Composition and Drift
How Inspect tracks components generated from a composition: the Linked and Unlinked states, Re-link, Adopt composition for older components, the Out of Sync section with difference categories, Show Diff and Re-apply.
If a component or component set was generated from a composition, Inspect can compare its current state in Figma with the JSON description. A mismatch between them is called drift.
Where drift comes from:
- a layer was edited on the canvas after generation;
- the JSON was updated but the changes have not been applied in Figma yet;
- the component was recreated or moved and its link to the composition went stale.
Composition Tracking
For a component linked to a composition Inspect shows the link state:
| State | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Linked | The component is linked to the composition by name and identifier | Nothing |
| Unlinked | The name matches the composition but the component identifier changed | Press Re-link to update the link in this file |
A component that was never generated from a composition has to be linked by hand first: on the Tokens tab open the composition badge menu and choose Adopt composition for the selected component. After that Audit composition and Inspect can compare it with the JSON.
Out of Sync
When drift is found, the Out of Sync section appears in the panel: the total number of differences, category badges and the Show Diff and Re-apply buttons.
| Category | What is compared |
|---|---|
structure | The hierarchy and order of layers |
property | Component properties |
binding | Token and variable bindings |
layout | Auto layout: direction, padding, gaps |
fill, stroke, effect | Fills, strokes, effects |
text | Text properties |
sizing | Sizes and constraints |
style | Attached styles |
Show Diff opens a detailed comparison by category and layer path. Look at it before repairing to understand which canvas edits will be overwritten.
Re-apply brings the component back to the JSON: structure, styles and bindings are restored while the layer itself and its identifier are kept, so instances do not break. For a component set the repair runs per variant. After a successful Re-apply the Out of Sync section disappears.
Recommended order
- Select the component or component set.
- Check the state in Composition Tracking. If it is Unlinked, press Re-link.
- If Out of Sync is shown, open Show Diff and review the differences.
- If the canvas edits should be kept, move them into the composition JSON and apply it again from the Tokens tab. If not, press Re-apply.
- Make sure the Out of Sync section is gone.