FAQ & Setup Guide

Install For Instance from the Figma Community page. Click "Try it out" to add it to your Figma account. The plugin is then available under your Plugins menu inside any Figma file.

No account or credit card is needed to install — the plugin is free to install and includes 5 update actions to try it out.

Open the plugin inside your Figma Slides file — not your Design file. Go to Plugins → For Instance from the menu bar. The plugin scans and updates instances in the open file, so it needs to be running inside the Slides file you want to update.

Three things:

• A Figma Personal Access Token — generated from your Figma Settings → Security → Personal access tokens
• Your Design file URL — the full browser URL of the Figma file containing your components
• Your Slides file URL — the full browser URL of the Figma Slides file you want to update

Open the plugin, click the ≡ menu in the top right, paste these into the Settings panel, and click Save. The full setup takes about 5 minutes. See the How It Works page for step-by-step instructions.

In Figma: click your profile icon → Settings → Security. Scroll to Personal access tokens and click Generate new token. Name it something like "For Instance", set an expiry, and copy it immediately — Figma only shows it once.

A token with read-only file access is sufficient. The plugin only reads from your Design file — it never writes to it.

Scan Slides searches every frame on every page of your Slides file and identifies all component instances that originate from your connected Design file. It builds a list showing the component name and the slide location for each instance found.

The scan doesn't modify anything — it's purely a read operation. You can scan as many times as you want.

One update action is counted each time you click Update, regardless of how many instances are included in the batch. Updating 50 instances at once = 1 update action.

Free accounts get 5 update actions. Pro and Enterprise accounts have unlimited update actions.

The plugin preserves the exact X/Y position of each instance on the canvas — the instance stays exactly where you placed it.

If the component's dimensions changed in the Design file (e.g., you made it taller), the new render will reflect those updated dimensions. This is expected behavior — you're getting the component exactly as it is in the Design file. If you need the instance to stay a specific size, adjust the component's size in the Design file first.

Yes. After scanning, use the checkboxes next to each instance in the list to select the specific ones you want to update. Then click Update. Unchecked instances are skipped entirely. To update everything at once, click Select All first — then Update.

You can also click any row in the list to jump to that instance on the canvas and inspect it before deciding whether to include it in the update.

Yes. The scan covers every page in your Slides file, not just the currently visible one. The instance list shows the page and frame for each result so you always know exactly where each component lives.

Yes. The scan detects instances regardless of how deeply nested they are within frames. If a component instance is inside another frame or group on a slide, it will still be found and listed.

Yes. Figma's free Starter tier imposes API rate limits that are too low for the plugin to complete even a single update on a typical deck. For Instance requires a paid Figma seat — Professional, Organization, or Enterprise.

Yes, as long as your Figma API token has read access to both files. The token is scoped to your account, so it can access any file your account can view — regardless of which team it belongs to.

If the token expires, the plugin will fail to connect when you try to scan or update. Open the plugin settings (≡ menu), generate a new token from Figma Settings, and paste it in. Click Save and you're back up.

To avoid this, generate a token with a long expiry (Figma allows up to "No expiration") or set a reminder to refresh it periodically.

When you paste a component from your Design file into a Figma Slides file, Figma breaks the live link. The pasted instance is a static copy — it doesn't update when you change the original component.

For Instance restores the connection. Your Design file remains the authoritative master — any time you update a component there, the plugin can push those updates into your Slides file on demand. Your deck is always a reflection of your current Design file, not a historical snapshot.

Manual, by design. The plugin only updates instances when you explicitly click Scan and then Update. There's no background sync or auto-update — you're always in control of when your deck changes.

This means you can iterate freely in the Design file without worrying about it immediately affecting decks that are in review or being presented.

The current version of the plugin connects one Design file to one Slides file per setup. If your components live across multiple Design files, you would need to change the Design file URL in settings and re-scan for each source file.

Support for multiple Design file connections is on the roadmap.

If a component no longer exists in the Design file (deleted or moved), the plugin will be unable to fetch its latest render and will skip that instance during an update — it will not remove or break the existing instance in your Slides file. You'll see an error indicator for that row in the list.

If a component is renamed in the Design file, the plugin matches by component key (a stable internal ID), not by name — so renaming won't break the connection.

Yes — all plans include a 30-day free trial, no credit card required. Open the plugin, click ✦ Upgrade to PRO… in the ≡ menu, choose a plan, and complete checkout. You'll receive a license key by email — enter it in the License Key field to start your trial.

Your license key arrives by email after purchase or trial signup. Open the plugin, click the ≡ menu → ✦ Upgrade to PRO…, paste your key into the License Key field, and click Activate PRO. You'll see a confirmation when activation succeeds. The menu will then show Manage License for subscription and seat management.

