TokenLab.

The starting point was a problem from our own work: drift kept emerging between Figma and development. Designs were handed over and changed in code. Those changes were not always carried back into the design. With every copy, it became less clear which state actually applied.

At the same time, Figma lacked functions we needed to build efficient design systems. That led to the first versions of our own plugin in 2024. It solved concrete tasks directly inside Figma, but initially remained tied to a single tool.

In April 2025, we began turning the plugin into an independent SaaS platform. The focus shifted from an extension for designers to a shared working foundation for every contributor: design, engineering, AI, and automated systems.

TokenLab therefore manages more than token values. The platform connects tokens with design context, rules, and resources. This shared source records what applies, who changed it, and how changes are merged under control.

Expressions and transformers make token systems computable rather than purely manual. Color functions create traceable color relationships; the alpha function derives transparency from an alias token without duplicating the underlying color. These capabilities grew directly from gaps we had experienced in existing design-system workflows.

Technically, TokenLab connects a custom-built web app to a Node backend and Supabase. The database stores tokens and their relationships, while Supabase Storage holds associated resources. Realtime synchronizes parallel work directly in the system and provides the foundation for multiplayer workflows where contributors do not overwrite one another's changes.

The Figma plugin and our custom-built CLI bring the same source into the tools used by design and engineering. No team has to maintain a simplified copy. People, AI, and automation access the same platform while provenance, permissions, and merging remain controllable.

TokenLab was built entirely at minddraft: from concept and product design through Figma integration, web app, database, backend, and CLI to marketing and operations. Design, development, and testing did not happen one after another, but through many shared iterations.

After platform development began in April 2025, we opened TokenLab in beta in May 2026. The product has been live since August 2026. Launch is not an endpoint: we operate the platform ourselves and continue to evolve the product, technology, and positioning through insights from real use.