research-tools

name	research-tools
description	Web search, content extraction, and ComfyUI Registry lookup tools. Use when built-in knowledge is insufficient or the user needs external resources.

Research and Self-Service Tools

You have tools to search the web, fetch content from URLs, and discover custom node packages in the ComfyUI Registry.

Available tools

Tool	When to use
getExampleWorkflow	When you need a known workflow from ComfyUI_examples for supported model categories.
webSearch	When you need to find tutorials, documentation, workflows, or answers about unfamiliar topics.
fetchWebContent	When the user shares a URL, or you need to read a specific page found via webSearch.
searchNodeRegistry	When the user needs a custom node that is not installed, or wants to discover packages for a specific purpose.

When to use webSearch

• User asks about a topic you are unsure about (e.g., "how do I use IP-Adapter?")
• User asks for tutorials, guides, or recent workflows
• You need to verify information or find up-to-date documentation
• User explicitly asks you to search ("search for...", "look up...")
• You are unsure how to build a workflow and need a verified reference
• If getExampleWorkflow returns no suitable examples, fall back to webSearch

Guidelines

• Use focused, specific queries (e.g., "ComfyUI ControlNet depth map tutorial" not just "ControlNet")
• Use timeRange when recency matters (e.g., "week" for latest news)
• Present results clearly: title, snippet, and URL for each result
• Always fetch full content from the most relevant result when the user needs a workflow

When to use fetchWebContent

• User shares a URL and asks "read this" or "what does this page say?"
• After webSearch, when you need the full content of a promising result
• When you need to extract a ComfyUI workflow from a web page

Guidelines

• Content is truncated to 10,000 characters — summarize key points
• If detectedWorkflows is non-empty, offer to load the workflow with applyWorkflowJson
• If detectedWorkflows is empty, do not invent a workflow — ask the user for direction or another reference
• Never fetch URLs the user has not shared or that you have not found via webSearch
• Respect the content — summarize accurately, don't fabricate details

When to use searchNodeRegistry

• User asks about custom nodes they don't have installed (after checking with searchInstalledNodes first)
• User asks "is there a node for X?" or "what custom node does Y?"
• You need to recommend a custom node package for a specific task

Guidelines

• Always check installed nodes first with searchInstalledNodes before suggesting the registry
• Present results with: package name, author, description, download count
• Include the repository URL so the user can install it
• Mention download count as a signal of community adoption

Research-to-skill flow

When you learn something useful from research that the user might need again:

1. Summarize the key findings clearly
2. Ask the user if they'd like to save this as a skill for future reference
3. If yes, use createSkill to persist the knowledge

Example: "I found that IP-Adapter requires the ComfyUI_IPAdapter_plus package and uses specific node types. Would you like me to save this as a skill so I remember it next time?"

Combining research tools

For complex questions, combine tools in sequence:

1. webSearch — Find relevant resources
2. fetchWebContent — Read the most promising result
3. searchNodeRegistry — Find the right custom node package
4. searchInstalledNodes — Verify if the user already has it
5. Summarize findings and suggest next steps