5 Rules for Building My Own Workflows in ComfyUI

As of June 2026, I have created about 320 ComfyUI workflows.

After creating so many, I now follow 5 personal rules when building my workflows.

Workflows basically need to be simple and easy to read, otherwise it takes time to understand them when you revisit them later.
As a result, you might lose motivation along the way.

I don't have the mental capacity to waste on unnecessary thinking, and I want to use all my brainpower for the sake of gentlemen, so I will introduce the 5 rules I have arrived at.

1. Build workflows to flow from left to right

This is something I have been conscious of since I started using ComfyUI.

I think of node-based workflows like ComfyUI as being like an assembly line in a factory.

It is easier to understand if you build it with the image that materials are input from the left and finished products like images, videos, or audio arrive on the right.

Therefore, I make sure that the workflow processing flows from left to right.

If you neglect this, you will end up having to trace node lines while working when you make modifications later, which increases the effort.

2. Do not pack in too many features; split workflows by function

When I got used to ComfyUI workflows, I used to create workflows that combined text2img, img2img, upscaling, mosaic processing, and everything else.

However, while actually making and using them, I realized that the work of adopting new nodes or changing combinations was too much of a hassle.

Furthermore, it takes time to identify the cause when an error occurs.

For example, due to a configuration oversight, there were times when processing would flow to the img2img side even though I only wanted to execute txt2img.
I could leave notes to prevent configuration oversights, but if there are too many notes, you lose the motivation to read them.

Also, when sharing workflows, if they are packed with features, the operation instructions become lengthy.
As a result, both the reader and the creator lose motivation.

Therefore, it is basically better to separate workflows by function, as it makes updates easier and work smoother.

3. Keep the number of nodes to a minimum, or collapse them in bulk

If there are too many nodes, reusability when using them again later drops drastically.

Especially in the case of video workflows like Wan, there are so many nodes that it takes time just to decipher what is happening where.

Therefore, I believe the number of nodes should be kept to an absolute minimum.

The best way to reduce the number of nodes is to turn node groups that simply process received content into subgraphs.

However, subgraphs currently have too many bugs, so I am avoiding using them for now.

That said, I wanted to consolidate processing nodes as much as possible, and while researching, I discovered a god-tier extension.

That is deno-custom-nodes.

Like me, many people are using Claude or leveraging Codex, leading to an increase in extensions that scratch the itches of ComfyUI users.
This is extremely helpful.

This deno-custom-nodes extension doesn't turn nodes into subgraphs, but instead allows you to collapse multiple nodes.

This is incredibly useful.

Not only can you group and collapse multiple nodes, but you can also align them to the left or right.
Although it's a subtle feature, I think deno-custom-nodes is an essential extension.

4. Do not put prompts directly into text encoding

I never write prompts directly into text encoding nodes.

The reason is simple: it's difficult to handle when I want to save LoRA syntax or prompts from conditioning.
To save them as filenames or prompts, they must be in a text-type string format.
*Note: text type and string type are almost the same, so I wonder which one is the correct term...

However, you cannot convert from conditioning to text type.
On the other hand, you can convert from text type to conditioning.

Therefore, I basically use text encoding as a node for receiving text.

5. Template nodes and combinations that include settings

For tasks like adding text to the bottom left of a generated image, it's a hassle to display new nodes and enter settings every time.
There are many situations where I want to call up nodes that already include settings.

In the past, I used to include many such nodes with settings within my workflows.
However, the process of opening the workflow and copying and pasting them every time was tedious.

The template feature built into ComfyUI can reduce that effort. By using the template feature, you can register nodes with settings included or save combinations of nodes as templates.

If I had known about this sooner, I think I would have saved a decent amount of time in total over my past work.

The detailed method is described below.

Summary

By keeping these five rules in mind, I have been able to organize my workflows quite well as they currently stand.

Of course, if I come across better ideas or strategies in the future, I intend to adopt them as appropriate to improve my workflows.