Figma Files

What It Is

A HammerSpoon Spoon that lets designers, developers, and product managers open Figma files instantly from anywhere on their system using a single keyboard shortcut.

Why It Matters

Navigating large Figma teams and projects breaks flow. Figma Files removes that friction by turning file access into a fast, system-level action.

My Role

End-to-end ownership: identified the workflow problem, designed the interaction model, integrated the Figma API, and built and maintained the Spoon.

Impact

Reduced daily context switching and time-to-file across large teams, making frequent Figma navigation effectively instant.

What It Shows

Systems thinking beyond the browser. Workflow optimisation. Design × code craft applied at the OS level.

Support

Actively used and maintained as a tool for real-world, day-to-day work.

The Problem

As the number of Figma files grows, navigation becomes friction.

  • Context switching between apps
  • Deep team and project hierarchies
  • Repeated manual searching for the same files

These aren’t hard problems — but they add up, especially when switching between design, code, and documentation throughout the day.

How It Works

Figma Files runs locally and pulls file metadata directly from the Figma API.

  • Configured with one or more Figma team IDs
  • Uses a personal Figma API key for access
  • Caches results locally to stay fast
  • Automatically refreshes on a set interval

Once loaded, files are accessible instantly via a global keyboard shortcut.

Why HammerSpoon

HammerSpoon sits at the system level — which is exactly where this problem lives.

By building this as a Spoon, the tool:

  • Works regardless of which app is currently active
  • Feels closer to an OS feature than a plugin
  • Integrates naturally with existing keyboard-driven workflows

Removing Friction

Figma Files removes a small but constant source of friction from daily work.

  • Faster access to frequently used files
  • Reduced context switching
  • Less cognitive overhead navigating large teams

It doesn’t change how Figma works.
It changes how quickly you get there.

What Made It Good

  • Solves a real, repeated workflow problem
  • Minimal surface area and clear purpose
  • Built at the system level, not inside a single app
  • Configurable without being complex

It’s not a big product.
It’s a sharp one.

Status

Figma Files is provided as-is and still considered beta, but it’s something I use every day without issues.

It’s become a permanent part of my workflow — to the point where working without it feels slower and unnecessarily painful.

The Spoon runs on and is available to download on GitHub.