diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.test.ts
index cc47031ec6..0f8a7ad5a5 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.test.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ describe("runComponentImport", () => {
 
   it("bakes literals and reports unresolved bindings when the index is empty", async () => {
     const { out, html } = await importHero();
-    expect(html).toContain("background: #0066FF");
+    expect(html).toContain("background-color: #0066FF");
     expect(html).not.toContain("var(");
     expect(out.unresolved).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(out.unresolved[0]?.figmaId).toBe("VariableID:1:1");
@@ -153,4 +153,17 @@ describe("runComponentImport", () => {
       }),
     ).rejects.toThrow(/rate limit/);
   });
+
+  it("honors a name override so variant frames don't slug-collide", async () => {
+    const out = await runComponentImport("FILE:1-1", {
+      projectDir: dir,
+      client: client(),
+      download: () => Promise.resolve(SVG),
+      name: "Hero Actions",
+    });
+    expect(out.name).toBe("hero-actions");
+    expect(out.htmlPath).toContain("hero-actions");
+    const html = readFileSync(join(dir, out.htmlPath), "utf8");
+    expect(html).toMatch(/^<div id="hero-actions"/);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.ts
index 283e6135d7..5dd6f3b1b6 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/figma/component.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   slugify,
   type BindingSite,
   type FigmaClient,
+  type NodeToHtmlResult,
   type RasterizeRequest,
 } from "@hyperframes/core/figma";
 import { existsSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ function escapeAttr(value: string): string {
     .replace(/>/g, "&gt;")
     .replace(/"/g, "&quot;");
 }
-import { runAssetImport } from "./asset.js";
+import { runAssetImport, type AssetImportResult } from "./asset.js";
 import { downloadRender } from "./download.js";
 import { withFigmaErrors } from "./cliError.js";
 
@@ -35,6 +36,9 @@ export interface ComponentImportDeps {
   projectDir: string;
   client: FigmaClient;
   download: (url: string) => Promise<Uint8Array>;
+  /** override the component name — figma variant frames are often all named
+   * "Platform=Desktop", which would slug-collide across imports */
+  name?: string;
 }
 
 export interface ComponentImportResult {
@@ -55,9 +59,9 @@ export async function runComponentImport(
 
   const tree = await deps.client.nodeTree(ref);
   const bindings = resolveBindings(tree, readBindings(deps.projectDir));
-  const mapped = nodeToHtml(tree, bindings);
+  const mapped = nodeToHtml(tree, bindings, { rootName: deps.name });
 
-  const name = slugify(tree.name);
+  const name = slugify(deps.name ?? tree.name);
   const componentDir = join(deps.projectDir, "compositions", "components", name);
   if (existsSync(componentDir))
     console.warn(
@@ -65,52 +69,12 @@ export async function runComponentImport(
     );
   mkdirSync(componentDir, { recursive: true });
 
-  // Rasterize fallback: export each unmappable node via Phase 1 and point
-  // the placeholder img at the frozen file (path relative to the component).
-  // The search key must match the EMITTED (html-escaped) node id, and
-  // replaceAll covers the same node appearing twice in the tree.
-  let html = mapped.html;
-  const frozenAssets: string[] = [];
-  const failedRasterize: string[] = [];
-  for (const req of mapped.rasterize) {
-    // figma sometimes refuses to render a node (nested instances commonly
-    // fail as svg) — retry once as png, then skip THIS node and keep the
-    // import: one unrenderable node must not abort the whole component. The
-    // placeholder keeps its data-figma-rasterize marker (no src) so the gap
-    // is visible and hand-fixable.
-    let asset = null;
-    for (const format of ["svg", "png"] as const) {
-      try {
-        asset = await runAssetImport(
-          `${ref.fileKey}:${req.nodeId}`,
-          { format, description: req.name },
-          { projectDir: deps.projectDir, client: deps.client, download: deps.download },
-        );
-        break;
-      } catch (err) {
-        if (!(err instanceof FigmaClientError) || err.code !== "RENDER_FAILED") throw err;
-      }
-    }
-    if (asset === null) {
-      failedRasterize.push(req.nodeId);
-      console.warn(
-        `could not render node ${req.nodeId} ("${req.name}") as svg or png — leaving its placeholder without src`,
-      );
-      continue;
-    }
-    frozenAssets.push(asset.record.path);
-    // src is a URL — always forward slashes, even when relative() yields
-    // windows separators.
-    const srcRel = relative(componentDir, join(deps.projectDir, asset.record.path)).replaceAll(
-      "\\",
-      "/",
-    );
-    const emittedId = escapeAttr(req.nodeId);
-    html = html.replaceAll(
-      `data-figma-rasterize="${emittedId}" `,
-      `data-figma-rasterize="${emittedId}" src="${escapeAttr(srcRel)}" `,
-    );
-  }
+  const { html, frozenAssets, failedRasterize } = await rasterizeFallback(
+    mapped,
+    ref.fileKey,
+    componentDir,
+    deps,
+  );
 
   const htmlFile = join(componentDir, `${name}.html`);
   writeFileSync(htmlFile, html + "\n");
@@ -148,10 +112,83 @@ export async function runComponentImport(
   };
 }
 
+interface RasterizeOutcome {
+  html: string;
+  frozenAssets: string[];
+  failedRasterize: string[];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Rasterize fallback: export each unmappable node via Phase 1 and point the
+ * placeholder img at the frozen file (path relative to the component). figma
+ * sometimes refuses to render a node (nested instances commonly fail as svg)
+ * — retry once as png, then skip THAT node and keep the import: one
+ * unrenderable node must not abort the whole component. Skipped placeholders
+ * keep their data-figma-rasterize marker (no src) so the gap is visible.
+ */
+async function rasterizeFallback(
+  mapped: NodeToHtmlResult,
+  fileKey: string,
+  componentDir: string,
+  deps: ComponentImportDeps,
+): Promise<RasterizeOutcome> {
+  let html = mapped.html;
+  const frozenAssets: string[] = [];
+  const failedRasterize: string[] = [];
+  for (const req of mapped.rasterize) {
+    const asset = await renderWithPngRetry(fileKey, req, deps);
+    if (asset === null) {
+      failedRasterize.push(req.nodeId);
+      console.warn(
+        `could not render node ${req.nodeId} ("${req.name}") as svg or png — leaving its placeholder without src`,
+      );
+      continue;
+    }
+    frozenAssets.push(asset.record.path);
+    // src is a URL — always forward slashes, even when relative() yields
+    // windows separators.
+    const srcRel = relative(componentDir, join(deps.projectDir, asset.record.path)).replaceAll(
+      "\\",
+      "/",
+    );
+    // The search key must match the EMITTED (html-escaped) node id, and
+    // replaceAll covers the same node appearing twice in the tree.
+    const emittedId = escapeAttr(req.nodeId);
+    html = html.replaceAll(
+      `data-figma-rasterize="${emittedId}" `,
+      `data-figma-rasterize="${emittedId}" src="${escapeAttr(srcRel)}" `,
+    );
+  }
+  return { html, frozenAssets, failedRasterize };
+}
+
+async function renderWithPngRetry(
+  fileKey: string,
+  req: RasterizeRequest,
+  deps: ComponentImportDeps,
+): Promise<AssetImportResult | null> {
+  for (const format of ["svg", "png"] as const) {
+    try {
+      return await runAssetImport(
+        `${fileKey}:${req.nodeId}`,
+        { format, description: req.name },
+        { projectDir: deps.projectDir, client: deps.client, download: deps.download },
+      );
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (!(err instanceof FigmaClientError) || err.code !== "RENDER_FAILED") throw err;
+    }
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 export default defineCommand({
   meta: { name: "component", description: "Import a figma frame as an editable HTML component" },
   args: {
     ref: { type: "positional", description: "figma URL or fileKey:nodeId", required: true },
+    name: {
+      type: "string",
+      description: "component name override (variant frames often share a name and would collide)",
+    },
     dir: { type: "string", description: "project directory", default: "." },
   },
   async run({ args }) {
@@ -162,6 +199,7 @@ export default defineCommand({
         projectDir: args.dir,
         client,
         download: downloadRender,
+        name: args.name,
       });
       console.log(`imported component "${result.name}" → ${result.htmlPath}`);
       if (result.rasterized.length > 0) {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlBundler.ts b/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlBundler.ts
index 3458675e1f..b7c540f9d4 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlBundler.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlBundler.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+import { markFlattenedInnerRoot } from "../runtime/flattenedRoot";
+export { FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS } from "../runtime/flattenedRoot";
+import { parseHostVariableValues } from "../runtime/getVariables";
+import { cssVariableName } from "../tokenSlug";
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "fs";
 import { join, resolve, relative, dirname, isAbsolute, sep } from "path";
 import { CSS_URL_RE, isNonRelativeUrl } from "./assetPaths.js";
@@ -392,43 +396,9 @@ function assignBundledRuntimeCompositionIds(
   return identities;
 }
 
