Specify is a central and tool-agnostic platform. It means you can integrate your daily tools to collect, store and distribute your design data to the right teams, in the right format, at the right time. To sum things up, see Specify as the synchronization layer for your design data at the heart of your design system.

• Designers, connect your favorite design tool, like Figma or Tokens Studio, and let Specify monitor and collect your design tokens and assets automatically. This way, you control what is sent to developers and reduce the risk of inconsistencies.

• Developers, configure tailored transformation pipelines for every project and get design tokens and assets from wherever you want. Use our or get automated Pull Requests. You can also create your custom pipeline thanks to our .

• Teams can benefit from a single source of truth and a continuous delivery system that ensures brand consistency.

In short, you have more time to focus on what matters most: your products and your end-users.

This page is the starting point of multiple guides that will help you to learn how to use our SDK. If you still don't know what our SDK is, you can have a look right here.

If you're not sure if you should use the Specify CLI or the Specify SDK, you can have a look to this comparison.

Otherwise, if you're here to learn how to use the SDK, you're at the right place!

Build for the CI/CD

The Specify CLI enables you to generate your code in any environment. Built on top of the Specify SDK, built with our newly released format (SDTF), and compiled with Bun, this tool will help you create your CI/CD workflows.

Let's jump in!

How to get started? Easy as pie, follow our.

Automatic Installation

If you are on OS X or Linux, you can use the automated downloader, which will fetch the latest release version for you and install it:

To install a specific version, use the flag VERSION:

Installation via JS ecosystem

Installation via Homebrew

Coming soon

Installation via Scoop

Coming soon

Definition

A Source represents where the original design data come from - think of (Variables or Local Styles) or .

You can add many sources into a .

Learn more about the available compatible with Specify.

Prerequisites

Access raw data

Using the Specify HTTP API, you access the most barebone data directly out of our generation services. Thus, you can fetch your design tokens, manipulate them programmatically, and integrate them smoothly into any development workflow.

Work with any language

This page is the starting point of multiple guides that will help you to learn how to use our CLI. If you still don't know what our CLI is, you can have a look right .

If you're not sure if you should use the or the , you can have a look to this .

Otherwise, if you're here to learn how to use the CLI, you're at the right place!

Converters are the way of converting a token to a specific syntax in the Specify SDK.

Here are the available syntaxes:

• CSS

Definition

A destination belongs to a Repository, it represents where the formatted design data flow on updates - think of GitHub or any automation you can come up with our CLI and SDK.

You can add many destinations into a single repository. Read more about the available Destinations compatible with Specify.

Distributing the design data

Once your repository is filled in, you will start to distribute your design data throughout your design system consumers, starting with development teams.

The destinations offer several levels of control over the transformation required to meet your company standards.

Two main APIs at stake here:

• The , accessible via all , offers an high level abstraction to directly transform any SDTF token tree into many well-known technologies like CSS, tailwind, style-dictionary… Read more about .

• The , accessible via the , offers a fine grained control over your SDTF token tree by allowing any mutation and post-process hooks, directly in your codebase.

Getting started with templates

If you are planning to use the or , you can head over to our that will help you start distributing your token to the main common use cases.

You are in Control

The Specify SDK is here to give you more power and freedom toward design token code generation. Built on top of our newly released format (SDTF), this brand new tool will help you build custom solutions tailor-shaped to your design token workflow. In a few words, the SDK provides all the necessary pieces and architecture you will need to ensure that you are in control of your design tokens system delivery. Written in TypeScript, it can also be used in a JavaScript environment.

Leverage the most advanced design token format

By levering your design token graph, the SDK provides all the methods needed to manipulate and transform the data coming from Specify. Whether it is about filtering and renaming tokens, groups and collections, deleting modes in tokens or transforming your data into any languages. Based on the Specify engine and parsers technology, you'll benefit from their flexibility without any maintenance.

Built to suit your standards

The idea behind the SDK is also for you to have more freedom on the output. Meaning that if the current parser technology doesn't meet your standards entirely, you can add custom codes among the pipeline chain. Everything is executable locally so you are not tied to a vendor, which allows you to create your own dedicated delivery engine that follows your company standards.

Let's jump in!

How to get started? Easy as pie, follow our section to grasp the best usage of the SDK.

Introduction

The SDTF Engine brings together the core APIs that enable most of Specify features to seamlessly integrate, whether you're working in Figma or Token Studio, managing GitHub pull-requests, or directly within your codebase with the SDK or the CLI.

Token Tree CRUD API

At the core of the SDTF Engine, the query and mutation methods.

