Chat (Alpha): Ask the AI to Edit Layers, Styles and Layouts
Chat is the plugin's early agent: describe what you want, or pick one of its skills with a slash, and it changes layers, styles or variables in your file. It is an alpha, so expect changes.
Goal
Use Chat for jobs that reach past text: building layouts, charts and components, matching styles and variables, or asking about your design system.
Before you start
- An AI provider set up in AI Settings (an API key, or a local model).
- A selection for the skills that work on existing layers.
Steps
- Open Chat Click the sparkle button (AI Text, Image & Copilot) and choose the Chat tab, which carries an 'alpha' badge. The first time, a sheet called 'Welcome to Chat Alpha' explains what it is. The box asks 'Ask anything, or type / for skills…'.
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Start from a chip or write a request The empty chat asks 'What can I help you with?' and offers starter chips such as UX & UI Audit, Rewrite Copy, Generate Design and Fill Content; + More shows the rest. Or just write what you want.
Chat's empty state with its starter chips and the Smart Intent chip. -
Let Smart Intent choose, or choose a skill yourself With the Smart Intent chip, the model picks the skill that fits your message. Click the chip to browse the skills, or type a slash to list them: Enter picks the highlighted skill and puts its name in the box, and a second Enter (or the send button) runs it.
A slash lists the skills; each shows what it does. - Select layers when the skill needs them Skills that change existing layers (rewrite, translate, change tone, alt text, rename, match styles and variables, fill images) work on your selection. When a skill needs a selection and there is none, Chat may answer 'Skipped <skill>: select the elements you want it to work on, then ask again.' Others build something new and need no selection: Generate Design, Poster / Composition, Render Chart, Draw Vector, Create Component Set, Design System Sheet and Export DESIGN.md.
- Read what it did Chat answers in the conversation and applies the change in your file. Query Components and Query Design System only read and report. If a skill fails, the reply says '(Skill error: …)'. The trash button clears the conversation.
Tips
- Describe the outcome and name the layers or styles you mean.
- Keep a copy of important pages while Chat is an alpha.
- Start with the read-only skills (Query Components, Query Design System) to see what Chat knows about your file.
Result
The change is made in your file and the conversation shows what was done.
If something goes wrong
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Chat says AI is not set up yet, and a setup window opens.
Add an API key, or choose a local model, in AI Settings → API Key.
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'I seem to be going in circles here. Could you rephrase or clarify what you need?'
Chat stops when it would run the same skill three times in a row. Say what you want in different words, or run the skill you need from the slash list.
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'Skipped <skill>: select the elements …'
Select the layers the skill should change, then ask again.
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The result is not what I wanted.
Chat has no undo button of its own. Use Figma's undo, and duplicate the page first when the work matters.
Common questions
What is Smart Intent?
The default way Chat works: it reads your message and picks the skill that fits. Click the chip to browse skills or return to Smart Intent.
Which skills are there?
More than forty. Typing a slash lists them all: writing (Rewrite Copy, Translate, Change Tone, Generate Alt Text), building (Generate Design, Poster / Composition, Render Chart, Draw Vector, Create Component Set), design system work (match, apply, edit and clean up variables and styles, Export DESIGN.md), and lookups (Smart Select, Query Components, Query Design System).
Is it finished?
No. Chat is marked alpha in the plugin; skills and results are still changing.