "
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  -H "X-Figma-Token: ${FIGMA_PAT}" \
  https://api.figma.com/v1/me

# 3. Check file access
echo -n "File Access: "
curl -s -H "X-Figma-Token: ${FIGMA_PAT}" \
  "https://api.figma.com/v1/files/${FIGMA_FILE_KEY}" \
  | jq -r '.name // "FAILED"'

# 4. Check env vars
echo "FIGMA_PAT: ${FIGMA_PAT:+SET (${#FIGMA_PAT} chars)}"
echo "FIGMA_FILE_KEY: ${FIGMA_FILE_KEY:-NOT SET}"

Output

Identified error cause from status code and headers
Applied targeted fix
Verified resolution with diagnostic commands

Examples

Error Wrapper with Actionable Messages

function diagnoseFigmaError(status: number, body: string): string {
  switch (status) {
    case 403: return 'Auth failed. Check: (1) PAT not expired (2) correct scopes (3) file shared with you';
    case 404: return 'Not found. Check: (1) file key from URL (2) file not deleted (3) node IDs valid';
    case 429: return 'Rate limited. Implement exponential backoff with Retry-After header';
    case 500: return 'Figma server error. Check status.figma.com and retry with backoff';
    default: return `Unexpected ${status}: ${body}`;
  }
}

Resources

Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see figma-debug-bundle.

Agent Skills: Figma Common Errors

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