-function parseHostVariableValues(host: Element): Record<string, unknown> {
-  const raw = host.getAttribute("data-variable-values");
-  if (!raw) return {};
-  let parsed: unknown;
-  try {
-    parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
-  } catch {
-    return {};
-  }
-  if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== "object" || Array.isArray(parsed)) return {};
-  return parsed as Record<string, unknown>;
-}
-
-export const FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS = [
-  "data-composition-id",
-  "data-composition-file",
-  "data-start",
-  "data-duration",
-  "data-end",
-  "data-track-index",
-  "data-track",
-  "data-composition-src",
-  "data-hf-authored-duration",
-  "data-hf-authored-end",
-];
-
 export function prepareFlattenedInnerRoot(innerRoot: Element): Element {
   const prepared = innerRoot.cloneNode(true) as Element;
-  const authoredRootId = prepared.getAttribute("id")?.trim();
-  for (const attrName of FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS) {
-    prepared.removeAttribute(attrName);
-  }
-  if (authoredRootId) {
-    prepared.removeAttribute("id");
-    prepared.setAttribute("data-hf-authored-id", authoredRootId);
-  }
-  prepared.setAttribute("data-hf-inner-root", "true");
+  markFlattenedInnerRoot(prepared);
   const w = prepared.getAttribute("data-width");
   const h = prepared.getAttribute("data-height");
   const widthVal = w ? `${w}px` : "100%";
@@ -890,6 +860,13 @@ export async function bundleToSingleHtml(
       if (runtimeCompId && Object.keys(mergedVariables).length > 0) {
         compVariablesByComp[runtimeCompId] = mergedVariables;
       }
+      pushSubCompVariableStyles(
+        innerDoc,
+        innerRoot,
+        mergedVariables,
+        runtimeScope,
+        compStyleChunks,
+      );
 
       if (innerRoot) {
         // Hoist styles into the collected style chunks
@@ -973,6 +950,8 @@ export async function bundleToSingleHtml(
     document.body.appendChild(compScript);
   }
 
+  emitRootCompositionVariableStyles(document, compVariablesByComp);
+
   enforceCompositionPixelSizing(document);
   autoHealMissingCompositionIds(document);
   coalesceHeadStylesAndBodyScripts(document);
@@ -1014,3 +993,159 @@ export async function bundleToSingleHtml(
 
