How to connect Figma MCP Server to Maia Make (Studio Pro 11.8)?

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Hi everyone,I'm trying to connect the Figma MCP server to Maia Make using the new MCP Client in Studio Pro 11.8.I configured the server with URL http://mcp.figma.com/mcp, HTTP (Streamable) connection type, and a Bearer Token (Figma Personal Access Token), but I keep getting: "Access denied. You don't have permission to access this server."From what I've researched, the remote Figma MCP server only accepts approved clients (VS Code, Cursor, Claude Code) via OAuth — which seems to block Maia Make.The alternative would be the local desktop server (http://127.0.0.1:3845/mcp) via the Figma Desktop App in Dev Mode, but that requires a paid Figma plan.My questions:Has anyone successfully connected Figma MCP to Maia Make?Does the local desktop server (127.0.0.1:3845) work with Maia Make?Is there any authentication workaround for the remote server?Thanks in advance!
asked
2 answers
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This does not look like a misconfiguration on your side.


According to Mendix documentation, there is currently a limitation in the Maia MCP Client where Bearer Token authentication is not properly sent. As a result, any MCP server that relies on this token (such as the remote Figma MCP server) will fail authentication, even if the token itself is valid.


Mendix also states that the MCP Client supports OAuth 2.1. However, for providers like Figma, automatic client registration is not supported, which means you need to manually create an OAuth application (Client ID and Client Secret) if you want to attempt a proper remote connection.


It is important to clarify that this is not a general limitation of Figma MCP itself. A more accurate statement is that in Studio Pro 11.8, using Bearer Token against the remote Figma MCP server (https://mcp.figma.com/mcp) is not expected to work due to the current Mendix client limitation.


Regarding the connection approach, Figma documentation indicates that the remote MCP server is the preferred setup. However, in practice, client compatibility matters. At the moment, there is no clear confirmation in Mendix documentation or forum discussions that Maia Make fully works with the remote Figma MCP server, even when OAuth is configured correctly. There are also indications that certain MCP scopes (such as mcp:connect) may not be easily usable for third-party clients.


Because of this, the most practical workaround today is to use the local Figma Desktop MCP server:

http://127.0.0.1:3845/mcp


This approach:

  • does not require OAuth
  • is not affected by the Bearer Token issue
  • works reliably with Maia MCP Client


Keep in mind that the local MCP server requires Figma Desktop with Dev Mode and may depend on your Figma plan.


In summary:

  • The issue is expected due to a known Mendix limitation with Bearer Token
  • Remote Figma MCP may work with OAuth, but compatibility with Maia is currently uncertain
  • The local MCP server is the most reliable workaround in Studio Pro 11.8


If this resolves your issue, you can mark it as accepted.


answered
1

Hi,


What you’re seeing is expected, and your analysis is already on the right track.

Why the remote Figma MCP is failing

The endpoint:

http://mcp.figma.com/mcp

does not support generic MCP clients like Maia (Studio Pro MCP client).

Even though Mendix allows you to configure:

  • HTTP (Streamable)
  • Bearer Token (PAT)

Figma’s MCP server does not authenticate using PAT tokens. It requires an OAuth-based flow with approved clients (like VS Code, Cursor, etc.). Since Maia does not participate in that OAuth handshake, the request is rejected with:

Access denied. You don't have permission to access this server

So this is not a configuration issue — it’s a server-side restriction.

Can Maia connect to Figma MCP ?

No, not currently.

There is no supported way to make the remote Figma MCP work with Maia using:

  • Bearer tokens
  • Custom headers
  • Alternative connection types

What about the local MCP server?

The local MCP server exposed by the Figma Desktop app:

http://127.0.0.1:3845/mcp

is the only workable option today.

This works because:

  • It does not enforce the same OAuth restrictions
  • It is intended for local tooling

However, it requires:

  • Figma Desktop app running
  • Dev Mode enabled (usually paid plan)

approach

For now, you have three realistic options:

  1. Use the local MCP server (if Dev Mode is available)
  2. Use Figma REST API via Mendix (stable and supported)
  3. Wait for official support (if Maia adds OAuth-based MCP support in future)


If this is for production or a stable integration, I would not depend on MCP yet. Use the Figma REST API instead, since:

  • It is fully supported
  • Works with standard authentication
  • Integrates cleanly with Mendix


The remote Figma MCP server does not support generic MCP clients like Maia Make. It requires an OAuth-based authentication flow and only allows specific approved clients (such as VS Code or Cursor). As a result, using a Bearer token from Mendix will always result in an “Access denied” error.

At this time, there is no supported way to connect Maia directly to the remote MCP endpoint. The only viable option is to use the local MCP server provided by the Figma Desktop application (if Dev Mode is enabled), or to integrate with Figma using its REST API.

answered