get_annotations

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Retrieves annotation data from Figma’s native annotation system. Annotations can be filtered to a specific node and optionally include category information.

Parameters

string

required

Node ID to get annotations for a specific node and its children

boolean

default:true

Whether to include category information in the response. Categories define the type of annotation (e.g., “Design”, “Development”, “Content”).

Response

Returns a JSON object containing:

annotations: Array of annotation objects with:
- id: Unique annotation identifier
- nodeId: ID of the annotated node
- labelMarkdown: Annotation text in markdown format (supports bold, italic, links, etc.)
- categoryId: Optional category identifier
- properties: Array of additional annotation properties
categories (when includeCategories: true): Array of available annotation categories with:
- id: Category identifier
- name: Category display name
- color: Category color

Usage

const result = await get_annotations({
  nodeId: "123:456",
  includeCategories: true
});

const result = await get_annotations({
  nodeId: "123:456",
  includeCategories: false
});

Use Cases

Audit existing annotations

Before adding new annotations, scan to see what’s already annotated:

const existingAnnotations = await get_annotations({
  nodeId: selectedFrameId,
  includeCategories: true
});

console.log(`Found ${existingAnnotations.annotations.length} annotations`);
console.log(`Available categories:`, existingAnnotations.categories);

Find annotation targets

Use with scan_nodes_by_types to identify which elements need annotations:

// Get current annotations
const { annotations, categories } = await get_annotations({
  nodeId: frameId,
  includeCategories: true
});

// Find all potential annotation targets
const targets = await scan_nodes_by_types({
  nodeId: frameId,
  types: ["COMPONENT", "INSTANCE", "FRAME"]
});

// Find unannotated elements
const annotatedNodeIds = new Set(annotations.map(a => a.nodeId));
const unannotated = targets.matchingNodes.filter(
  node => !annotatedNodeIds.has(node.id)
);

Markdown Support

Annotation labels support markdown formatting:

Bold text: **bold**
Italic text: *italic*
Links: [link text](https://example.com)
Code: `code`
Lists and more

This allows rich, formatted annotation content directly in Figma.

set_annotation

Create or update a single annotation

set_multiple_annotations

Batch create/update multiple annotations

scan_nodes_by_types

Find nodes that need annotations

⌘I

Document & Selection

Creating Elements

Text Operations

Styling

Layout & Organization

Auto Layout

Components & Styles

Annotations

Prototyping & Connections

Export

Connection Management

AI Prompts

Parameters

Response

Usage

Use Cases

Audit existing annotations

Find annotation targets

Markdown Support

set_annotation

set_multiple_annotations

scan_nodes_by_types

​Parameters

​Response

​Usage

​Use Cases

​Audit existing annotations

​Find annotation targets

​Markdown Support

​Related Tools

set_annotation

set_multiple_annotations

scan_nodes_by_types

Parameters

Response

Usage

Use Cases

Audit existing annotations

Find annotation targets

Markdown Support

Related Tools