   return document.toString();
 }
+
+/** One stylesheet rule defining primitive composition variables under `selector`. */
+function compositionVariablesCssBlock(
+  variables: Record<string, unknown>,
+  selector: string,
+): string | null {
+  const lines: string[] = [];
+  for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(variables)) {
+    if ((typeof value === "string" && value !== "") || typeof value === "number") {
+      lines.push(`  ${cssVariableName(id)}: ${String(value)};`);
+    }
+  }
+  if (lines.length === 0) return null;
+  return `${selector} {\n${lines.join("\n")}\n}`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Compile-time counterpart of the runtime's injectCompositionCssVariables:
+ * every element declaring data-composition-variables gets a scoped stylesheet
+ * rule so var(--slug, literal) references resolve during body parse. The
+ * runtime injection remains define-if-absent, so it won't double-apply.
+ *
+ * `variablesByComp` (host-merged sub-composition values, keyed by runtime
+ * composition id) adds one rule per scope — the flattened inner root loses
+ * its data-composition-id, so the host selector is the only stable anchor.
+ * Exported for the producer's render compiler, which inlines sub-compositions
+ * through the shared module rather than this bundler.
+ * Returns whether a style element was appended.
+ */
+export function emitRootCompositionVariableStyles(
+  document: Document,
+  variablesByComp: Record<string, Record<string, unknown>> = {},
+  overrides: Record<string, unknown> = {},
+): boolean {
+  const layerFor = makeVariableLayer(document, overrides);
+  const rules = [
+    ...hostScopedVariableRules(variablesByComp, overrides),
+    ...rootDeclaredVariableRules(document, layerFor),
+    ...declarerVariableRules(document, layerFor),
+  ];
+  if (rules.length === 0) return false;
+  const style = document.createElement("style");
+  style.setAttribute("data-hf-composition-variables", "");
+  style.textContent = rules.join("\n\n");
+  document.head.appendChild(style);
+  return true;
+}
+
+type VariableLayer = (
+  declared: Record<string, unknown>,
+  hostValues: Record<string, unknown>,
+) => Record<string, unknown>;
+
+/**
+ * Layering for one declarer: authored stylesheet definitions win over
+ * declared defaults (the runtime's define-if-absent, applied statically) —
+ * a var already defined in any authored <style> block is not emitted. Host
+ * values and --variables overrides are explicit intent, never filtered.
+ */
+function makeVariableLayer(document: Document, overrides: Record<string, unknown>): VariableLayer {
+  const authoredCss = [...document.querySelectorAll("style:not([data-hf-composition-variables])")]
+    .map((s) => s.textContent || "")
+    .join("\n");
+  const authoredDefines = (id: string): boolean =>
+    new RegExp(`${cssVariableName(id)}\\s*:`).test(authoredCss);
+  return (declared, hostValues) => {
+    const out: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+    for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(declared)) {
+      if (!authoredDefines(id)) out[id] = value;
+    }
+    for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(hostValues)) {
+      if (id in declared) out[id] = value;
+    }
+    for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(overrides)) {
+      if (id in declared || id in hostValues) out[id] = value;
+    }
+    return out;
+  };
+}
+
+/** Host-scoped rules: per-instance values inherited by the host's subtree. */
+function hostScopedVariableRules(
+  variablesByComp: Record<string, Record<string, unknown>>,
+  overrides: Record<string, unknown>,
+): string[] {
+  const rules: string[] = [];
+  for (const [compId, vars] of Object.entries(variablesByComp)) {
+    const withOverrides = { ...vars };
+    for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(overrides)) {
+      if (id in vars) withOverrides[id] = value;
+    }
+    const rule = compositionVariablesCssBlock(
+      withOverrides,
+      cssAttributeSelector("data-composition-id", compId),
+    );
+    if (rule) rules.push(rule);
+  }
+  return rules;
+}
+
+function rootDeclaredVariableRules(document: Document, layerFor: VariableLayer): string[] {
+  const htmlDeclared = readDeclaredDefaults(document.documentElement);
+  const htmlRule = compositionVariablesCssBlock(layerFor(htmlDeclared, {}), ":root");
+  return htmlRule ? [htmlRule] : [];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Declarer rules anchor on a per-instance marker attribute, not the
+ * composition id: two inlined instances of one sub-composition share a
+ * data-composition-id, and a shared selector would let instance A's rule
+ * restyle instance B. The nearest ancestor host's data-variable-values
+ * layer over the declared defaults (mirrors the runtime loader).
+ */
+function declarerVariableRules(document: Document, layerFor: VariableLayer): string[] {
+  const rules: string[] = [];
+  let markerSeq = 0;
+  for (const el of [...document.querySelectorAll("[data-composition-variables]")]) {
+    const declared = readDeclaredDefaults(el);
+    const hostEl =
+      typeof el.closest === "function" ? el.parentElement?.closest("[data-variable-values]") : null;
+    const hostValues = hostEl ? parseHostVariableValues(hostEl) : {};
+    const vars = layerFor(declared, hostValues);
+    if (Object.keys(vars).length === 0) continue;
+    markerSeq += 1;
+    el.setAttribute("data-hf-var-scope", String(markerSeq));
+    const rule = compositionVariablesCssBlock(vars, `[data-hf-var-scope="${markerSeq}"]`);
+    if (rule) rules.push(rule);
+  }
+  return rules;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Compile-time CSS custom properties for a sub-comp scope: declared defaults
+ * layered under per-instance host values, emitted as a stylesheet rule on the
+ * host selector. A stylesheet in <head> is in effect while the body parses,
+ * so eval-time reads (GSAP .from immediateRender, canvas tinting) see the
+ * right values — the runtime's DOMContentLoaded injection is too late for
+ * those on compiled pages.
+ */
+function pushSubCompVariableStyles(
+  innerDoc: Document,
+  innerRoot: Element | null,
+  mergedVariables: Record<string, unknown>,
+  runtimeScope: string,
+  compStyleChunks: string[],
+): void {
+  if (!runtimeScope) return;
+  const declaredForCss = readDeclaredDefaults(innerDoc.documentElement);
+  const innerRootForVars = innerRoot ?? innerDoc.querySelector("[data-composition-variables]");
+  if (innerRootForVars) Object.assign(declaredForCss, readDeclaredDefaults(innerRootForVars));
+  const cssVars = compositionVariablesCssBlock(
+    { ...declaredForCss, ...mergedVariables },
+    runtimeScope,
+  );
+  if (cssVars) compStyleChunks.push(cssVars);
+}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/compiler/index.ts b/packages/core/src/compiler/index.ts
index 0de427c986..3bdab04707 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/compiler/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/compiler/index.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@ export {
   type BundleOptions,
   prepareFlattenedInnerRoot,
   FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS,
+  emitRootCompositionVariableStyles,
 } from "./htmlBundler";
+export { readDeclaredDefaults, parseHostVariableValues } from "../runtime/getVariables";
 
 export {
   RUNTIME_BOOTSTRAP_ATTR,
diff --git a/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.test.ts b/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.test.ts
index 1c584af17a..8c4b1f9b2e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.test.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ describe("nodeToHtml", () => {
     expect(out.html).toContain("width: 800px");
     expect(out.html).toContain("height: 600px");
     expect(out.html).toContain("position: relative");
-    expect(out.html).toContain("background: #FFFFFF");
+    expect(out.html).toContain("background-color: #FFFFFF");
   });
 
   it("absolutely positions children relative to the root frame", () => {
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ describe("nodeToHtml", () => {
     expect(out.html).toContain("width: 120px");
     expect(out.html).toContain("border-radius: 8px");
     expect(out.html).toContain("opacity: 0.9");
-    expect(out.html).toContain("background: #0066FF");
+    expect(out.html).toContain("background-color: #0066FF");
   });
 
   it("emits var() with literal fallback for resolved bindings", () => {
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ describe("nodeToHtml", () => {
         unresolved: [],
       },
     );
-    expect(out.html).toContain("background: var(--figma-blue-500, #0066FF)");
+    expect(out.html).toContain("background-color: var(--figma-blue-500, #0066FF)");
   });
 
   it("bakes literals and flags unresolved bindings — never a dangling var()", () => {
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ describe("nodeToHtml", () => {
         unresolved: [{ nodeId: "1:2", property: "fills", figmaId: "VariableID:9:9" }],
       },
     );
-    expect(out.html).toContain("background: #0066FF");
+    expect(out.html).toContain("background-color: #0066FF");
     expect(out.html).not.toContain("var(");
     expect(out.html).toContain('data-figma-unresolved="fills"');
   });
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ describe("nodeToHtml", () => {
     );
     expect(out.html).not.toContain("1:5");
     expect(out.html).toContain('data-figma-id="1:6"');
-    expect(out.html).not.toContain("background: #0066FF");
+    expect(out.html).not.toContain("background-color: #0066FF");
   });
 
   it("maps linear gradients and drop shadows", () => {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.ts b/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.ts
index 39640525df..102567833e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/figma/nodeToHtml.ts
@@ -65,17 +65,8 @@ function boxOf(node: FigmaNodeDocument): Box | null {
   return null;
 }
 
-export function slugify(name: string): string {
-  const slug = name
-    .toLowerCase()
-    .replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, "-")
-    .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, "");
-  return slug.length > 0 ? slug : "node";
-}
-
-function cssVarName(compositionVariableId: string): string {
-  return `--${slugify(compositionVariableId)}`;
-}
+export { slugify } from "../tokenSlug";
+import { cssVariableName as cssVarName, slugify } from "../tokenSlug";
 
 function escapeHtml(text: string): string {
   return text
@@ -217,6 +208,17 @@ function geometryCss(node: FigmaNodeDocument, ctx: RenderContext, isRoot: boolea
   return styles;
 }
 
