START EVERY SESSION HERE. Returns Figma plugin connection status, the current build phase (0=idle through 5=report), enforcement profile, cached DS counts, knowledge store summary (learned components/patterns/gaps/rules), and a contextual hint telling you exactly what to call next. Also clears build-interrupt state after a plugin reconnect and warns if a completed build is missing its mandatory report. No params — call with no arguments.

Complete DS discovery in two steps. Step 1: call with fileKey — discovers variables, text styles, components via plugin API, caches everything, stays at Phase 1. Step 2: call again with communitySearchResults (library names from Figma MCP search_design_system) — verifies no community libraries were missed, then advances to Phase 2 (build-ready). Build tools are BLOCKED until Step 2 completes. If a community library's variables are not discoverable via the plugin API (communityVariablesRequired response), fetch them via Figma MCP search_design_system and pass as externalVariables.

Manual escape hatch for DS discovery/preload/finalize — the low-level building blocks mimic_discover_ds already orchestrates automatically. Use this ONLY when the automatic flow needs a targeted redo: re-discovering one asset kind after a partial load, preloading variables/styles/fill-styles fetched some other way, or manually finalizing the enforcement profile. Params: action ("discover"|"preload"|"set_defaults"), kind ("styles"|"variables"|"components"|"fill_styles", required for discover/preload), plus action-specific params (fileKey for discover, styleKeys/variables/libraryFileKey for preload, dsMode for set_defaults). Workflow position: DS Discovery / Style Inventory (Phase 1-2), before building.

Lists cached DS assets from the local cache — text styles, fill (color) styles, or variables. Use to browse what mimic_discover_ds already cached before binding: find a textStyleId for figma_create_text, a fillStyleId for figma_create_shape, or a variable path for figma_update_node. Params: kind ("text_styles"|"fill_styles"|"variables", required), filter (keyword, fill_styles only), category (text|background|border|foreground|spacing|radius, variables only). Read-only.

Maps HTML element types (button, input, badge, table, tab, avatar, dropdown, textarea, header, footer, sidebar, ...) to DS component keys for the current build. Call once after mimic_discover_ds with all section-level + control element types. With FIGMA_TOKEN configured, one call is enough — all library components are pre-cached and missing types are confirmed gaps. Without a token, call again with librarySearchResults (from Figma MCP search_design_system) to close the loop. Workflow position: Phase 1-2, right after DS discovery, before figma_insert_component.

Creates an auto-layout container frame (layout primitive) — the fallback when NO DS component exists for a section or layout. Every fill/padding/gap/radius binds to DS variables; component-like names are gated (pass confirmedNoComponent + primitiveOverrideReason for confirmed gaps). Name frames after their HTML role ("Header Section", "Card: Revenue"). Key params: parentId (omit for page-level artboard), direction, layoutSizing*, *Variable bindings, GRID mode. Check mimic_map_components FIRST. Phase 2+.

Creates a standalone text node bound to a DS text style (textStyleId — accepts style name or key) and DS color variable (fillVariable) — both are mandatory when the DS has them. Use for text OUTSIDE components; text inside a component instance uses figma_component_text instead. Strips hardcoded line breaks (container width controls wrapping). Name nodes after their HTML role ("Page Title", "Card: Revenue Label"). Params: parentId + content required. Phase 2+.

Creates a rectangle or ellipse primitive node bound to DS variables. Use for dividers, backgrounds, chart bars/grid-lines/data-points, avatars-as-circles, or any shape with no DS component. Params: shape ("rectangle"|"ellipse", required), parentId (required), name, width, height, fillStyleId/fillVariable/fill, and for rectangle: cornerRadius(Variable), stroke(Variable), strokeWeight, layoutPositioning, layoutSizing*; for ellipse: arcData ({startingAngle, endingAngle, innerRadius} — donut/pie segments). Requires Phase 2. Prefer a DS component over a shape when one exists.

Creates a node from an SVG string in Figma. Useful for icons and custom graphics. Returns unboundChildren — a list of child nodes that need DS variable bindings. You MUST apply figma_update_node (op: "fill") to every unbound vector and figma_update_node (op: "text_style" then op: "fill") to every unbound text. Leaving unbound children breaks DS compliance and light/dark mode.

Imports and inserts a DS component instance into the document. Returns componentKey/nodeId, configurationChecklist (booleans to enable, text nodes to override, variants to set), and _autoApplied variant defaults replayed from the knowledge store when a confirmed recipe exists. Params: componentKey (required, from mimic_map_components/discovery), parentId (required), name (instance name override), importMode ("component"|"componentSet", usually inferred), applyRecipe (false to skip auto-replay). Workflow position: Phase 3 build, after mimic_map_components. Follow up with figma_component_text and figma_set_variant.

Overrides text on a component instance in one call — pass an overrides array (a single override is just a one-item array). Each override sets one text node via textNodeName (matches by name — use for most cases) or textNodeId (exact match — use when configurationHints.textNodes gave you IDs, e.g. components with repeated node names). Use after figma_insert_component; configurationHints.textNodes lists every node that needs overriding. Saves N-1 tool calls vs. one call per node. Requires Phase 2.

Sets variant properties (e.g. Size, State, Color) on a component instance. Use figma_inspect (target: "variants") first to see available properties/values for the component set. Params: nodeId (required), properties (required, key-value map e.g. { "Size": "Large" }). Requires Phase 2. Tracks replay success/failure for the knowledge store's recipe learning.

