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is a Microsoft-owned suite of development tools and services you can use to create a Git-based source code repository.
You can use the Tokens Studio plugin native integration with Azure DevOps (ADO) to sync your Design Tokens to a repository of your choice.
We support two-way sync, meaning you can use the plugin to:
Push JSON files of Design Tokens to ADO
Pull the Tokens stored in ADO into any Figma file
This means the Design Tokens living in code are the source of truth for our design decisions, which can be shared between design and development teams.
This doc outlines how to set up an ADO repository and add it as a Sync provider in the plugin.
→Once set up, you can use the plugin's Push and Pull features to keep your Tokens in sync #add-doc-link/sync-push-pull
Set up a project, repository and personal access token in Azure DevOps
Configure Azure DevOps as a sync provider within the Tokens Studio plugin.
Use the plugin to sync your Design Tokens between Azure DevOps and Figma design files.
Once you've logged in to your Azure DevOps (ADO) account, navigate to the new project page.
Record your ADO Organization URL
From the home page of ADO, copy the URL in your web browser window.
Record the URL of somewhere safe, as it's needed for the plugin configuration.
Create a new project dedicated to storing and managing your Design Tokens.
Choose a descriptive name for your project that is specific to its purpose and is memorable.
Save the Project Name somewhere safe, as it's needed for plugin configuration.
Project description is optional
Select if you want your project to be:
Public anyone can see it
Private needs permission to view
Your choice doesn't change the plugin's ability to sync with the repository
Select Create
You are now looking at your new project. Well done!
A repo is automatically created in your new project with the same name.
Now you'll need to add a README file to your repo as the plugin isn't able to sync to an empty repository.
From the left side navigation, select the Files option (under Repos)
Scroll to the section called Initialize main branch with a README or gitignore.
Ensure Add a README is enabled.
Select Initialize to confirm
Now you can navigate to your Repo using the left side navigation.
You should see a README file has been added in the repository
The repo was given a name that matches the project by default, you can change it to something else if you'd like.
Save a copy of the Repo name as you need it to configure the plugin later.
Not to be confused with anything to do with Design Tokens, a personal access token is a passcode from Azure DevOps you enter into the plugin that allows the connection to happen.
Navigate to your Azure DevOps user settings.
Locate the Personal Access Tokens section and
Select new token.
Add a Name of what the token is for.
Example: test-token repo sync to tokens studio
Select the Organization you recorded from above.
Select an Expiration time frame
Select the necessary scopes for this token to authorize:
full access or custom defined
is a choice made by you and your team
Scroll down to the bottom and select Create token
Save the generated access token somewhere safe as it's needed for the plugin configuration.
You're ready to configure the Tokens Studio plugin in Figma!
In Figma, open the Tokens Studio plugin and navigate to the Settings page.
Under the Sync Providers section, select the Add New button to see a list of all Token storage providers
add Azure DevOps as a sync provider.
Some of the inputs on the form come from the Azure DevOps steps above, others aren't so obvious as to where the info comes from.
Example https://dev.azure.com/my_organization_name
Each ADO project could have many repositories, and you could have the same named repository in many ADO projects, so this credential helps the plugin point the Tokens to the correct location.
Example: TokensTesting
Example: test-tokens
Your engineers might tell you what to add as the default repository branch where you will be pushing your Tokens, so if you aren't sure, ask them. You can create additional branches using the plugin later as needed.
Example: main
This tells the plugin:
How to organize your Token JSON files in ADO.
In a folder of multiple files, or a single file.
The location of where your Token data is stored.
The file or folder's pathway (or name) to sync with.
This setting impacts
How engineers can work with our Token files during the Token transformation stage of the design-to-development process.
May limit edit access of Tokens for other team members using the Tokens Studio plugin.
Folder
The folder option syncs Token data from the plugin into a folder that contains multiple JSON files or subfolders of JSON files.
In the plugin, enter the pathway of the folder where you want the Token data to be stored, which is the folder name without any extensions.
For example:
Our Gitlab repository will have a folder called tokens synced to the Tokens Studio plugin in Figma.
Each Token Set created in the plugin is added to the folder as an individual JSON file.
Additional data files generated by the plugin are also added to the folder.
For example, themes configuration.
Recall that storing your Token data in a folder (multi-file sync) is a pro feature.
If other team members are working with your Tokens and do not have a Pro Licence for Tokens Studio, your Tokens will be read-only for them.
File Path
Setting our Token storage as the file option syncs our Token data from the plugin into a single JSON file in code.
Combining Token data into a single file limits engineers' ability to work with Theme information when transforming Design Tokens.
→ Learn about the Themes (pro) feature in Tokens Studio here. #add-doc-link/themes-pro
File storage might work for you if:
You are using the free version of Tokens Studio.
Engineers are not using your Design Tokens in code.
In the plugin, we enter the pathway of the JSON file where we want our Token sets to be stored, which is the file name with the .json extension.
For example:
Our Gitlab repository will have a single code file called tokens.json synced to the Tokens Studio plugin in Figma.
Each Token Set created in the plugin is combined into this single file in our repository.
Once you Save your credentials, the plugin will compare your Tokens with what's in your repository.
You'll see a modal asking you to push or pull to ADO to 'sync' the plugin data with your repository.
As you work in the plugin, push and pull indicators remind you to stay in sync with your Azure DevOps repository.
Once your Token JSON files are synced to your ADO repo, you have a shared source of truth between Designers and Engineers!
Mentioned in this doc:
Community resources:
None yet!
How might we improve the experience of working with sync providers in general?
If you haven't already, sign up for an Azure DevOps account at .
The URL of your Azure DevOps organization you saved in .
The Project name you saved from the
The Personal access token you saved from the .
The name of the repository you recorded in that matches the personal access token you entered
Azure Dev Ops -
SD-Transforms -
Style Dictionary -
Tokens Studio Plugin GitHub -
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🐞 If you are experiencing an issue not listed here, please reach out to us on the Troubleshooting channel of our , , or send us an email support@tokens.studio
💌 Visit to contribute or subscribe to updates.
→ Read the Add New Sync Provider guide for more details.
The Multi-file sync to remote storage feature requires a for Tokens Studio. Read the guide for more details.
Read the Sync Changes guide for more details
Engineers typically transform Tokens used in code with , which is tool-agnostic. Tokens coming from Tokens Studio require an additional step: , an npm package that prepares Tokens for Style Dictionary.
The various Token Types supported by Tokens Studio have unique transforms to be aware of.