+function shapeCss(node: FigmaNodeDocument, styles: string[]): void {
+  if (node.type === "ELLIPSE") {
+    styles.push("border-radius: 50%");
+  } else if (typeof node.cornerRadius === "number" && node.cornerRadius > 0) {
+    styles.push(`border-radius: ${round(node.cornerRadius)}px`);
+  }
+  if (node.clipsContent === true) styles.push("overflow: hidden");
+  if (typeof node.opacity === "number" && node.opacity < 1)
+    styles.push(`opacity: ${round(node.opacity)}`);
+}
+
 function decorationCss(node: FigmaNodeDocument, ctx: RenderContext): string[] {
   const styles: string[] = [];
   // backgroundValue is the binding-aware path (var(--slug, literal)) — TEXT
@@ -226,16 +228,13 @@ function decorationCss(node: FigmaNodeDocument, ctx: RenderContext): string[] {
     if (bg !== null) styles.push(`color: ${bg}`);
     textCss(node, styles);
   } else if (bg !== null) {
-    styles.push(`background: ${bg}`);
-  }
-  if (node.type === "ELLIPSE") {
-    styles.push("border-radius: 50%");
-  } else if (typeof node.cornerRadius === "number" && node.cornerRadius > 0) {
-    styles.push(`border-radius: ${round(node.cornerRadius)}px`);
+    // background-color (longhand) for solid fills, never the shorthand: GSAP
+    // backgroundColor tweens can't read a var() through the shorthand (its
+    // pending-substitution longhands serialize empty), so .from/.to on an
+    // imported node would settle on transparent instead of the token color.
+    styles.push(bg.includes("gradient(") ? `background: ${bg}` : `background-color: ${bg}`);
   }
-  if (node.clipsContent === true) styles.push("overflow: hidden");
-  if (typeof node.opacity === "number" && node.opacity < 1)
-    styles.push(`opacity: ${round(node.opacity)}`);
+  shapeCss(node, styles);
   effectsCss(node, styles);
   return styles;
 }
@@ -264,7 +263,10 @@ function renderNodeHtml(
   const style = escapeHtml(
     [...geometryCss(node, ctx, isRoot), ...decorationCss(node, ctx)].join("; "),
   );
-  const idAttrs = `id="${slug}" data-figma-id="${escapeHtml(node.id)}"${unresolvedAttr(node, ctx)}`;
+  // data-hf-snippet marks the file as a mountable fragment, not a standalone
+  // composition — the project linter skips composition-root rules for it.
+  const snippetAttr = isRoot ? ' data-hf-snippet=""' : "";
+  const idAttrs = `id="${slug}"${snippetAttr} data-figma-id="${escapeHtml(node.id)}"${unresolvedAttr(node, ctx)}`;
 
   if (RASTERIZE_TYPES.has(node.type)) {
     ctx.rasterize.push({ nodeId: node.id, name: node.name, slug });
@@ -279,12 +281,21 @@ function renderNodeHtml(
   return `<div ${idAttrs} style="${style}">${renderChildren(node, ctx, depth)}</div>`;
 }
 
+export interface NodeToHtmlOptions {
+  /** override for the ROOT element's slug/id — variant frames are often all
+   * named "Platform=Desktop", so the caller's --name must reach the DOM id,
+   * not just the output directory */
+  rootName?: string;
+}
+
 export function nodeToHtml(
   root: FigmaNodeDocument,
   bindings: ResolveBindingsResult,
+  opts: NodeToHtmlOptions = {},
 ): NodeToHtmlResult {
   const origin = boxOf(root) ?? { x: 0, y: 0, width: 0, height: 0 };
   const ctx: RenderContext = { origin, bindings, rasterize: [], usedSlugs: new Set() };
-  const html = renderNodeHtml(root, ctx, true);
+  const rootForRender = opts.rootName !== undefined ? { ...root, name: opts.rootName } : root;
+  const html = renderNodeHtml(rootForRender, ctx, true);
   return { html, rasterize: ctx.rasterize };
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/compositionLoader.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/compositionLoader.ts
index f5dca4007d..220cae29ec 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/compositionLoader.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/compositionLoader.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 import { scopeCssToComposition, wrapScopedCompositionScript } from "../compiler/compositionScoping";
-import { readDeclaredDefaults } from "./getVariables";
+import { markFlattenedInnerRoot } from "./flattenedRoot";
+import {
+  applyCssVariables,
+  clearAppliedCssVariables,
+  parseHostVariableValues,
+  readDeclaredDefaults,
+  readRenderOverrides,
+} from "./getVariables";
 
 type LoadExternalCompositionsParams = {
   injectedStyles: HTMLStyleElement[];
@@ -172,30 +179,9 @@ function resetCompositionHost(host: Element) {
   host.textContent = "";
 }
 
-const FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS = [
-  "data-composition-id",
-  "data-composition-file",
-  "data-start",
-  "data-duration",
-  "data-end",
-  "data-track-index",
-  "data-track",
-  "data-composition-src",
-  "data-hf-authored-duration",
-  "data-hf-authored-end",
-];
-
 function prepareFlattenedInnerRoot(innerRoot: HTMLElement): HTMLElement {
   const prepared = document.importNode(innerRoot, true) as HTMLElement;
-  const authoredRootId = prepared.getAttribute("id")?.trim();
-  for (const attrName of FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS) {
-    prepared.removeAttribute(attrName);
-  }
-  if (authoredRootId) {
-    prepared.removeAttribute("id");
-    prepared.setAttribute("data-hf-authored-id", authoredRootId);
-  }
-  prepared.setAttribute("data-hf-inner-root", "true");
+  markFlattenedInnerRoot(prepared);
   const w = prepared.getAttribute("data-width");
   const h = prepared.getAttribute("data-height");
   prepared.style.width = w ? `${w}px` : "100%";
@@ -220,19 +206,6 @@ function resolveScriptSourceUrl(scriptSrc: string, compositionUrl: URL | null):
   }
 }
 
-function parseHostVariableValues(host: Element): Record<string, unknown> {
-  const raw = host.getAttribute("data-variable-values");
-  if (!raw) return {};
-  let parsed: unknown;
-  try {
-    parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
-  } catch {
-    return {};
-  }
-  if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== "object" || Array.isArray(parsed)) return {};
-  return parsed as Record<string, unknown>;
-}
-
 type HostCompositionIdentity = {
   authoredCompositionId: string | null;
   runtimeCompositionId: string | null;
@@ -423,10 +396,8 @@ async function mountCompositionContent(params: {
     }
   }
 
-  // Inject <head> styles from non-template sub-compositions first (they define
-  // element styles like backgrounds and positioning that the composition needs).
-  if (params.headStyles) {
-    for (const style of params.headStyles) {
+  const injectScopedStyles = (styleEls: Iterable<HTMLStyleElement>): void => {
+    for (const style of styleEls) {
       const clonedStyle = style.cloneNode(true);
       if (!(clonedStyle instanceof HTMLStyleElement)) continue;
       if (authoredScopeCompositionId) {
@@ -440,23 +411,12 @@ async function mountCompositionContent(params: {
       document.head.appendChild(clonedStyle);
       params.injectedStyles.push(clonedStyle);
     }
-  }
-
-  const styles = Array.from(contentNode.querySelectorAll<HTMLStyleElement>("style"));
-  for (const style of styles) {
-    const clonedStyle = style.cloneNode(true);
-    if (!(clonedStyle instanceof HTMLStyleElement)) continue;
-    if (authoredScopeCompositionId) {
-      clonedStyle.textContent = scopeCssToComposition(
-        clonedStyle.textContent || "",
-        authoredScopeCompositionId,
-        runtimeScopeSelector,
-        authoredRootId,
-      );
-    }
-    document.head.appendChild(clonedStyle);
-    params.injectedStyles.push(clonedStyle);
-  }
+  };
+  // Inject <head> styles from non-template sub-compositions first (they define
+  // element styles like backgrounds and positioning that the composition needs),
+  // then the content styles.
+  if (params.headStyles) injectScopedStyles(params.headStyles);
+  injectScopedStyles(Array.from(contentNode.querySelectorAll<HTMLStyleElement>("style")));
 
