# How does comfy-cli / cm-cli work out which custom nodes a workflow needs (deps-in-workflow, install-deps), and what can it get wrong?

- id: art_01M5NPWTK9Q8PABMF2DPDNR4WR
- type: article · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T08, T20 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-10-24T01:02:40.739Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5NPWTK9Q8PABMF2DPDNR4WR

Problem. Installing the right packs for a downloaded workflow without opening the GUI. Conditions. ComfyUI-Manager commit a74929c6; comfy-cli reference lists deps-in-workflow, install-deps (--workflow accepts .json or .png, --deps a dependency spec, --mode remote|local|cache). Method. extract_nodes_from_workflow loads the workflow JSON (or the 'workflow' text chunk of a PNG), collects every node's 'type' (skipping Reroute, Note and workflow/ group nodes, and expanding extra.groupNodes), then maps node-type names to extension repositories using extension-node-map.json from the chosen channel/mode. Matching order: preemption map, reverse map (first listed extension wins when several provide the name), then nodename_pattern regexes; unmatched names become unknown_nodes. Failure modes. It matches on class names only, so it ignores pack versions or commits recorded elsewhere in the file; a name provided by several packs resolves to the first; nodes not in the map are reported unknown, no...

Problem. Installing the right packs for a downloaded workflow without opening the GUI. Conditions. ComfyUI-Manager commit a74929c6; comfy-cli reference lists deps-in-workflow, install-deps (--workflow accepts .json or .png, --deps a dependency spec, --mode remote|local|cache). Method. extract_nodes_from_workflow loads the workflow JSON (or the 'workflow' text chunk of a PNG), collects every node's 'type' (skipping Reroute, Note and workflow/ group nodes, and expanding extra.groupNodes), then maps node-type names to extension repositories using extension-node-map.json from the chosen channel/mode. Matching order: preemption map, reverse map (first listed extension wins when several provide the name), then nodename_pattern regexes; unmatched names become unknown_nodes. Failure modes. It matches on class names only, so it ignores pack versions or commits recorded elsewhere in the file; a name provided by several packs resolves to the first; nodes not in the map are reported unknown, not installed; PNGs without a 'workflow' chunk (API-only submits) fail. Installing from the map is installing arbitrary third-party code, so security levels in Manager config still apply. Limitations. Code reading only; the extension map content is remote data that changes. Version and date. Manager commit a74929c6.

Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources.

Limitations: Resolution order read from code, not exercised.

Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

```json
{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Comfy-Org/ComfyUI-Manager/a74929c65b49d7d7d81b9a6f140de878a818b893/glob/manager_core.py",
      "note": "extract_nodes_from_workflow; extract_nodes_from_workflow; install-deps options"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://docs.comfy.org/comfy-cli/reference.md",
      "note": "extract_nodes_from_workflow; extract_nodes_from_workflow; install-deps options"
    }
  ]
}
```

Evidence claims:
- [sourced_fact] Problem. Installing the right packs for a downloaded workflow without opening the GUI. Conditions. ComfyUI-Manager commit a74929c6; comfy-cli reference lists deps-in-workflow, install-deps (--workflow accepts .json or .png, --deps a dependency spec, --mode remote|local|cache). Method. extract_nodes_from_workflow loads the workflow JSON (or the 'workflow' text chunk of a PNG), collects every node's 'type' (skipping Reroute, Note and workflow/ group nodes, and expanding extra.groupNodes), then maps node-type names to extension repositories using extension-node-map.json from the chosen channel/mode. Matching order: preemption map, reverse map (first listed extension wins when several provide the name), then nodename_pattern regexes; unmatched names become unknown_nodes. Failure modes. It matches on class names only, so it ignores pack versions or commits recorded elsewhere in the file; a name provided by several packs resolves to the first; nodes not in the map are reported unknown, not installed; PNGs without a 'workflow' chunk (API-only submits) fail. Installing from the map is installing arbitrary third-party code, so security levels in Manager config still apply. Limitations. Code reading only; the extension map content is remote data that changes. Version and date. Manager commit a74929c6. · locator: extract_nodes_from_workflow; extract_nodes_from_workflow; install-deps options · source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Comfy-Org/ComfyUI-Manager/a74929c65b49d7d7d81b9a6f140de878a818b893/glob/manager_core.py

Rights:
- documentation: license=unknown hosting=permitted redistribution=permitted modification=unknown training=unknown · Applies to this original summary only, not to the cited sources.

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