Query

The SDTF Engine provides a set of built-in getter functions to access tokens, groups, collections and aliases over the loaded token tree.

getAllTokenStates, getChildrenOf, getParentsOf, getAliasReference… - give you the opportunity to traverse and iterate over the different instances of TokenState, GroupState, and CollectionState.

Mutation

The SDTF Engine provides a set of built-in mutation functions to locally manipulate the underlaying token tree in order to meet your project and/or company standards.

updateTokenModeValue, updateTokenValue, moveToken, addToken, deleteToken, renameToken… - assemble into a CRUD API giving you the control to bend your data just right for your use cases, without ever making changes to the original design data from the repository.

SDTF Query Language

Elevating your control over the data, the SDTF Query Language offers sophisticated techniques to navigate and cherry-pick the token tree with precision. You will find functions that allow complex querying patterns, matching specific criteria and conditions, vital for advanced manipulation and data extraction tasks.

With this powerful language at your disposal, it becomes easy to implement custom scenarios and data transformations.

Stateful Value API

The Stateful Value API grants direct access to examine the values assigned to tokens.

Through an exhaustive map interface, the API simplifies the process of keeping your design tokens and their implementations in sync despite the creation of aliases along the way.

Overview

The Specify SDK host several APIs that unwraps as follow

• SpecifyClient

  • SDTFClient

    • SDTFEngine

      • TokenState | CollectionState | GroupState

      • Query & Mutation

      • Query Runner

Usage

Follow the guide.

Package

The @specifyapp/sdk TypeScript package is available on npm.

Instances

The SDTF Engine can be accessed in:

• the @specifyapp/sdk package, by using the specifyClient.getRepositoryTokenTree method.

• the @specifyapp/specify-design-token-format package, by using the exported createSDTFEngine function.

Public API

Query methods

The provides methods for locally accessing and iterating the token tree.

Query runner

The is used into the sdtfEngine.query.run(query: SDTFQuery)

Mutation methods

The provides methods for locally mutating the token tree.

Top level

renderJSONTree

Get the JSON representation of the token tree.

The QueryResult class provides an abstraction to work with the tree node returned by a SDTF query.

Properties

isContinuous

Indicates whether the selected nodes are part of the same resulting JSON tree.

Methods

merge

Produces a new tree state with the resulting nodes.

hasNodeType

Check if the result contains some nodes of the specified type.

hasOnlyNodeType

Check if the result contains only nodes of the specified type.

render

Produces an analysis of the resulting nodes.

getPaths

Get the token tree path of the resulting nodes.

toJSON

Renders the resulting nodes as a JSON object using the QueryResultDetail structure.

Introduction

The produces finite and opinionated outputs, but sometimes you need to have more control over our generated files.

That's where the SDTF Client takes over and provide plenty of methods to work with any token tree.

Specify use a Personal Access Token for the authentication. You can create it from the . Once you have a personal access token, you can use it in two ways:

Environment variable (recommended)

You can use the environment variable named SPECIFY_PAT

The Specify CLI can be configured by default with a configuration file named .specifyrc.json . You can also override these settings .

The configuration file lets you describe your transformation pipelines (aka ) following the to generate your output. The guide provides full documentation of the configuration file API.

Properties

isAuthenticated

A boolean indicating whether the client is authenticated or not.

Overview

The Specify HTTP API is accessible over the following base url:

Global flags

-h, --help

Show the help

Introduction

The Specify Playground helps you run parsers against a token graph and see the generated output in live. It's a great tool to help you iterate on your configuration files or try new parsers on the go.

Before getting started

To get the most out of this guide, you will need:

• A Specify Account

• A Figma file containing Variables and/or Styles

1. Sync your Figma Variables and Styles with a Specify Repository

• Access your Figma file which includes the Variables and/or Styles you would like to sync to Specify

• the Specify Widget in the Figma file which includes your Variables and/or Styles. Or update the widget if you already have it. To update the Specify Widget you have to disconnect it, remove the entire frame in all of your Figma files, and reopen the latest version of the Widget.

2. Connect your Specify account

1. Follow the steps in the widget to connect your account. You will need to create a personal access token and you will need to add the link to the Figma file to which the widget is added.

2. Click "Connect"

3. Choose Advanced Repository

3. Create a repository in Specify

1. Go to your Specify workspace

2. Click on "Create repository"

3. Choose a name

4. Select "Advanced Repository" ()

4. Connect the Specify Repository in your Widget

1. Go back to your Figma file that includes the Variables and/or Styles

2. Click on "Create Source" in the Specify Widget

3. It will show you the local collections and styles that are detected

4. Select the design tokens format you want to collect from your Figma file.

5. Sync updates variables and styles on the fly

Use the Sync button to update your Variables and/or Styles with Specify. Now you are ready to ! 🎉

6. Check or delete your source inside the Specify interface

• You will see the category of design tokens that are synced on the left-hand side

• In the Sources section (left-hand menu), you will see your connection(s) and when the last sync between your Figma file and Specify repository has occurred.