Keys are case-sensitive — copy exactly from the receipt email, avoiding any leading or trailing spaces. If it still doesn't work:

• Check that you're pasting into the correct field (License Key, not API Token)
• Verify your internet connection — activation requires an outbound call to our license server
• If you're on an Enterprise plan, confirm your admin hasn't set the activation limit below current usage

Still stuck? Email support@casitafilm.com with your order number and we'll sort it out.

Yes — one Individual seat covers one Figma account on any number of machines, as long as you're signed into the same Figma account on each device. The license is tied to your Figma account identity, not the hardware.

Individual ($15/mo or $19/mo monthly) is a single-seat license — one Figma account, unlimited syncing, all features.

Enterprise ($12/seat/mo annually) is a multi-seat license designed for teams. It includes everything in Individual plus: an admin dashboard to manage seats, activation limits, CSV audit logs, and flexible seat counts. The admin can view who is active, revoke access, and control the rollout pace.

Yes. Purchase an Enterprise plan and use that license key going forward. Email support@casitafilm.com if you'd like help transferring or prorating your existing Individual subscription.

We offer a 14-day refund for annual plans if the plugin isn't working as expected and we can't resolve the issue. Contact support@casitafilm.com within 14 days of purchase. See the Terms of Service for full details.

Billing is handled by Lemon Squeezy, our payment processor. Check your original purchase email for a link to your customer portal, where you can update payment methods, download invoices, and manage your subscription.

There are two ways to onboard team members:

• Invite codes (recommended): Generate single-use codes from the admin panel — each code activates exactly one seat. Share a code with each person. They open the plugin, click ✦ Upgrade to PRO…, enter the code in the Invite Code field, and click Redeem Code.
• License key: Share the license key directly. Team members paste it into the License Key field and click Activate PRO.

Seats are consumed one per activation. When all seats are taken, new activations are blocked until a seat is freed.

Open the plugin with your admin account → ≡ menu → Manage License → scroll to Invite Codes. Set the quantity and expiry, then click Generate →. Each code is single-use. Copy codes individually or use ↓ Copy All to grab the batch.

Open the plugin with your admin account → ≡ menu → Manage License. Unlock the admin section with your billing email, find the team member's row in the Active Seats table, and click Revoke. Their license deactivates immediately and the freed seat is available right away.

The plugin does not send a notification email when a seat is revoked. The next time the revoked user opens the plugin, it will attempt a license validation and show a license-inactive message. You may want to let the team member know separately before revoking.

The activation limit is a cap on how many of your purchased seats can be active at once. It's a rollout management tool — not a billing adjustment.

Use it when you've purchased seats for future growth but want to control who gets access now. For example: you buy 10 seats, onboard 6 people, and set the limit to 6. When the next hire joins, raise it to 7. The remaining 4 seats are "reserved" — paid for but not yet activatable.

Important: lowering the activation limit never deactivates currently active seats. It only blocks new activations until the limit is raised.

Yes. Log into your Lemon Squeezy customer portal to add seats at any time. Additional seats are prorated for the remaining billing period. Email support@casitafilm.com if you need help with your order.

Yes. Contact support@casitafilm.com to discuss annual invoicing. This is available for Enterprise customers who need a purchase-order-based billing process.

The most common causes:

• Wrong Design file URL — double-check that the URL in settings is your Design file (not the Slides file). The URL should contain /file/
• Instances aren't from that Design file — For Instance only lists instances that originate from the connected Design file. Components from other files or local components won't appear
• Plugin open in the wrong file — the plugin must be running inside the Slides file, not the Design file. Close and reopen it in the Slides file

The token in your settings has expired or been revoked. Generate a new Personal Access Token from Figma Settings → Security → Personal access tokens. Open the plugin settings, replace the old token, and click Save.

Failed instances are shown with an error indicator in the list after an update. Common reasons:

• The component no longer exists in the Design file (it was deleted or moved to a different file)
• The component key changed (e.g., the component was detached and recreated rather than edited in place)
• A temporary API rate limit was hit — wait a minute and try updating those instances again

If the problem persists, email support@casitafilm.com with the component name and we can help diagnose.

Try these steps:

• Close and reopen the plugin
• Refresh the Figma file in the browser and reopen the plugin
• Clear the plugin's stored data: Settings → scroll to bottom → Reset plugin data

If none of these work, email support@casitafilm.com with a description of what you see.

Open the plugin, click the ≡ menu → Settings, and scroll to the bottom. Click Reset Plugin Data. This clears all locally stored settings — API token, file URLs, license key, and activation data. You'll need to re-enter your settings and reactivate your license after a reset.

Note: resetting clears local storage only. Your Lemon Squeezy license and seat count are unaffected.

Possible causes:

• Your subscription lapsed — check your Lemon Squeezy email for a renewal notice
• Your seat was revoked by an Enterprise admin — contact your license admin
• A temporary connection issue prevented the validation check from completing — close and reopen the plugin

If your subscription is active and none of these apply, email support@casitafilm.com with your order number.