comfyui-workflow-research

name	comfyui-workflow-research
description	Research ComfyUI workflows, LoRAs, custom nodes, and techniques from community sources. Use when building or optimizing ComfyUI workflows, finding LoRAs, researching custom nodes, or troubleshooting. Discovers node schemas from ComfyUI's API and manipulates workflows programmatically to avoid token waste. Includes curated list of maintained efficiency node packs (Jan 2026).

ComfyUI Workflow Research

Core Principles

1. Discover, don't assume. Node APIs evolve. Query ComfyUI for current schemas.
2. Programmatic workflow manipulation. Workflows are large JSON—use scripts, not direct editing.
3. 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 nodes
• node-info NodeName - detailed schema
• search "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 - reading
• set-input / add-node / connect / remove-node - modifying
• list-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:

1. Query core nodes first: scripts/comfyui_api.py search "switch"
2. Check if core provides equivalent functionality
3. Verify GitHub activity (last commit date, open issues)
4. 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/.