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Figma runs two MCP servers. The remote server at https://mcp.figma.com/mcp accepts only the clients Figma has approved, and MCP Manager is not one of them. The desktop server runs inside the Figma desktop app on your own machine. You can connect the desktop server to MCP Manager as a Workstation server, and every call then goes through your gateway, where it is logged and checked against your rules.
Want the remote server to work through your gateway? Figma is more likely to approve MCP Manager’s callback URL when its own customers ask for it. Tell Figma’s support team that you want to use Figma’s remote MCP server through MCP Manager.

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Why the remote server does not connect

If you add https://mcp.figma.com/mcp as a remote server, the connection fails with:
This is a restriction on Figma’s side, and no MCP Manager setting changes it. Figma states that only clients listed in the Figma MCP Catalog can connect to the remote server. It enforces that at every step:
  • Dynamic client registration is refused. Figma publishes a registration endpoint, but it returns 403 Forbidden to any client that is not in the catalog.
  • Client ID Metadata Documents are not supported. Figma’s authorization server does not advertise them, so there is no other way for a client to identify itself.
  • Your own Figma OAuth app does not help. An app you create in Figma’s developer portal cannot be granted the mcp:connect scope, which the remote server requires. Pasting its Client ID and Secret into MCP Manager is what produces the error above.
That is also why Figma’s connector works directly in Claude or Cursor: those clients are in the catalog. Figma runs a waitlist for new clients. Until MCP Manager is approved, use the desktop server.

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What you need

  • The Figma desktop app, on macOS or Windows. The desktop server does not run in the browser version of Figma.
  • A Dev or Full seat on a paid Figma plan. Full seats can write to files outside their drafts; Dev seats are read-only there.
  • Docker on the same machine. The workstation tunnel runs as a container.
  • Outbound access on TCP 443 to headscale.mcpmanager.ai, derp-a.mcpmanager.ai and derp-b.mcpmanager.ai. See Network requirements.

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Connect the server

1

Enable the desktop MCP server in Figma

Open the Figma desktop app and open a design file. Switch to Dev Mode with the toolbar toggle at the bottom, or press Shift + D. In the inspect panel, find the MCP server section and click Enable desktop MCP server.The server now listens at http://127.0.0.1:3845/mcp. To confirm, run curl -i http://127.0.0.1:3845/mcp in a terminal. Any HTTP response means the server is up. connection refused means it is not enabled, or the desktop app is closed.
2

Create a Workstation server

Go to MCP Servers and click Add. Choose Workstation (“The MCP servers run on personal computers”). Enter a Server Name such as Figma, then click Save MCP server.
3

Point an instance at the desktop server

On the Server instances tab, click Add server instance. Name the instance after the machine or the person, for example Figma — Dana's MacBook. Choose Connect to existing (Streamable HTTP), because Figma already runs the server. Set Destination URL to:
Destination URL
No custom headers are needed. Click Next.
4

Start the tunnel

The Deploy workstation proxy screen shows the command Start MCPM’s workstation proxy. There is no server command to run, because Figma is already serving. Copy the command and run it on the same machine as the Figma desktop app:
terminal
A dashboard opens and shows each step as the tunnel comes up. If it stalls, see Troubleshoot a workstation connection.
5

Test the connection

Return to the browser and click Test connection. MCP Manager reaches the Figma desktop server through the tunnel, discovers its tools, and opens the instance’s Features page.
The Features page lists Figma’s tools. Assign the server to a gateway like any other.

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Identity and attribution

The desktop server acts as whoever is signed in to the Figma desktop app on that machine. It does not take a token from MCP Manager. Every gateway user who calls this instance reaches Figma with that person’s files and seat permissions.
  • One instance per person is the usual pattern. Each designer or developer runs their own instance on their own machine, and the gateway’s audit log shows who made each call.
  • A shared instance on one machine gives everyone on the gateway that one Figma account’s access. Use it only if that is what you intend, and limit which users can reach it with gateway rules.

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Gotchas & things to keep in mind

The desktop app must stay open. The server runs inside the Figma desktop app. If the app is closed, tool calls fail until it is open again. The tunnel container restarts itself after a reboot, but Figma does not start its MCP server until the app is running. Some tools work on the current selection. Several of the desktop server’s tools read the frame or layer that is selected in the app. Select the design you want the agent to use before you ask it. Do not add the remote URL as well. A remote server entry for https://mcp.figma.com/mcp fails with Invalid scope: mcp:connect for every user. Remove it so nobody tries to authorize it. Figma for Government supports only the desktop server, so this guide is the only path for those accounts.

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Further reading

Workstation MCP Servers

How the encrypted tunnel reaches a server on your own machine, and the network rules it needs.

Choosing remote auth

What to do when a vendor’s remote server does not accept a gateway.

Per-user versus shared identity

What a shared identity means for attribution.

Connect your AI client

Point Claude, Cursor, or another client at the gateway once Figma is connected.

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External sources

Figma MCP server

Figma’s reference for the remote and desktop servers, including the MCP Catalog and the client waitlist.

Set up the desktop server

Figma’s steps for enabling the desktop server in the Figma desktop app.