About comfyui-api
comfyui-api is a skill for operating ComfyUI through its REST API, for users who need to run workflows and collect their outputs. It supports status checks, workflow submission, progress polling, output retrieval, image upload, cancellation, and an offline JSON export path when the server is unavailable.
Key features
- 01REST API connection and status checks
- 02Workflow submission and progress polling
- 03Image and output file transfer
- 04Generation cancellation and VRAM release
- 05Offline workflow JSON export
Use cases
- 01Check whether ComfyUI is running
- 02Submit a workflow and monitor completion
- 03Retrieve generated images
- 04Export workflows when the server is offline
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ mckruz/ comfyui-expert --skill comfyui-apiAfter installing, type/comfyui-apiin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEComfyUI API Skill
Connect to ComfyUI's REST API to execute workflows, monitor progress, and retrieve outputs.
Configuration
- Default URL:
http://127.0.0.1:8188 - Custom URL: Set in project manifest or pass as parameter
- Timeout: 30s for API calls, no timeout for generation polling
Two Modes
Online Mode (ComfyUI Running)
Full API access. Preferred mode for interactive work.
- Test connection:
GET /system_stats - Discover capabilities: Use
comfyui-inventoryskill - Queue workflow:
POST /prompt - Poll for results:
GET /history/{prompt_id}every 5 seconds - Retrieve outputs:
GET /view?filename=...
Offline Mode (No Server)
Export workflow JSON for manual loading in ComfyUI.
- Generate workflow JSON following ComfyUI's format
- Save to
projects/{project}/workflows/{name}.json - Instruct user to drag-drop into ComfyUI
API Operations
Check Server Status
curl http://127.0.0.1:8188/system_stats
Response fields:
system.os: Operating systemsystem.comfyui_version: Version stringdevices[0].name: GPU namedevices[0].vram_total: Total VRAM bytesdevices[0].vram_free: Free VRAM bytes
Queue a Workflow
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8188/prompt \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"prompt": WORKFLOW_JSON, "client_id": "video-agent"}'
WORKFLOW_JSON format:
{
"1": {
"class_type": "LoadCheckpoint",
"inputs": {
"ckpt_name": "flux1-dev.safetensors"
}
},
"2": {
"class_type": "CLIPTextEncode",
"inputs": {
"text": "photorealistic portrait...",
"clip": ["1", 1]
}
}
}
Each node is keyed by a string ID. Inputs reference other nodes as ["{node_id}", {output_index}].
Response:
{"prompt_id": "abc-123-def", "number": 1}
Poll for Completion
curl http://127.0.0.1:8188/history/abc-123-def
Incomplete: Returns {} (empty object)
Complete: Returns execution data with outputs:
{
"abc-123-def": {
"outputs": {
"9": {
"images": [{"filename": "ComfyUI_00001.png", "subfolder": "", "type": "output"}]
}
},
"status": {"completed": true}
}
}
Retrieve Output Image
curl "http://127.0.0.1:8188/view?filename=ComfyUI_00001.png&subfolder=&type=output" -o output.png
Upload Reference Image
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8188/upload/image \
-F "[email protected]" \
-F "subfolder=input" \
-F "type=input"
Cancel Current Generation
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8188/interrupt
Free VRAM
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8188/free \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"unload_models": true}'
Polling Strategy
ComfyUI doesn't support WebSocket in CLI context. Use REST polling:
- Queue workflow via
POST /prompt→ getprompt_id - Poll
GET /history/{prompt_id}every 5 seconds - On empty response: generation in progress, continue polling
- On populated response: check
status.completed - If
completed: true, extract outputs - If error in status, route to
comfyui-troubleshooter
Timeout: Warn user after 10 minutes of polling. Video generation (Wan 14B) can take 15-30 minutes.
Workflow Validation
Before queuing any workflow:
- Read
state/inventory.json(viacomfyui-inventory) - For each node in workflow: verify
class_typeexists in installed nodes - For each model reference: verify file exists in installed models
- Flag missing items with:
- Node: suggest
ComfyUI-Managerinstall command - Model: provide download link from
references/models.md - Version mismatch: suggest update
- Node: suggest
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Connection refused | ComfyUI not running | Switch to offline mode, save JSON |
| 400 Bad Request | Invalid workflow JSON | Validate node connections |
| 500 Internal Error | ComfyUI crash | Suggest restart, check logs |
| Timeout (no response) | Server overloaded | Wait and retry once |
Reference
Full API documentation: foundation/api-quick-ref.md