   // Collect head scripts first (e.g. GSAP CDN loaded in <head> of non-template sub-comps),
   // then content scripts. Head scripts must execute before content scripts.
@@ -536,16 +496,7 @@ async function mountCompositionContent(params: {
   // `window.__hfVariablesByComp[compId]`, so this table must be populated
   // before the wrapped IIFE evaluates.
   if (runtimeScopeCompositionId) {
-    const merged = {
-      ...(params.declaredVariableDefaults ?? {}),
-      ...parseHostVariableValues(params.host),
-    };
-    if (Object.keys(merged).length > 0) {
-      if (!window.__hfVariablesByComp) window.__hfVariablesByComp = {};
-      window.__hfVariablesByComp[runtimeScopeCompositionId] = merged;
-    } else if (window.__hfVariablesByComp) {
-      delete window.__hfVariablesByComp[runtimeScopeCompositionId];
-    }
+    stashInstanceVariables(params, contentNode, runtimeScopeCompositionId);
   }
 
   for (const scriptPayload of scriptPayloads) {
@@ -761,3 +712,35 @@ export async function loadExternalCompositions(
     }),
   );
 }
+
+/**
+ * Stash per-instance variables BEFORE running scripts (the scoped
+ * getVariables() reads window.__hfVariablesByComp[compId]) and mirror them
+ * as CSS custom properties on the host so imported var(--slug, literal)
+ * fills inside the sub-comp resolve per instance (cascade beats the document
+ * root). Inline templates carry declared defaults on the content root;
+ * external loads pass them explicitly. Render-time overrides (--variables)
+ * always win. Stale custom properties from a previous mount are cleared
+ * before (re)applying.
+ */
+function stashInstanceVariables(
+  params: { host: Element; declaredVariableDefaults?: Record<string, unknown> },
+  contentNode: Node,
+  runtimeScopeCompositionId: string,
+): void {
+  const declaredDefaults =
+    params.declaredVariableDefaults ??
+    (contentNode instanceof Element ? readDeclaredDefaults(contentNode) : {});
+  const merged = {
+    ...declaredDefaults,
+    ...parseHostVariableValues(params.host),
+  };
+  clearAppliedCssVariables(params.host);
+  if (Object.keys(merged).length > 0) {
+    if (!window.__hfVariablesByComp) window.__hfVariablesByComp = {};
+    window.__hfVariablesByComp[runtimeScopeCompositionId] = merged;
+    applyCssVariables(params.host, { ...merged, ...readRenderOverrides() });
+  } else if (window.__hfVariablesByComp) {
+    delete window.__hfVariablesByComp[runtimeScopeCompositionId];
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/flattenedRoot.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/flattenedRoot.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c844e46c77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/flattenedRoot.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/**
+ * Shared between the build-time bundler (htmlBundler) and the runtime
+ * composition loader: when a sub-composition's inner root is flattened into
+ * its host, these timing/identity attributes must be stripped and the
+ * authored id preserved as data — identical semantics in both worlds.
+ */
+
+export const FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS = [
+  "data-composition-id",
+  "data-composition-file",
+  "data-start",
+  "data-duration",
+  "data-end",
+  "data-track-index",
+  "data-track",
+  "data-composition-src",
+  "data-hf-authored-duration",
+  "data-hf-authored-end",
+];
+
+/** Strip timing attrs, demote the authored id, and mark the flattened root. */
+export function markFlattenedInnerRoot(prepared: Element): void {
+  const authoredRootId = prepared.getAttribute("id")?.trim();
+  for (const attrName of FLATTENED_INNER_ROOT_STRIP_ATTRS) {
+    prepared.removeAttribute(attrName);
+  }
+  if (authoredRootId) {
+    prepared.removeAttribute("id");
+    prepared.setAttribute("data-hf-authored-id", authoredRootId);
+  }
+  prepared.setAttribute("data-hf-inner-root", "true");
+}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.test.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.test.ts
index 8d82b5c629..a9bfd730e2 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.test.ts
@@ -203,3 +203,96 @@ describe("readDeclaredDefaults", () => {
     expect(readDeclaredDefaults(b)).toEqual({});
   });
 });
+
+describe("css variable injection (figma brand-token chain)", () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    document.documentElement.removeAttribute(VARIABLES_ATTR);
+    document.documentElement.removeAttribute("data-hf-css-vars");
+    document.documentElement.style.cssText = "";
+    document.body.innerHTML = "";
+    delete (window as Window & { __hfVariables?: unknown }).__hfVariables;
+  });
+
+  it("slug stays byte-compatible with the figma importer", async () => {
+    const { slugify } = await import("../figma/nodeToHtml");
+    const { cssVariableName } = await import("../tokenSlug");
+    for (const id of [
+      "figma:sds-color-background-brand-default",
+      "figma:Brand/Primary 500",
+      "figma:Acme/Semantic/Blue-500",
+      "!!!",
+    ]) {
+      expect(cssVariableName(id)).toBe(`--${slugify(id)}`);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("defines declared variables on the DECLARING element, not globally", async () => {
+    const { injectCompositionCssVariables } = await import("./getVariables");
+    document.body.innerHTML = `<div id="root" ${VARIABLES_ATTR}='[{"id":"figma:brand/primary","type":"color","label":"p","default":"#112233"}]'></div>`;
+    injectCompositionCssVariables(document);
+    const root = document.getElementById("root") as HTMLElement;
+    expect(root.style.getPropertyValue("--figma-brand-primary")).toBe("#112233");
+    expect(document.documentElement.style.getPropertyValue("--figma-brand-primary")).toBe("");
+  });
+
+  it("two compositions on one page keep their own same-id values", async () => {
+    const { injectCompositionCssVariables } = await import("./getVariables");
+    document.body.innerHTML =
+      `<div id="a" ${VARIABLES_ATTR}='[{"id":"figma:brand","type":"color","label":"b","default":"#aa0000"}]'></div>` +
+      `<div id="b" ${VARIABLES_ATTR}='[{"id":"figma:brand","type":"color","label":"b","default":"#0000bb"}]'></div>`;
+    injectCompositionCssVariables(document);
+    expect(
+      (document.getElementById("a") as HTMLElement).style.getPropertyValue("--figma-brand"),
+    ).toBe("#aa0000");
+    expect(
+      (document.getElementById("b") as HTMLElement).style.getPropertyValue("--figma-brand"),
+    ).toBe("#0000bb");
+  });
+
+  it("declared defaults do NOT clobber an authored inline definition (define-if-absent)", async () => {
+    const { injectCompositionCssVariables } = await import("./getVariables");
+    document.body.innerHTML = `<div id="root" style="--accent: #3b82f6" ${VARIABLES_ATTR}='[{"id":"accent","type":"color","label":"a","default":"#ff5722"}]'></div>`;
+    injectCompositionCssVariables(document);
+    expect(
+      (document.getElementById("root") as HTMLElement).style.getPropertyValue("--accent"),
+    ).toBe("#3b82f6");
+  });
+
+  it("render-time overrides win over declared defaults AND authored values", async () => {
+    const { injectCompositionCssVariables } = await import("./getVariables");
+    document.body.innerHTML = `<div id="root" style="--figma-brand: #000000" ${VARIABLES_ATTR}='[{"id":"figma:brand","type":"color","label":"b","default":"#2c2c2c"}]'></div>`;
+    (window as Window & { __hfVariables?: Record<string, unknown> }).__hfVariables = {
+      "figma:brand": "#00ff99",
+    };
+    injectCompositionCssVariables(document);
+    expect(
+      (document.getElementById("root") as HTMLElement).style.getPropertyValue("--figma-brand"),
+    ).toBe("#00ff99");
+  });
+
+  it("skips empty-string values (setProperty would remove, not define)", async () => {
+    const { applyCssVariables } = await import("./getVariables");
+    const el = document.createElement("div");
+    applyCssVariables(el, { blank: "", real: "#123456" });
+    expect(el.style.getPropertyValue("--blank")).toBe("");
+    expect(el.style.getPropertyValue("--real")).toBe("#123456");
+    expect(el.getAttribute("data-hf-css-vars")).toBe("--real");
+  });
+
+  it("clearAppliedCssVariables removes exactly what was applied", async () => {
+    const { applyCssVariables, clearAppliedCssVariables } = await import("./getVariables");
+    const el = document.createElement("div");
+    el.style.setProperty("--authored", "keep");
+    applyCssVariables(el, { "figma:brand": "#111111" });
+    clearAppliedCssVariables(el);
+    expect(el.style.getPropertyValue("--figma-brand")).toBe("");
+    expect(el.style.getPropertyValue("--authored")).toBe("keep");
+    expect(el.hasAttribute("data-hf-css-vars")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("getVariables() honors element-declared variables like the injection does", async () => {
+    const { getVariables } = await import("./getVariables");
+    document.body.innerHTML = `<div ${VARIABLES_ATTR}='[{"id":"figma:brand","type":"color","label":"b","default":"#445566"}]'></div>`;
+    expect(getVariables()["figma:brand"]).toBe("#445566");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.ts
index 6ab47fac61..546e688b67 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.ts
@@ -19,13 +19,28 @@
  *
  *     const { title = "Untitled", theme = "light" } = getVariables<MyVars>();
  */
+import { cssVariableName, detectSlugCollisions } from "../tokenSlug";
+
 export function getVariables<
   T extends Record<string, unknown> = Record<string, unknown>,
 >(): Partial<T> {
   if (typeof document === "undefined") return {} as Partial<T>;
 
