Adding your work from Figma to GitHub is a common practice in design-to-development workflows, particularly for managing design assets, documentation, or crucially, design tokens. While you typically don't store large .fig files directly in a Git repository, you can sync derived assets or design tokens. Based on the provided reference, the process outlined focuses on synchronizing design tokens with a GitHub repository.
Design tokens are the visual design atoms of the design system — specifically, they are named entities that store visual design attributes. They are used in place of hard-coded values (like hex codes for color or pixel values for spacing) in code, ensuring consistency across projects. Tools often integrate with Figma to extract these tokens.
Here’s how to set up GitHub to receive these design tokens or related assets, following the steps provided:
Setting Up GitHub for Design Sync
The process involves setting up your GitHub account and repository, and then configuring a way for your design tools (or a script/tool extracting data from them, like design tokens) to interact with it securely.
Here are the essential steps:
Quick Steps Overview
- Create a GitHub account.
- Create a new repository for your design assets/tokens.
- Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT) for authentication.
- Configure your sync tool/script with the PAT and repository details.
- Perform an initial push of your design tokens or assets.
- Continuously push or pull changes as needed.
1. Create a GitHub Account
If you don't already have one, your first step is to create a GitHub account. This is where your code and design assets (like tokens) will be stored and version-controlled.
- Go to the GitHub signup page.
- Follow the prompts to set up your username, email, password, and other details.
2. Create a New Repository
A GitHub repository is like a folder for your project. You'll create a dedicated repository to store your design tokens, exported assets, or any other design-related files you want to sync.
- Once logged into GitHub, click the "+" icon in the upper-right corner and select "New repository."
- Give your repository a meaningful name (e.g.,
design-tokens,my-project-design-system). - Add a description (optional but recommended).
- Choose whether the repository should be Public or Private.
- Initialize the repository with a README file (optional but helpful).
- Click "Create repository."
3. Generate Your Personal Access Token (PAT)
To allow external tools or scripts to push changes to your GitHub repository without using your main password, you need to generate a Personal Access Token. This is a secure way to authenticate automated processes.
- In GitHub, click your profile photo (top right) and go to Settings.
- In the left sidebar, click Developer settings.
- Click Personal access tokens > Tokens (classic).
- Click Generate new token > Generate new token (classic).
- Give your token a descriptive name (e.g.,
FigmaSyncToken). - Set an expiration date for the token (recommended for security).
- Under "Select scopes," choose the necessary permissions. For pushing code, you typically need
repo(full control of private repositories) or more granular permissions likewrite:contents. Choose scopes carefully based on the minimum access required. - Click Generate token.
- Copy the token immediately. You will not be able to see it again once you leave the page. Store it securely.
4. Add a New GitHub Sync to Your Tokens File (or Configuration)
This step is specific to tools or workflows that manage design tokens and need to know where to sync them on GitHub. You'll need to configure the sync process within your token management tool or a specific configuration file.
- This step depends heavily on the specific tool or script you are using to generate and manage your design tokens (e.g., Style Dictionary, specific Figma plugins).
- You will typically add your repository URL and the generated Personal Access Token to a configuration file (sometimes called a
tokensfile, as referenced) that the tool uses to know where and how to push changes to GitHub. - Refer to the documentation of your specific design token tool for exact instructions on how to add a GitHub sync configuration.
5. Push Your Initial Set of Tokens (or Files)
Once everything is configured, you can perform the initial push to get your design tokens or generated files into the GitHub repository.
- Using your design token tool or sync script, execute the command or action that triggers the push to GitHub.
- The tool will use the repository details and the Personal Access Token from your configuration to authenticate and upload the files.
6. Push or Pull Changes
After the initial setup, you'll continue to use the sync process to keep your GitHub repository updated whenever your design tokens or relevant assets change in Figma or your design tool.
- Push: When you make changes to your design tokens or assets in Figma and update the source files/configuration, use your tool to push these changes to the GitHub repository.
- Pull: Developers working with your design tokens will pull the latest changes from the GitHub repository into their development environment to ensure they are using the most current design specifications.
This process creates a reliable workflow for synchronizing design system data, enabling developers to easily access and integrate the latest design decisions directly from a version-controlled environment like GitHub.
