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Cross-file Sync

Synchronizing variables between Figma files: how to transfer collections and variables from one file to another via SXL Studio.

What is Cross-file Sync

Cross-file Sync lets you synchronize Figma Variables between different Figma files. This is useful when:

  • You have a master design system file and working project files
  • You need to transfer updated variables from one file to another
  • A team works across multiple files and needs to maintain consistency

How it works

  1. Open the Sync panel in the plugin
  2. Switch to the Cross-file Sync tab
  3. Enter the target Figma file's File Key and an Access Token (Figma Personal Access Token)
  4. The plugin will load collection and variable information from the remote file
  5. You'll see a diff — what was added, changed, or removed
  6. Select entries to apply
  7. Click Apply — selected changes will be applied to the local file

What gets synchronized

  • Collections — creating new ones, updating existing ones
  • Variables — values, types, names
  • Modes — collection modes
Syncing variables between Figma files

Where to find the File Key

The File Key is part of the Figma file URL:

https://www.figma.com/design/XXXXXXXXXX/File-Name
                              ^^^^^^^^^^
                              This is the File Key

Access Token

To access the remote file, you need a Figma Personal Access Token. It is used only to read data from the Figma REST API.

Data import and export

The plugin's bottom panel (Footer) has buttons for working with data:

Import

The Import button lets you load into the plugin:

  • JSON files with tokens
  • CSV files with Database data
  • Mapping files

Files are added to the current plugin project and become available across all modules.

Export

The Download button opens a modal with several tabs:

TabWhat gets exported
Tokens to CodeCSS / SwiftUI / Kotlin generation from tokens (see Tokens to Code)
AssetsImage export from selected elements
DataJSON/CSV data export

Image export

The Assets tab in the Download modal lets you export selected elements as images:

  • Format: PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF
  • Scale: configurable (1x, 2x, 3x, etc.)
  • Quality: configurable for JPEG/WebP
  • Export is performed via the Figma API (exportAsync), then re-encoded to the desired format on the UI side

How it works: the plugin first exports layers as PNG from Figma, then converts them to the selected format in the UI. You can choose specific nodes for export or export the current selection.

Exporting images from the plugin