Minds Creative Review for Figma: development guide

The new Minds Creative Review plugin is designed to prepare research from one selected Figma node and return completed run findings as a native text element. It is a built development package awaiting desktop registration and host acceptance. It is not published in Figma Community, and its native end-to-end workflow has not been established.

Minds connects qualitative and quantitative commercial synthetic research across Audiences and Studies. This guide covers the development adapter's narrower scope and current gates, rather than the full research workflow available directly in Minds.

Choose the correct Figma integration

The existing Figma account connection in Minds Settings uses OAuth to connect a Figma account. The new plugin runs inside a design file and sends selected-node research through the creative gateway. Plugin registration does not replace, migrate or reconnect the existing account integration.

Read Figma account setup for the existing connection. Use this guide for the separate plugin.

Availability and prerequisites

Status checked on 2026-10-01. The developer account was verified and free Starter onboarding completed. The browser plugin manager did not expose Development → New plugin. Figma's official quickstart requires its desktop app for development and testing because local plugin files must be read.

You need that desktop app, an editable QA design, the built plugin folder, a Minds account and an existing Study with an Audience. The package contains no fabricated provider ID. Register a genuine plugin under the intended owner before provider registration or publication work.

The live creative gateway currently allows Canva and Express origins. Figma's opaque sandbox origin is not enabled. Compilation alone will not make live connection work; the Figma host authorization policy needs deliberate review and native testing.

Register and import the package

Open a test design in the desktop app. Use Plugins → Development → New plugin, choose Figma Design and a custom UI, and retain the genuine provider-issued plugin ID. Add that ID to the manifest before treating the package as registered.

Import the manifest from the built plugin folder, not the TypeScript source directory. The build points the manifest to generated code and UI HTML. Run the imported plugin from the desktop development menu and preserve the network allowlist for the configured gateway.

Do not guess an ID, use a public-listing placeholder, or replace the network allowlist with a wildcard to make a connection test pass. An opaque sandbox origin alone does not identify the requesting plugin; provider identity and connection controls need separate acceptance.

Select exactly one node

Select one exportable frame, component or other node representing the material you intend to research. The implementation rejects empty or multiple-node selection and exports the chosen node as PNG. It does not silently send every frame or traverse the whole document.

Check readability and remove unnecessary private identifiers from a dedicated QA design. A static exported image does not capture prototype transitions, scrolling, interactive state or the entire user journey. When the research depends on those behaviors, use an appropriate supported input directly in Minds.

The shared panel selects material first and requires consent before transfer. Choosing new material clears consent. Selection errors and cancellation must be tested in the real desktop host; package compilation and mocked responses are not native runtime acceptance.

Intended connection and draft workflow

After registration and host authorization pass, select Connect Minds, approve native browser consent, return to the plugin and Refresh Studies. Choose an existing Study with the intended Audience, describe the research objective and select the Study language. Inspect the selected PNG before approving transfer.

Draft research plan uploads the approved PNG into Minds-owned storage and calls the canonical Study preview operation. Unchanged inputs in the current panel reuse a retry identifier. Inspect the saved response's objective, source and questions rather than assuming that preview means research has run.

Open the exact saved draft in Minds to review its material, questions, Audience and usage before explicitly confirming research. Return only findings from that draft’s completed run. Provider registration and public marketplace approval remain separate gates.

Intended findings return

After completing the selected saved draft in Minds, the plugin can request its run findings and offers explicit import only for a nonempty completed report. The implementation loads Inter, creates a native text node named Minds research findings and brings it into view. It adds an artifact rather than automatically changing the selected source node.

Verify font loading, text creation, selection and editing permission in an actual private design before claiming host-tested return. A metadata response, Study ID or null summary is not a report and must not become inserted findings.

Security and session lifecycle

The built manifest limits network access to the configured gateway origin. The main plugin validates external Minds links and exposes explicit export and text-creation operations. OAuth tokens remain in the gateway; the panel holds a short-lived opaque capability in memory. Pilot sessions expire after one hour and restarts require reconnection.

Minds authorization and material transfer are separate approvals, and neither executes research. Disconnect removes gateway access but does not delete previously uploaded Study material. Manage retained inputs and findings through Minds under the privacy policy.

Review, confirm and run the saved plan

The saved-draft workflow opens the exact research plan in Minds. The gateway and private Zapier 1.2.0 package return completed findings tied to that draft. Review and execution happen in Minds; public marketplace availability depends on each provider’s registration and approval. Follow these steps:

1. Open Study in Minds from the panel, or open the Review URL returned by Zapier. Sign in to the account that created the draft.
2. Inspect the imported source, research objective, language, every question and the selected Audience. Verify that the material and population match the decision you want to make.
3. Answer any missing-input or clarification questions and save the revised plan. Review the updated questions again; the confirmation applies to that exact revision.
4. Review the available response allowance and estimated usage where the method allows an estimate. Methods that prepare additional questions during execution do not present a false fixed total. Resolve missing Audiences, empty populations or account limits before confirming.
5. Tick the explicit research confirmation. If the plan uses an advanced method, review and accept its separate opt-in. Select Confirm and run once. Opening the link, importing material and previewing a plan do not execute research.
6. Follow this run's queued, running, completed or failed status. Reloading the same draft resumes its confirmed run rather than creating another one. Before confirmation, reloading requires fresh consent. An error preserves the saved draft for inspection and retry.
7. Return to the original panel and select Load findings, or use Zapier's Get Completed Research Results search with the saved Study ID and Draft Plan ID. Only completed results from this draft's confirmed run are returned. Incomplete, failed or missing runs do not fall back to an older Study summary.

Keep the original panel open while research runs. Its short-lived connection and draft selection live in memory. Reloading the host panel or reconnecting may require selecting material and drafting again. The saved draft and its confirmed run remain in Minds even when the panel session ends. Return to the Study in Minds to inspect retained results.

Troubleshooting and acceptance

Remaining gates cover desktop registration, provider identity, OAuth cancellation/revocation, export/consent, owned-source inspection, retry behavior, supported cost/confirmation/execution, summary return, text import, expiration and Community review. No working native plugin screenshot is presented because desktop acceptance has not happened.

Related guides and provider references

Compare Canva, Adobe Express, Adobe GenStudio and the integration directory. Use Figma's manifest reference and publishing guide for provider packaging and review.