7 min read ·
ComfyUI Manager: how to install it and add custom nodes
What ComfyUI Manager does, how to install it, how to add the missing nodes for someone else's workflow, which node packs are useful and how to fix an Import failed error.
ComfyUI Manager is a ComfyUI extension that installs, updates and removes custom nodes and models from inside the interface. Its main use: open someone else's workflow, press Install Missing Custom Nodes, and the manager finds and installs what is missing. Below: how to install it, how to use it and what to do about the usual errors.
What ComfyUI Manager does
- Installs and removes custom nodes from a catalogue and updates all of them with one button.
- Finds the nodes missing from a loaded workflow.
- Downloads models into the right folders from a catalogue.
- Switches nodes on and off without deleting files.
How to install ComfyUI Manager
Recent ComfyUI versions can ship with the manager: open the interface menu and look for a Manager button. If it is not there, install the extension by hand. You need git; run the commands in a terminal, on a server over SSH or in JupyterLab:
cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes
git clone https://github.com/ltdrdata/ComfyUI-Manager comfyui-managerRestart ComfyUI and refresh the browser page: a Manager button appears in the menu. With the portable Windows build the command is the same; run git from ComfyUI_windows_portable/ComfyUI/custom_nodes.
How to install the missing nodes for someone else's workflow
- Drag the workflow file (JSON, or a picture with an embedded workflow) into the ComfyUI window.
- If a node is missing, red blocks mark it and ComfyUI offers a list.
- Open Manager, press Install Missing Custom Nodes, tick what you need and install.
- Restart ComfyUI. If a node needs models, download them into the folders the author names.
Useful node packs
There are thousands of packs, so start with proven ones. Install only what you need: every node is someone else's code running on your server.
| Pack | What it is for |
|---|---|
| ComfyUI-Impact-Pack | Face and region detailing, segmentation, batch processing |
| rgthree-comfy | Quality-of-life for the graph: groups, bypasses, quick switches |
| ComfyUI-KJNodes | Helper nodes for masks, sizes and loops |
| ComfyUI-VideoHelperSuite | Loading and assembling video, frame-by-frame work |
| ComfyUI_essentials | Basic image and mask operations |
| ComfyUI-Custom-Scripts | Autocomplete, tooltips and small interface improvements |
| ComfyUI_IPAdapter_plus | Generation from a reference image (IP-Adapter) |
| comfyui_controlnet_aux | ControlNet preprocessors: poses, depth, edges |
| ComfyUI-GGUF | Loading quantised GGUF models that use less memory |
| ComfyUI-WanVideoWrapper | Video generation with the Wan model family |
Common errors
- Import failed at start-up. The start-up log says IMPORT FAILED next to the node, usually because Python dependencies are missing. Install them with the same interpreter that runs ComfyUI: pip install -r requirements.txt from the node's folder.
- The manager refuses to install a node because of its security level. When ComfyUI listens on more than the local address, the manager restricts risky actions. Do not lower the security level on a server that is reachable through a link: install nodes over SSH with git clone.
- The node installed but did not appear. Restart ComfyUI completely and refresh the browser page.
- An error about a missing model. The node is installed but the weights file is not: download the model into the right folder inside models.
- An old workflow broke after a node update. Roll the node back to the previous version in Manager or rewire the nodes.
ComfyUI with the manager on a rented GPU
Nodes are installed on the server's disk, so on a rented card the manager works just as it does at home. Launch a server with the ComfyUI template, open the interface from the button on the server page, install the packs you need and download models straight to the server. Installed nodes stay until you delete the server, so for long work stop it rather than delete it. Memory needs per model are in the ComfyUI installation guide, and the image-generation comparison helps choose a card for FLUX and Stable Diffusion.
Questions and answers
- What is ComfyUI Manager?
- A ComfyUI extension that installs, updates and removes custom nodes and models from the interface and finds the nodes missing from someone else's workflow.
- How do I install ComfyUI Manager?
- Run git clone for the ltdrdata/ComfyUI-Manager repository into ComfyUI/custom_nodes, restart ComfyUI and refresh the page: a Manager button appears in the menu. Recent ComfyUI versions may already include it.
- How do I add the missing nodes?
- Open the workflow, then Manager, and press Install Missing Custom Nodes. Restart ComfyUI after the install.
- What should I do about an Import failed error?
- Open the start-up log, find the node marked IMPORT FAILED and install its dependencies with pip install -r requirements.txt using the same Python interpreter that runs ComfyUI.
- Is it safe to install any node?
- No: a node is someone else's code on your server. Install packs from well-known repositories and do not disable the manager's security checks on a server reachable through a link.