Loora MCP vs the Figma MCP server
Both are MCP servers with design in the name, and they solve opposite halves of the problem. Figma’s is read-shaped: point at a selection, get structure and code hints so an agent can implement it. Loora’s is write-shaped: 33 typed tools that create pages, insert and patch nodes, set tokens, apply motion, and branch — the agent authors the design rather than transcribing one.
Side by side
| Loora | the Figma MCP server | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary direction | Read and write. The agent changes the document. | Read. The agent learns what the design already is. |
| Transport | Remote streamable HTTP at mcp.loora.design, OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and dynamic client registration | A local server alongside the desktop app, reached over localhost |
| Setup | One URL in your client, then a browser sign-in | Desktop app running, the server enabled in preferences, client pointed at the local port |
| Selection | No selection needed — tools address nodes by ID, or search for them | Generally anchored to what is selected in the app |
| Write vocabulary | createPage, insertNodes, patchNodes, moveNodes, deleteNodes, createComponent, createInstance, setTokens, setAnimations, animateNodes | Not the point of the server; changing the file is the plugin API’s job |
| Verification | viewCanvas, viewPage, viewNode, and getScreenshot render the real document so the model can look at its own work | Image and code representations of the selected frame |
| Safety | Every write is a validated transaction with preconditions, logged, undoable, and branchable | Reads do not mutate, which is its own kind of safe |
| Runs headless | Yes — a remote endpoint, so CI and a server-side agent both work | Needs the desktop app open |
Choose the Figma MCP server when
- Your design already exists in Figma and the job is to implement it faithfully in code.
- You want an agent to match an established design system that lives in Figma variables and components.
- You do not want an agent writing to design files at all — a read-only surface is a deliberate, reasonable choice.
Choose Loora when
- You want the agent to produce the design, iterate on it, and be corrected by hand on the same canvas.
- You need it to run without a desktop app open — CI, a hosted agent, a phone.
- You want the agent’s changes reviewable: a transaction log, version history, and a branch you can throw away.
- You want screenshots of the actual document fed back to the model so it can see what it built.
The honest summary
If the design is the input, Figma’s server is the right shape. If the design is the output, you need write tools, verification, and something to undo with — which is what Loora’s server is.
Claims about the Figma MCP server were last checked on 2026-08-02. Products change; check their documentation before deciding on the strength of a table.
Questions
Can an MCP server edit a design file?
Loora’s can. Its tools go through the same validated transaction path as the editor, so an agent’s edits are ordinary document changes: inspectable, undoable, and available to roll back from version history.
Does the Loora MCP server need an app running locally?
No. It is a remote streamable HTTP endpoint. Your client connects over the network and signs in with OAuth, so a headless agent works exactly like a desktop one.
Can I use both servers at once?
Yes, and it is a sensible combination: read an existing system out of Figma, build the new surface in Loora, export the result as React or HTML.