DTCG (Design Tokens Community Group)
W3C Community Group that maintains the format module specifying design token exchange between tools. First stable version `2025.10` published October 28 2025, Format Module revision dated April 27 2026. Specifies 13 token types (Color, Dimension, Font family, Font weight, Duration, Cubic Bézier, Number, Stroke style, Border, Transition, Shadow, Gradient, Typography).
Strengths
- Open standard, JSON-based, readable by both humans and AI agents
- Includes a `$description` field that explains token intent, critical for LLM quality
- Resolvers module (v2025.10) standardizes the mode × brand × theme combinatorics
Limitations
- Figma exports the spec but strips `$extensions`, custom metadata leak (open vendor issue)
- Style Dictionary v5.4.0 only partially supports v2025.10, issue #1590 targets v6.0.0 for full support
Best for
- Teams who want to avoid vendor lock-in on their design tokens
- Design system managers orchestrating multiple sibling DS with mode×brand×theme resolvers