ComfyUI Workflow Research
Core Principles
- Discover, don't assume. Node APIs evolve. Query ComfyUI for current schemas.
- Programmatic workflow manipulation. Workflows are large JSON—use scripts, not direct editing.
- Prefer core nodes. Only install custom nodes when core lacks functionality.
Environment Discovery
Check if server running: curl -s http://localhost:8188/object_info | head -c 100
If not running, ask user for ComfyUI path.
Node Schema Discovery
Query /object_info endpoint or use scripts/comfyui_api.py:
list-nodes - all available nodesnode-info NodeName - detailed schemasearch "keyword" - find by name/category
Fallback: grep NODE_CLASS_MAPPINGS in custom_nodes source.
Workflow Manipulation
Use scripts/workflow_tools.py to avoid loading full JSON:
summary / list-nodes / get-node / find-type - readingset-input / add-node / connect / remove-node - modifyinglist-subgraphs / get-subgraph / extract-subgraph / inject-subgraph - subgraph ops
Direct JSON only for operations scripts don't support.
Subgraphs: Node types with UUID format are subgraph references. See references/subgraphs.md for extraction/reuse workflow.
Community Research
Search patterns: site:reddit.com/r/comfyui, site:github.com, site:civitai.com
Follow comment links—corrections and version notes often buried there.
Civitai: verify model version—settings differ between versions.
Access failures: try Wayback Machine, search quoted snippets, ask user.
Custom Node Selection
Before installing any custom node:
- Query core nodes first:
scripts/comfyui_api.py search "switch"
- Check if core provides equivalent functionality
- Verify GitHub activity (last commit date, open issues)
- Prefer packs with >1k stars and recent maintenance
When custom nodes are justified:
- Core lacks the functionality entirely
- Node consolidates 5+ operations into one
- Reduces connection spaghetti significantly
Efficiency packs reference: See references/efficiency-packs.md for curated list of maintained packs, their focus areas, and consolidation ratios.
Key signals to check:
- GitHub stars and last commit date
- FLUX/newer model support if relevant
- Overlap conflicts with already-installed packs
Documentation
Save findings to prevent re-research. Suggest [comfyui_path]/user/default/workflows/Docs/.
