Summary
When launching the Cursor MCP Plugin from Figma's Dev Mode right-sidebar
Plugins panel (a natural place to look, since the sidebar lists installed
plugins), clicking the plugin row throws this error in the Figma plugin
console:
Plugin not compatible to run in dev handoff panel. Make sure you have "dev"
as an editorType and "inspect" as a capability in your manifest.json.
The plugin does not launch. There's no in-product hint, no toast — just
silence in the UI unless you've opened the plugin console (Cmd+/ → "Open
Console") on a hunch.
Repro
- Install / link the plugin locally via
Plugins → Development → Import plugin from manifest… pointing at src/cursor_mcp_plugin/manifest.json.
- Open a Figma file in Dev Mode (
Shift+D, or the Dev Mode toggle in
the top-right of any file).
- In the right sidebar, switch to the Plugins tab.
- Click the Cursor MCP Plugin row.
- Nothing happens. Open the console — the error above is logged.
Why this is friction
- The README walks users through "link via manifest → launch", but if they
happen to be in Dev Mode (which many designer-handoff workflows default
to), the plugin silently refuses with no surfaced error.
- The current
manifest.json is "editorType": ["figma", "figjam"] with no
capabilities key — so Figma rejects the plugin in Dev Mode handoff panel
context.
- The fix is a one-line manifest tweak, but it's not documented and most
users won't find it without opening the plugin console.
Suggested fixes (pick one)
Option A — make the plugin Dev-Mode-capable in the manifest (allows
launching from the sidebar handoff panel that Dev Mode users land in):
"editorType": ["figma", "figjam", "dev"],
"capabilities": ["inspect"],
I
We did this edit manually in our local copy of the repo and everything started working.
Option B — document the limitation in the README: add a short
"Troubleshooting" section noting that the plugin runs from Design mode
only (macOS menu bar → Plugins → Development → Cursor MCP Plugin), and that
the Dev Mode sidebar will throw the error above.
Option A is friendlier; Option B is lower-risk if Dev Mode introduces other
constraints I'm not seeing.
Environment
- Figma desktop app (macOS)
- Plugin commit: 1c46823
- Plugin loaded as: Development (linked from local manifest)
Summary
When launching the Cursor MCP Plugin from Figma's Dev Mode right-sidebar
Plugins panel (a natural place to look, since the sidebar lists installed
plugins), clicking the plugin row throws this error in the Figma plugin
console:
The plugin does not launch. There's no in-product hint, no toast — just
silence in the UI unless you've opened the plugin console (Cmd+/ → "Open
Console") on a hunch.
Repro
Plugins → Development → Import plugin from manifest…pointing atsrc/cursor_mcp_plugin/manifest.json.Shift+D, or the Dev Mode toggle inthe top-right of any file).
Why this is friction
happen to be in Dev Mode (which many designer-handoff workflows default
to), the plugin silently refuses with no surfaced error.
manifest.jsonis"editorType": ["figma", "figjam"]with nocapabilitieskey — so Figma rejects the plugin in Dev Mode handoff panelcontext.
users won't find it without opening the plugin console.
Suggested fixes (pick one)
Option A — make the plugin Dev-Mode-capable in the manifest (allows
launching from the sidebar handoff panel that Dev Mode users land in):
I
We did this edit manually in our local copy of the repo and everything started working.
Option B — document the limitation in the README: add a short
"Troubleshooting" section noting that the plugin runs from Design mode
only (
macOS menu bar → Plugins → Development → Cursor MCP Plugin), and thatthe Dev Mode sidebar will throw the error above.
Option A is friendlier; Option B is lower-risk if Dev Mode introduces other
constraints I'm not seeing.
Environment