Swaps or replaces a component instance's underlying component. mode="swap" (default) preserves the instance's overrides (text, variants) — use when switching to a close variant of the same component. mode="replace" removes the instance and creates a fresh one at the same position — use when swapping to an unrelated component where old overrides would be invalid. Params: nodeId (required), newComponentKey (required), mode ("swap"|"replace", default "swap"). Requires Phase 2.

Fills or resets a SLOT-type component property on an existing instance (Figma Slots, GA June 2026). action="fill" inserts a DS component instance into the slot (use configurationHints.slotProperties from figma_insert_component to find slotName). action="reset" restores the slot's default content. Params: nodeId (required), slotName (required), action ("fill"|"reset", default "fill"), componentKey (required for action="fill"). Requires Phase 2. Slot fills are recorded for build-report visibility only — never auto-replayed.

Mutates an existing Figma node or the editor's UI focus, dispatched by op. Ops: "text" (set text content), "text_style" (apply DS text style), "fill" (fillStyleId/fillVariable/raw fill), "layout" (sizing, padding, gap, alignment), "visibility" (show/hide), "position" (absolute x/y), "restyle" (artboard/frame fill+radius+stroke+padding+gap in one call), "move" (reparent via parentId+index), "select" (select+scroll into view), "page" (switch page by name/id). All ops except "select"/"page" require Phase 2 (DS discovered) and validate any *Variable path against the cached DS before sending. Use figma_delete_node (separate, destructive tool) to remove a node instead.

Sets the variable mode (e.g. light/dark) on a node — required on every new artboard, or DS variables render as black. By default sets the mode on ALL variable collections at once (pass modeIndex only). Pass collectionName to target a single collection instead. Params: nodeId (required, typically the artboard), modeIndex (required, 0=default/light, 1=dark), collectionName (optional). Requires Phase 2.

Deletes a node from the Figma document. NEVER deletes artboards (top-level frames) — only child nodes within an artboard. To rebuild a screen, create a NEW artboard alongside the existing one. Destructive and irreversible via the API — verify the nodeId with figma_inspect first if unsure.

Reads Figma document state — node properties, children, parent, text detail, pages, top-level page nodes, selection, component variants, or a build-manifest section lookup. Read-only, never blocked by phase gates. Use to verify state before/after edits, discover node IDs, or check what a component set supports. Params: target (required: "node"|"children"|"parent"|"text"|"pages"|"page"|"selection"|"variants"|"section") selects the read; nodeId (node/children/parent/text), depth (children, default 1), componentSetKey (variants), sectionName (section — HTML section name from the last build).

Loads the knowledge store: learned component recipes, layout/pattern data, DS gaps, user-defined rules, and meta stats (build counts, replay savings). Call at the start of a session to see what Mimic has already learned about this DS. Params: format ("json" default — structured data; "design_md" — renders the current DS + recipes as a DESIGN.md-style markdown string for documentation/handoff).

Saves a component recipe, layout pattern, DS gap, or user-defined design rule to the persistent knowledge store — the mechanism that lets Mimic learn across builds. Use "rule" when the user corrects build behavior in a generalizable way (e.g. "cards always have a header + content frame"); other types are usually written automatically by the build pipeline. Params: type ("component"|"pattern"|"gap"|"rule", required), id (unique key, required), data (entry payload, required).

Compiles the current build session into a structured report — DS component usage, primitives with justifications, DS changes/staleness, gap recommendations, binding-quality failures, efficiency (tool calls, cache hits, replay savings), and design-rule compliance. MANDATORY at the end of every build, before responding to the user — advances phase to 5 and resets per-build counters. No params.

Computes chart geometry (bar positions, SVG paths, arc angles, grid lines, axis labels) from raw data WITHOUT building anything in Figma — pure math, no bridge/Figma calls, usable at any phase. Use when you need coordinates/paths to hand-build a chart yourself; use mimic_build_chart instead when you just want the finished chart created in one call. Supports chartType: bar, horizontalBar, donut, line, radar, scatter, heatmap. Params: chartType (required), data (required, points), dimensions (chart-type-specific sizing).

Recursively checks a node (and its children) against the current DS enforcement profile — flags hardcoded colors/fonts instead of variables/styles, missing text style bindings, and other DS violations. Use during Phase 3/4 QA, especially at the 20-op build checkpoint, before generating the report. Params: nodeId (required, typically the artboard root).

Classifies build input as a URL, local file path, or raw HTML string and returns the resolved content ready for building. Use FIRST when the user gives you a link, a file path, or ambiguous input instead of raw HTML — it tells you what you actually received. Params: input (string, required). Workflow position: before mimic_discover_ds, at the very start of a build.

Bulk table builder — creates an entire data table in ONE call: column frames, DS Table header cell + Table cell components, variants (cellVariants for per-value badge colors), text, and consistent row height. Use for ANY HTML data table instead of cell-by-cell insertion; reduces 200+ tool calls to 1. Requires table cell components in the DS (returns creation guidance if missing). Key params: parentId, columns (header/style/cellVariants), rows ("text|supporting" syntax), cellHeight. Phase 2+.

Bulk chart builder — creates an entire chart in ONE call: container, visualization (native rectangles or stroke-free SVG), axis labels, grid lines, and legend, all bound to DS variables and text styles. Use for ANY HTML chart instead of hand-building; reduces 30-50 tool calls to 1. chartType: bar, line, donut, radar. Key params: parentId, chartType, title, data, dimensions, colors (neutral DS data palette — never Brand/Success/Warning/Error). Use mimic_compute_chart for geometry-only. Phase 2+.