-  const declaredDefaults = readDeclaredDefaults(document.documentElement);
-  const overrides = readOverrides();
+  // Same collection the CSS-variable injection uses: <html> first, then any
+  // composition element carrying the attribute (later declarers win), then
+  // render-time overrides.
+  const declarers = new Set<Element>();
+  if (document.documentElement?.hasAttribute("data-composition-variables")) {
+    declarers.add(document.documentElement);
+  }
+  for (const el of Array.from(document.querySelectorAll("[data-composition-variables]"))) {
+    declarers.add(el);
+  }
+  const declaredDefaults: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+  for (const el of declarers) {
+    Object.assign(declaredDefaults, readDeclaredDefaults(el));
+  }
+  const overrides = readRenderOverrides();
 
   return { ...declaredDefaults, ...overrides } as Partial<T>;
 }
@@ -59,7 +74,120 @@ export function readDeclaredDefaults(root: Element | null): Record<string, unkno
   return out;
 }
 
-function readOverrides(): Record<string, unknown> {
+const APPLIED_VARS_ATTR = "data-hf-css-vars";
+
+function hasInlineStyle(target: Element): target is Element & ElementCSSInlineStyle {
+  return "style" in target && typeof (target as HTMLElement).style?.setProperty === "function";
+}
+
+/**
+ * Define primitive-valued variables as CSS custom properties on `target`,
+ * recording the applied names so re-init/unmount can clear them. Empty
+ * strings are skipped — CSSOM setProperty("", …) REMOVES the property, and a
+ * blank default has no CSS meaning anyway.
+ */
+export function applyCssVariables(target: Element, variables: Record<string, unknown>): void {
+  if (!hasInlineStyle(target)) return;
+  const applied: string[] = [];
+  for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(variables)) {
+    if ((typeof value === "string" && value !== "") || typeof value === "number") {
+      const name = cssVariableName(id);
+      target.style.setProperty(name, String(value));
+      applied.push(name);
+    }
+  }
+  if (applied.length > 0) target.setAttribute(APPLIED_VARS_ATTR, applied.join(" "));
+}
+
+/** Remove custom properties a previous applyCssVariables call defined. */
+export function clearAppliedCssVariables(target: Element): void {
+  if (!hasInlineStyle(target)) return;
+  const applied = target.getAttribute(APPLIED_VARS_ATTR);
+  if (!applied) return;
+  for (const name of applied.split(" ")) {
+    if (name.startsWith("--")) target.style.removeProperty(name);
+  }
+  target.removeAttribute(APPLIED_VARS_ATTR);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Imported figma components reference brand tokens as `var(--slug, literal)`.
+ * Define each declaring element's composition variables as CSS custom
+ * properties ON THAT ELEMENT — scoping by the cascade, so two compositions
+ * on one page can't clobber each other and a flattened sub-composition root
+ * correctly styles only its own subtree.
+ *
+ * Declared DEFAULTS are define-if-absent: a value the author already styled
+ * (stylesheet `:root` rule, compile-time emission, hand-written inline) wins
+ * over the declared default, preserving pre-existing conventions where a
+ * variable id coincides with an authored custom property. Render-time
+ * overrides (`--variables` → `window.__hfVariables`) always win — that's
+ * explicit user intent.
+ */
+export function injectCompositionCssVariables(doc: Document): void {
+  const declarers = new Set<Element>();
+  if (doc.documentElement?.hasAttribute("data-composition-variables")) {
+    declarers.add(doc.documentElement);
+  }
+  for (const el of Array.from(doc.querySelectorAll("[data-composition-variables]"))) {
+    declarers.add(el);
+  }
+  const overrides = readRenderOverrides();
+  const allIds: string[] = [];
+  for (const el of declarers) {
+    allIds.push(...applyDeclaredForElement(el, overrides, doc.defaultView));
+  }
+  for (const group of detectSlugCollisions(allIds)) {
+    console.warn(
+      `composition variables ${group.join(", ")} collapse to the same CSS property ${cssVariableName(group[0] ?? "")} — rename one to avoid cross-talk`,
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+/** Apply one declarer's variables (define-if-absent for defaults, overrides
+ * always win). Returns the declared ids for collision reporting. */
+function applyDeclaredForElement(
+  el: Element,
+  overrides: Record<string, unknown>,
+  view: Window | null,
+): string[] {
+  if (!hasInlineStyle(el)) return [];
+  const declared = readDeclaredDefaults(el);
+  const toApply: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+  for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(declared)) {
+    if (id in overrides) continue; // overrides applied below, always win
+    const name = cssVariableName(id);
+    // define-if-absent: respect authored/compiled definitions
+    const existing =
+      el.style.getPropertyValue(name) ||
+      (view ? view.getComputedStyle(el).getPropertyValue(name) : "");
+    if (existing.trim() !== "") continue;
+    toApply[id] = value;
+  }
+  for (const [id, value] of Object.entries(overrides)) {
+    if (id in declared) toApply[id] = value;
+  }
+  applyCssVariables(el, toApply);
+  return Object.keys(declared);
+}
+
+/** Parse a host element's `data-variable-values` JSON attribute (per-instance
+ * sub-composition overrides). Shared by the runtime loader and the bundler. */
+export function parseHostVariableValues(host: Element): Record<string, unknown> {
+  const raw = host.getAttribute("data-variable-values");
+  if (!raw) return {};
+  let parsed: unknown;
+  try {
+    parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
+  } catch {
+    return {};
+  }
+  if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== "object" || Array.isArray(parsed)) return {};
+  return parsed as Record<string, unknown>;
+}
+
+/** Render-time variable overrides (`hyperframes render --variables`). */
+export function readRenderOverrides(): Record<string, unknown> {
   if (typeof window === "undefined") return {};
   const raw = (window as Window & { __hfVariables?: unknown }).__hfVariables;
   if (!raw || typeof raw !== "object" || Array.isArray(raw)) return {};
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
index ae6b079b92..a55984df76 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // fallow-ignore-file code-duplication complexity
 import { installRuntimeControlBridge, postRuntimeMessage } from "./bridge";
 import { initRuntimeAnalytics, emitAnalyticsEvent } from "./analytics";
+import { injectCompositionCssVariables } from "./getVariables";
 import { createCssAdapter } from "./adapters/css";
 import { createGsapAdapter } from "./adapters/gsap";
 import { createAnimeJsAdapter } from "./adapters/animejs";
@@ -141,6 +142,15 @@ export function initSandboxRuntimeModular(): void {
     document.body.style.overflow = "hidden";
   }
 