• Delete your source by clicking on the 3 dots option menu in the source card.

The Specify platform is based on the following pillars.

• Organization

• Repository

• Source

Above them, sit the engines:

• The , accessible via all , offers an high level abstraction to directly transform any SDTF token tree into many well-known technologies like CSS, tailwind, style-dictionary…

• The , accessible via the , offers a fine grained control over your SDTF token tree by allowing any mutation and post-process hooks, directly in your codebase.

Organization

As a Specify user, you belong to an organization.

In this organization, you create repositories to structure your projects.

Repository

The repository is where the design data get stored, merged and eventually deleted over iterations.

A repository is exactly one design token tree built with the .

Source

A source belongs to a , it represents where the original design data come from - think of (Variables or Local Styles) or .

You can add many sources into a single repository. Read more about the available compatible with Specify.

Collecting the design data

Once a source is configured, Specify starts to collect your design data. Over this process, the acquires, validates and converts the original data into a SDTF token tree that get stored within the repository.

From this point on, you can synchronize your source(s) with Specify anytime, at a click of a button.

Repository with many sources

Data from many sources get automatically merged into a consolidated SDTF token tree. If Specify detects a conflict over sources, it will refuse to synchronize the first source that cause the conflict and turn it into an error state.

Destination

A destination belongs to a , it represents where the formatted design data get distributed on updates - think of or any automation you can come up with our and .

You can add many destinations into a single repository. Read more about the available compatible with Specify.

Distributing the design data

While the source part is highly automated and managed by Specify internals, the destination offers many levers of control over the transformation required to meet your company standards.

Two main APIs at stake here:

• The , accessible via all , offers an high level abstraction to directly transform any SDTF token tree into many well-known technologies like CSS, tailwind, style-dictionary…

• The , accessible via the , offers a fine grained control over your SDTF token tree by allowing any mutation and post-process hooks, directly in your codebase.

One of the benefits to work directly with the SDK is that you can update the tokens value on the fly to match exactly your needs. Before explaining you how to do it, it's important that you note that updating tokens won't run a remote update in your repository.

Importing the updaters

Before even updating the tokens, we need to import the updaters that will help us to perform the updates. Everything is grouped inside the updaters object:

Update the colors

If you need to have your colors to be converted to a specific format, you can use the prebuilt color updater:

You can refer to to see all the available colors.

Update the token's name casing

If you need to have your token's name to be formatted in a specify way: camelCase, snakeCase, etc... You can use the changeCase updater:

You can refer to to see all the available casing.

Update the dimensions

If you need to have your dimensions to be converted to a specific format, you can use the prebuilt dimension updater:

You can refer to to see all the available units.

Executing multiple updates

The update method actually takes as much parameter as you want, so you can do the following:

Avoid query repetition

If you want to perform multiple updates with the same query, it can quickly become quite verbose. To avoid it, you can use the withQuery method:

Creating your custom updater

An updater is in reality a function that looks like this:

So if you want to create a custom updater, feel free to copy/paste the above function and implement it the way you want. You can refer to the to understand how to perform updates on the SDTF.

If you're wondering why there's 2 applyTo, it's because the first one is the one that you're passing when calling the function, and the second one is passed if the updater is called with withQuery.

Once implemented, you can use it the same way we're using the updaters above:

The above implementation works for a reusable updater, but if you exactly know what you want, you can do the following as well:

Creating Specify and SDTF clients

You will first create a Specify client, then authenticate, then create a SDTF client by fetching the repository token tree.

Updating tokens

The following example is only an overview, if you need more details you can have a look .

Convert a token to XXX

The following example is only an overview, if you need more details you can have a look .

Execute a parser

The following example is only an overview, if you need more details you can have a look .

Retrieving data

Get a specific token

Get all the tokens

Map over all the tokens

Get a specific group

Get all the groups

Map over all the groups

Get a specific collection

Get all collections

Map over all the collections

Filtering data

Keeping a sub-graph from a path

If you only want a specific portion of the graph, you can cherry-pick using the pick function:

Keeping the children of a path

If you only want the children of a specific portion of the graph you can use the pick function this way:

Query a specific set of data

You can use the query method of the SDTFClient to create a copy of the current SDTF with only the tokens that'll match your query:

You can find all the details about querying the data .

