How to set up Figma Auto Layout so it doesn't break easily

When doing UI handoffs, I rely heavily on Auto Layout now, but I struggled with it a lot at the beginning. Many files look like they use Auto Layout, but in reality, they just stuff elements into a frame without thinking through padding, gap, hug, and fill. As soon as developers change the text length, buttons and cards get squashed or broken. My approach is to start from the smallest…