+  // figma brand-token chain: define declared composition variables as CSS
+  // custom properties so imported var(--slug, literal) fills resolve from the
+  // live variable instead of always falling back to the frozen literal.
+  try {
+    injectCompositionCssVariables(document);
+  } catch (err) {
+    swallow("runtime.init.cssVariables", err);
+  }
+
   window.__timelines = window.__timelines || {};
 
   // Resolve the root composition element with the same priority the rest of
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tokenSlug.ts b/packages/core/src/tokenSlug.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..653773090f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/src/tokenSlug.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/**
+ * THE slug for composition-variable ids → CSS custom-property names. Shared
+ * by the figma importer (emits `var(--<slug>, literal)`) and the runtime
+ * (defines `--<slug>` from declared variables) — one function so the two
+ * sides can never drift. The slug is lossy (case-folded, symbol runs
+ * collapse to "-"), so distinct ids CAN collide; callers surface
+ * detectSlugCollisions() as a warning rather than silently merging.
+ */
+
+export function slugify(name: string): string {
+  const collapsed = name.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, "-");
+  // Character-scan trim of leading/trailing "-" instead of /^-+|-+$/:
+  // CodeQL flags the alternated anchored regex as polynomial ReDoS on
+  // adversarial inputs (js/polynomial-redos).
+  let start = 0;
+  let end = collapsed.length;
+  while (start < end && collapsed[start] === "-") start++;
+  while (end > start && collapsed[end - 1] === "-") end--;
+  const slug = collapsed.slice(start, end);
+  return slug.length > 0 ? slug : "node";
+}
+
+export function cssVariableName(id: string): string {
+  return `--${slugify(id)}`;
+}
+
+/** Groups of distinct ids that collapse to the same CSS variable name. */
+export function detectSlugCollisions(ids: Iterable<string>): string[][] {
+  const bySlug = new Map<string, string[]>();
+  for (const id of ids) {
+    const slug = cssVariableName(id);
+    const group = bySlug.get(slug);
+    if (group) {
+      if (!group.includes(id)) group.push(id);
+    } else {
+      bySlug.set(slug, [id]);
+    }
+  }
+  return [...bySlug.values()].filter((g) => g.length > 1);
+}
diff --git a/packages/lint/src/project.ts b/packages/lint/src/project.ts
index ef068c3e18..6b5c9967da 100644
--- a/packages/lint/src/project.ts
+++ b/packages/lint/src/project.ts
@@ -210,6 +210,11 @@ export async function lintProject(projectDir: string): Promise<ProjectLintResult
       const html = readFileSync(filePath, "utf-8");
       const compSrcPath = `compositions/${file}`;
       allHtmlSources.push({ html, compSrcPath });
+      // Mountable fragments (figma component imports, registry snippets) are
+      // not standalone compositions — composition-root rules don't apply.
+      // Anchored to the file's ROOT element so a real composition that merely
+      // inlines snippet markup (or mentions the token in text) is still linted.
+      if (isSnippetFragment(html)) continue;
       const result = await lintHyperframeHtml(html, {
         filePath,
         isSubComposition: true,
@@ -610,3 +615,11 @@ function lintMissingOrEmptySubComposition(
 
   return findings;
 }
+
+/** True when the file's first element carries data-hf-snippet — i.e. the file
+ * IS a mountable fragment, not a composition that merely contains one. */
+function isSnippetFragment(html: string): boolean {
+  const firstTag = html.match(/<[a-zA-Z][^>]*>/);
+  if (!firstTag) return false;
+  return /\bdata-hf-snippet\b/.test(firstTag[0]);
+}
diff --git a/packages/lint/src/snippetFragment.test.ts b/packages/lint/src/snippetFragment.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5997af8ae6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/lint/src/snippetFragment.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, writeFileSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { lintProject } from "./project.js";
+
+let dirs: string[] = [];
+afterEach(() => {
+  for (const d of dirs) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  dirs = [];
+});
+
+const INDEX = `<html><body>
+<div id="root" data-composition-id="main" data-start="0" data-duration="2" data-width="640" data-height="360"></div>
+<script>window.__timelines = { main: { paused: true } };</script>
+</body></html>`;
+
+async function lintWithFragment(name: string, html: string) {
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "hf-snippet-lint-"));
+  dirs.push(dir);
+  writeFileSync(join(dir, "index.html"), INDEX);
+  mkdirSync(join(dir, "compositions"), { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(join(dir, "compositions", name), html);
+  const result = await lintProject(dir);
+  return result.results.filter((r) => r.file.includes(name.replace(".html", "")));
+}
+
+describe("snippet fragment exemption", () => {
+  it("skips composition-root rules for files whose ROOT carries data-hf-snippet", async () => {
+    const findings = await lintWithFragment(
+      "frag.html",
+      '<div id="frag" data-hf-snippet="" data-figma-id="1:1" style="width: 10px"></div>\n',
+    );
+    expect(findings).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("still lints a composition that merely CONTAINS snippet markup", async () => {
+    const results = await lintWithFragment(
+      "scene.html",
+      '<div id="scene"><div data-hf-snippet="" data-figma-id="1:1"></div></div>\n',
+    );
+    expect(results).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(results[0]?.result.findings.some((f) => f.code === "root_missing_composition_id")).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts
index 2f5f5d344c..05f47e0227 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts
@@ -344,6 +344,7 @@ export const FORMAT_NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_DISTRIBUTED = "FORMAT_NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_DIST
  * gate.
  */
 export class FormatNotSupportedInDistributedError extends Error {
+  // fallow-ignore-next-line unused-class-member
   readonly code: typeof FORMAT_NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_DISTRIBUTED = FORMAT_NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_DISTRIBUTED;
   readonly format: string;
   readonly reason: string;
@@ -808,6 +809,7 @@ export async function plan(
     // Distributed renders must not capture host-specific system fonts —
     // the Lambda/worker filesystem won't have the same fonts installed.
     allowSystemFontCapture: false,
+    variables: config.variables,
   });
   let compiled = compileResult.compiled;
   const composition = compileResult.composition;
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/htmlCompiler.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/htmlCompiler.ts
index 05a8ce3c64..e3882384d8 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/htmlCompiler.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/htmlCompiler.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ import {
 import {
   inlineSubCompositions as inlineSubCompositionsShared,
   prepareFlattenedInnerRoot,
+  emitRootCompositionVariableStyles,
+  readDeclaredDefaults,
+  parseHostVariableValues,
 } from "@hyperframes/core/compiler";
 import {
   checkSubCompositionUsability,
@@ -761,18 +764,32 @@ function inlineSubCompositions(
   html: string,
   subCompositions: Map<string, string>,
   projectDir: string,
+  variableOverrides: Record<string, unknown> = {},
 ): string {
   const { document } = parseHTML(html);
   const head = document.querySelector("head");
   const body = document.querySelector("body");
   const hosts = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll("[data-composition-src]"));
 
