Tokens Studio is a Figma plugin that manages design tokens within your design tool — syncing values, supporting multi-brand theming, and exporting to code. designtoken.md is a structured markdown file that lives in your repo and gives coding agents the full picture at generation time. Different entry points, same goal: design decisions that survive the journey to production.
Tokens Studio (formerly Figma Tokens) is a Figma plugin that lets designers create, manage, and sync design tokens directly within their design tool. It supports token sets, multi-brand theming, math expressions, and exports to Style Dictionary format. It bridges the gap between Figma and code by keeping token definitions in sync with your design files.
Figma pluginA designtoken.md is a structured markdown file that sits in your project root — no Figma dependency, no plugin, no sync pipeline. Full color scales, typography hierarchies, spacing tokens, and component states in a format any coding agent can read directly. It's the design context your agent needs at the moment it generates code.
Markdown fileA detailed comparison of how each approach handles design tokens.
| Feature | Tokens Studio | designtoken.md |
|---|---|---|
| Lives in | Figma (plugin) | Your repo (markdown file) |
| Requires | Figma account + plugin | Nothing — just a file |
| Token management | Visual, in-design-tool | Text-based, in-editor |
| Multi-brand | Token sets + themes | One file per brand |
| Export format | JSON (Style Dictionary) | Markdown (agent-readable) |
| Agent compatibility | Indirect (export → build → consume) | Direct (agent reads file) |
| Setup time | Install plugin, configure sync | Drop file in project root |
| Works without Figma | No | Yes |
| Cost | Free tier + paid plans | Free, no signup |
Choose based on your workflow, tools, and team structure.