Knapsack Documentation
Meet Knapsack—a design system platform that connects teams and improves digital experiences.
Why Teams Love Knapsack
Tired of design-development ping-pong? Knapsack gives your team one place to collaborate on design and code. Designers, developers, product folks, writers, and accessibility specialists all work from the same playbook. Teams using Knapsack ship 30-40% faster with more consistent brand experiences.
Getting Started
Three quick steps and you’re running:
- Install Knapsack
- Configure and deploy your workspace
- Invite your team
Step-by-step guide to set up your environment.
Set up and connect components in your local environment.
Share your workspace for team collaboration.
The Building Blocks
Design Foundations
Your brand’s DNA—colors, type, spacing—all in one spot. These foundations automatically flow everywhere they’re needed, so your products stay consistent without extra effort.
Smart Documentation
Docs that update themselves? Yep. When your design system changes, your documentation follows. No more outdated guides or confused teammates.
Preview and Validate
See changes before they go live. It’s like a safety net for your design decisions—catch issues early before they reach customers.
Component Library
Build UI elements that both designers and developers actually use. Knapsack’s status system makes it clear what’s ready, what’s in progress, and what’s being phased out.
Manage visual foundations including colors, typography, and spacing. Create a unified design language.
Create and maintain living documentation for your design system. Keep guidelines current and accessible.
Build and organize your component library with intuitive tools for development and maintenance.
Combine components into reusable patterns that solve common design problems without duplicating work.
The Power Tools
Design Meets Code
Connect designs with code to create interactive examples. Less back-and-forth, more building the right thing the first time.
Design Tool Connection
Pull designs from Figma and keep everything in sync as they evolve. Your design tools and code stay friends, not frenemies.
Tokens and Variables Hub
Bring your design elements from Figma, Tokens Studio, or Style Dictionary into one place. Change a color once, watch it update everywhere—no more hunting through code.
Connect your design and code to create dynamic playgrounds for your whole team.
Display components, frames, and other artifacts from your Figma design files.
Organize design tokens and variables in one central hub. Control usage across products.
Pro Features
Theming and Components
Build a LEGO-like system that supports multiple themes. Light mode, dark mode, different brands—all without doubling your workload.
Prototyping with Real Components
Test ideas with actual components, not throwaway mockups. See how things really work, including accessibility and interactions, before committing.
Enable advanced theming capabilities with design tokens using collections, groups, and modes.
Build complex layouts from simple parts and test them with real interactions before coding.
Documentation and Design Tokens
Create living documentation that showcases your design system in action.
Our content blocks dynamically display design tokens, variables, and live components exactly as they appear in your products. Import from tools like Tokens Studio, Style Dictionary, or directly from Figma using our Figma variables plugin. Easily manage everything in Knapsack’s intuitive interface.
Create guides that update automatically when your design elements change.
Bring design styles from Figma, Tokens Studio, or Style Dictionary with a few clicks.
Control all design elements in one place. Keep everything consistent across projects.
Mission Control
Team Access
Manage access your way—through SSO or Knapsack’s built-in system. Give everyone just the right permissions based on their role.
Governance Made Easy
Guard rails that keep everyone moving in the right direction without slowing them down. Perfect for enterprise teams with specific security needs.
Development Integration
Connect with your Git workflows and development pipelines. Knapsack plays nicely with your existing tools rather than replacing them.
Guidance on configuring and managing your workspace. Learn to customize settings, manage team members, invite users, personalize your workspace, and more.
Detailed instructions to help you navigate and utilize the platform effectively. Learn the basics and discover how to work with various features and workflows.
Addresses common questions and provides quick solutions to help you navigate the platform. Explore the FAQs to find the information you need quickly and efficiently.