-  if (!hosts.length) return html;
+  if (!hosts.length) {
+    // Even with no sub-compositions, declared composition variables need a
+    // compile-time stylesheet so eval-time reads (GSAP .from immediateRender,
+    // top-level script getComputedStyle) resolve var(--slug) — the runtime's
+    // DOMContentLoaded injection is too late for those.
+    const emitted = emitRootCompositionVariableStyles(
+      document as unknown as Document,
+      {},
+      variableOverrides,
+    );
+    return emitted ? document.toString() : html;
+  }
 
   const result = inlineSubCompositionsShared(
     document as unknown as Document,
     hosts as unknown as Element[],
     {
+      readVariableDefaults: readDeclaredDefaults,
+      parseHostVariables: parseHostVariableValues,
       resolveHtml: (srcPath: string) => {
         let compHtml = subCompositions.get(srcPath) || null;
         if (!compHtml) {
@@ -872,6 +889,15 @@ function inlineSubCompositions(
     body.appendChild(scriptEl);
   }
 
+  // Compile-time CSS custom properties (mirrors the preview bundler): root
+  // declarers plus one scoped rule per sub-composition host, so var(--slug)
+  // resolves at script eval time, not just after runtime injection.
+  emitRootCompositionVariableStyles(
+    document as unknown as Document,
+    result.variablesByComp,
+    variableOverrides,
+  );
+
   return document.toString();
 }
 
@@ -1547,6 +1573,13 @@ export interface CompileForRenderOptions {
   animatedGifCacheDir?: string;
   /** FFmpeg timeout for animated GIF transcodes. */
   ffmpegProcessTimeout?: number;
+  /**
+   * Render-time variable overrides (`--variables`). Layered over declared
+   * defaults in the compile-time CSS custom-property stylesheet so eval-time
+   * reads (GSAP .from immediateRender) see the overridden value — the
+   * `window.__hfVariables` injection covers script reads, not var() in CSS.
+   */
+  variables?: Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
 const GSAP_CDN_BASE = "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gsap@3.15.0/dist/";
@@ -1611,7 +1644,12 @@ export async function compileForRender(
   // Inline sub-compositions into the main HTML so the runtime takes the same
   // synchronous code path as the bundled preview (no async fetch of
   // data-composition-src). This mirrors what htmlBundler.ts does for preview.
-  const inlinedHtml = inlineSubCompositions(fullHtml, subCompositions, projectDir);
+  const inlinedHtml = inlineSubCompositions(
+    fullHtml,
+    subCompositions,
+    projectDir,
+    options.variables ?? {},
+  );
 
   // Strip preload="none" from media elements — the renderer needs to load all
   // media upfront for frame capture. Users add this to reduce browser memory in
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/compileStage.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/compileStage.ts
index 128eb322fe..a073209619 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/compileStage.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/compileStage.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ export interface CompileStageInput {
    * on the local filesystem and embedded. Distributed renders pass `false`.
    */
   allowSystemFontCapture?: boolean;
+  /** Render-time variable overrides (`--variables`); see CompileForRenderOptions.variables. */
+  variables?: Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
 export interface CompileStageResult {
@@ -127,6 +129,7 @@ export async function runCompileStage(input: CompileStageInput): Promise<Compile
     log,
     failClosedFontFetch: failClosedFontFetch === true,
     allowSystemFontCapture,
+    variables: input.variables,
     animatedGifCacheDir: cfg.extractCacheDir
       ? join(cfg.extractCacheDir, "animated-gif")
       : undefined,
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
index ce3a95c9ae..ba5d31c5bb 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
@@ -1292,6 +1292,7 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
         needsAlpha,
         log,
         assertNotAborted,
+        variables: job.config.variables,
       }),
     );
     let compiled = compileResult.compiled;
diff --git a/skills-manifest.json b/skills-manifest.json
index 3c2a3a4260..38c0422628 100644
--- a/skills-manifest.json
+++ b/skills-manifest.json
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
       "files": 18
     },
     "figma": {
-      "hash": "26676992c1aed316",
+      "hash": "aabcd697d0823efb",
       "files": 1
     },
     "general-video": {
diff --git a/skills/figma/SKILL.md b/skills/figma/SKILL.md
index dc1360a14f..b1ab210ebf 100644
--- a/skills/figma/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/figma/SKILL.md
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ Imports variables as composition brand-variable entries + `figma-tokens.json` si
 
 **Import tokens before components** when both are wanted — that's what lets component colors link to brand variables instead of baking duplicates.
 
+**Non-Enterprise variables path (field-tested):** REST variables are Enterprise-gated, but the Figma MCP `get_variable_defs` is not. When `tokens` reports `REQUIRES_ENTERPRISE` and the user has the MCP connector, you can build the index yourself: (1) `get_variable_defs` on the scene's parent node — ONE call, cache the raw JSON to `.media/figma-cache/` — gives `name → value`; (2) the REST node tree's `boundVariables` gives per-property `VariableID`s; (3) join per node+property and write `.media/figma-bindings.jsonl` rows (`{kind:"binding", figmaId, sourceFileKey, compositionVariableId: "figma:<name>", version}`) plus the composition-variable entries. Everything downstream (component `var()` resolution, refresh, runtime CSS variables) is the shipped machinery. Label it for the user: "tokens via the Figma connector — Enterprise plans get this from `hyperframes figma tokens` directly."
+
+The runtime defines every declared composition variable as a CSS custom property (document root + sub-comp hosts), so imported `var(--slug, literal)` fills recolor when the variable default changes — updating one value in `data-composition-variables` re-brands every imported component without re-importing anything. `hyperframes render --variables '<json>'` overrides them at render time.
+
 ## Components (Phase 3 — CLI)
 
 ```bash