Remove tokens from the SDTF

You can use the remove method to delete tokens based on a query:

Renaming tokens

Rename a node

By not specifying any type, the method will rename any node as long as the path is valid.

Rename a collection

By specifying the type, the method will rename only a collection node.

Rename a group

By specifying the type, the method will rename only a group node.

Rename a token

By specifying the type, the method will rename only a token node.

Interface

Options

Basic usage

A parsersEngineResults instance is returned by the parsers engine execution.

Example:

Properties

all

This getter returns the raw results of the parser pipelines execution.

hasError

This getter returns a boolean indicating whether any of the pipelines returned an error.

hasWarning

This getter returns a boolean indicating whether any of the pipelines returned warnings.

allErrorMessages

This getter gathers the error messages from all the pipelines.

allWarningMessages

This getter gathers the warning messages from all the pipelines.

allInformationMessages

This getter gathers the information messages from all the pipelines.

Methods

logErrorMessages

This method prints error messages to the console.

logWarningMessages

This method prints warning messages to the console.

logInformationMessages

This method prints information messages to the console.

debug

This method prints a summary of the execution results to the console.

mapOutput

This method maps over any output of the parsers. It is quite convenient if you want to run some post-process on the output.

mapFiles

This method maps over output files. It is quite convenient if you want to run some post-process on the files.

writeToDisk

This method writes the outputs of the parsers to the file system.

serialize

This method serializes the results before HTTP transmission.

Set your Personal Access Token as an environment variable

Your Specify personal access token must always be private. We highly recommend you to set it in a private environment variable or in a .env file.

Using an .env file in a JavaScript config file

Using the --personal-access-token CLI flag

You can inject your personal access token through the --personal-access-token, -p CLI flag.

Ready-to-use configuration templates for your next project

This section will help you get started with ready-to-use configuration template. Each configuration file will be filled by one or several configuration rules.

Organization (workspace)

An organization, sometimes called workspace, is the Specify place you share with your team.

Repository

Overview

The Parsers Engine is a set of APIs you interact with anytime you need to transform your design data - tokens & assets - from your repository token tree into pre-configured file outputs.

The Parsers Engine serves as the orchestrator for a series of functions, called designed to transform design data, in parallel and/or chained. By configuring , you customize how and where design tokens and assets are exported.

The Parsers Engine can operate both , using the Pipe Engine API over HTTP, and , through the . This dual capability enables it to be integrated into various workflows, offering flexibility whether working from remote servers, custom CI or directly within local development environments.

Interface

Basic usage

Interface

Options

Interface

Options

Interface

Options

Properties

engine

This property represents the SDTF engine used by the SDTFClient.

Introduction

In this guide you’ll learn how to pull your first design tokens to CSS Custom Properties using the Specify CLI.

Before getting started

To get the most out of this guide, you’ll need:

• A Specify account

• A Specify repository containing design tokens ()

1. Install the CLI

Install @specifyapp/cli

2. Create your Specify config file

Create a configuration file for your desired output format using one of our

3. Add your Specify repository

Add your Specify repository and workspace from which you want to pull your design tokens. You can find your workspace name and repository name in the URL of the app when inside a repository.

4. Add your personal access token

Generate a personalAccessToken for the CLI and add it in your configuration. You can generate a personal access token from you .

5. Set your output format

Add your first rule and use the parser to generate your tokens as CSS variables.

6. Pull your design tokens and assets

Our configuration is ready and we can now pull our design tokens and assets using the pull command.

Interface

Options

Basic usage: Prefix color tokens

Interface

Options

Return type

The parser produces a custom data structure representing the flatten token tree.

Basic usage

Interface

Options

Basic usage

This example uses the following parser:

• to-json to generate your design tokens in JSON

This example uses the following parser:

• to-sdtf to generate your design tokens in SDTF

This example uses the following parsers:

• to-flutter to generate your design tokens as dart files

• svgo to optimize and generate icons as SVG files

Prerequisites

• NodeJS >= 18.x

• [Optional] Typescript >= 4.9

Introduction

Sources like Figma and Tokens Studio manages textStyle and font token types as parameters applied to the fonts available on the host machine.

For both technical and legal reasons, Specify cannot extract font files from those sources, even though the is able to manage font files natively.

To bridge that gap, we'll share with you some techniques you can leverage to keep your font files in sync with your font and text styles tokens.

Interface

Options

Interface

Options

Interface

Basic usage

Interface

Options

Route

Method: POST

Authentication: required

Url:

Interface

Options

Interface

Options

This example uses the following parsers:

• to generate your design tokens as a Tailwind theme

• to generate icons as JSX components

You access each of the query methods over:

getTokenState

Get a tokenState instance from the tokens token tree.