Control what the Designer assistant may change, attach the right kind of context, target exact pages/assets/records, and avoid unresolved or silently misused references.
Where: Designer conversation rail or the full create takeover.
Key ideas
- Agent mode changes the tool table: Design includes writing tools and performs changes. Plan and Ask receive only declarations marked read-only, so they cannot quietly edit the document. Plan replies with an editable plan in chat; Ask answers without assuming an artifact must be created.
- Assets and references have different roles: “Add an asset” places or stores a file as itself. “Reference an asset” tells the assistant to take direction from it without placing it. Wired asset_in and reference_in values remain graph-controlled and are shown as read-only context.
- Mentions resolve identity: Type @ to select a page, project asset, or Brain record. After a Brain mention, # or / can select one section, field, or file from that record. Resolved chips show what the model will receive; an unresolved mention is reported instead of pretending the name supplied context.
Steps
- Choose Design to create/change work, Plan to receive a reviewable sequence without edits, or Ask for a read-only answer.
- Write the request with the active selection in mind. Clear selection for project/page-wide work or name the exact element/page.
- Use + → Attach a file for images, footage, audio, PDF, HTML, Markdown, text, or supported documents. Visual files are viewed; written files are read through the document attachment path.
- Use Reference an asset for visual direction and Add an asset when the file should be placed/saved as project material.
- Use From your Brain to pick a real accessible record. Pin it only when it should accompany every turn; otherwise mention it for the current message.
- Type @ to mention a page/asset/record and choose the autocomplete result. Narrow a Brain record with # or / when only one part is relevant.
- Choose the model and thinking level, enable only skills supported by the active tool table, then send.
- Inspect the run result and tool activity. Stop a running turn when the brief or context is wrong rather than waiting for a costly incorrect build.
The + menu
- Attach a file
- Reference an asset — take direction from it, do not place it
- Add an asset — place/save the file as itself
- Design system — choose, create, or edit the project system
- From your Brain — select and optionally pin a record
- Import from Figma — available when the project host supports it
Permission behavior
- Design has the full available tool set.
- Plan and Ask filter the current declarations to read-only tools; the filter never invents tools the host does not implement.
- A skill that needs unavailable write tools is visibly unavailable in read-only modes.
- Read-only project roles further constrain editing regardless of the selected agent mode.
Tips
- Mention the smallest useful Brain part and the exact page. This makes long conversations cheaper and reduces accidental cross-page edits.
- Treat Plan as a checkpoint: correct scope/order in chat, then deliberately switch to Design.
Limitations and important notes
- Ask mode’s label mentions edits in its UI blurb, but its enforced tool table is read-only; switch to Design to apply a requested edit.
- Attaching a framework source file does not compile or host its dependencies.
- An asset URL that collaborators/providers cannot access is not made durable by merely mentioning it.
Troubleshooting
The assistant explains the change but does not make it.
Check that the agent mode is Design and that your project role allows editing.
A mention chip is struck through or a notice says it is unresolved.
Remove it and choose the page, asset, or Brain record from autocomplete/picker again; typed text alone may not resolve identity.
Related guides
- Designer interface: pages, canvas, modes, top bar, layers, and timeline
- Designer Brain context: browse, mention, pin, read parts, and save research
- Designer Media workspace: generate, compare, edit, insert, and manage project media
- Designer Design system workspace: examples, components, tokens, parameters, save, and apply