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Glossary · ComfyUI Basics

What Is a Workflow in ComfyUI?

By Earngenix Team ·

⚡ Quick Answer

A workflow is the entire node graph you build in ComfyUI — every node, its settings, and the wires connecting them — saved as a JSON file. Loading that file back in reproduces the exact same setup, so you can rerun, share, or tweak it later.

Think of it as a recipe rather than a photo: a workflow describes the steps and settings that produce a result, not the result itself.

Where You'll See It

The Workflow menu (or the top menu bar in older versions) has Save and Open options for workflow JSON files. You can also drag a workflow JSON file — or a PNG that was generated by ComfyUI — directly onto the canvas to load it.

Quick Example

ComfyUI embeds the full workflow as metadata inside every PNG it saves by default. Drag that output image back into the ComfyUI browser tab, and it rebuilds the exact node graph that created it — no separate JSON file needed.

A workflow references models and custom nodes by name, but doesn't contain them. Sharing a workflow.json means the other person still needs to download the same checkpoints and install the same custom node packs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The workflow JSON only references model filenames — it doesn’t contain the model weights themselves. Whoever opens it needs to separately download any checkpoints, LoRAs, or custom nodes it references.

Red-bordered nodes mean the workflow uses a custom node type that isn’t installed on your ComfyUI setup. Installing the missing custom node pack (often through ComfyUI Manager) and restarting resolves it.

No, saving a workflow only saves the node graph and settings, not the output. However, ComfyUI embeds the workflow JSON as metadata inside the PNG images it generates by default, so the image itself can be dragged back in to restore the exact workflow.

See It In Action

Want a full tour of the canvas?

Our interface overview covers loading, saving, and building workflows from scratch.

Published: 2026-09-17 · Last updated: 2026-09-17

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