---
title: "Round-trip import"
description: "Preview and apply a previously exported token set back into Figma."
requested_language: sk
language: en
translation_notice: "This page isn't translated yet"
url: https://docs.systhema.app/sk/next/design/figma/import
version: unreleased (main)
docs_index: https://docs.systhema.app/sk/next/llms.txt
---
> This page isn't translated yet. Showing English.


Click **Import** in the plugin UI. Pick a ZIP (or individual JSON files); the plugin runs in two phases.

## Preview

Before applying anything, the plugin reads `manifest.json` and classifies every incoming variable:

- **Matched** — same name + same Figma type. Will be **updated** (value changes only — type/scope are preserved).
- **New** — name not seen before. Will be **created**.
- **Unmatched-existing** — variables already in Figma but absent from the import. **Kept by default**; can be flagged for deletion via the UI.

The preview UI shows per-collection counts (`newVars`, `updatedVars`, `totalVars`) and lists variable names so you can review before applying. Mode mappings are also surfaced — if Figma's mode names differ from the export's (e.g. local file has "Light", export has "default"), you pick which incoming mode maps to which existing mode.

## Apply

After confirming the preview, the plugin runs four steps:

1. **Import variables** — creates new variables, updates matched ones, applies mode mappings. References (`{primitives.gray.900}`) are resolved against the live Figma variable graph.
2. **Import text styles** — creates / updates local text styles from `text.styles.tokens.json`.
3. **Import effect styles** — creates / updates from `effect.styles.tokens.json`.
4. **Import grid styles** — creates / updates from `grid.styles.tokens.json`.

The plugin guards against silent overwrites:

- Every variable creation/update is explicit.
- The manifest's `generator.name` is verified to be `@systhemaui/figma` (rejects imports from other tools).
- Type mismatches between incoming and existing variables produce a "rename" or "skip" prompt rather than a silent destruction.

This round-trip path is what makes the plugin safe to use as two-way sync — a designer can hand JSON to a developer, the developer can edit (e.g. via a `customTokens` block in the project), and the result can be applied back into the Figma file without disturbing variables that aren't in the import.