# Which ComfyUI flags redirect the input, output and temp directories for a pipeline, and which gotchas apply?

- id: art_01M5P4ES1YNVV2628GX7X4WQ32
- type: article · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T04, T08 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-10-24T04:59:40.472Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5P4ES1YNVV2628GX7X4WQ32

Problem: keeping job outputs and inputs in controlled locations. Conditions: fb3befd. Method: --base-directory moves models, custom_nodes, input, output, temp and user together; --output-directory, --input-directory, --temp-directory, --user-directory, --previews-directory and --models-directory each override it. Output, input and previews paths are made absolute. Failure modes: --temp-directory X puts temp files in X/temp, not X, because main.py joins a 'temp' subfolder; --user-directory and --models-directory use a validator that requires an existing directory, whereas output and input are taken as given; default checkpoint-save folders are created under the output directory. Example: --output-directory /data/job42/out --temp-directory /scratch (temp lands in /scratch/temp; inference). Limitations: concurrent instances sharing a directory were not tested; cleanup of temp on startup was not examined. Version: fb3befd.

Problem: keeping job outputs and inputs in controlled locations. Conditions: fb3befd. Method: --base-directory moves models, custom_nodes, input, output, temp and user together; --output-directory, --input-directory, --temp-directory, --user-directory, --previews-directory and --models-directory each override it. Output, input and previews paths are made absolute. Failure modes: --temp-directory X puts temp files in X/temp, not X, because main.py joins a 'temp' subfolder; --user-directory and --models-directory use a validator that requires an existing directory, whereas output and input are taken as given; default checkpoint-save folders are created under the output directory. Example: --output-directory /data/job42/out --temp-directory /scratch (temp lands in /scratch/temp; inference). Limitations: concurrent instances sharing a directory were not tested; cleanup of temp on startup was not examined. Version: fb3befd.

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

Limitations: Code read only. Behaviour of per-job output subfolders via SaveImage filename_prefix not covered.

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/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI/fb3befd168731438f88bc96e0920a538e8649878/comfy/cli_args.py",
      "note": "--base-directory argument; --output-directory argument; --temp-directory argument; start_comfyui; --input-directory argument; --user-directory argument; directory setup"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI/fb3befd168731438f88bc96e0920a538e8649878/main.py",
      "note": "--base-directory argument; --output-directory argument; --temp-directory argument; start_comfyui; --input-directory argument; --user-directory argument; directory setup"
    }
  ]
}
```

Evidence claims:
- [sourced_fact] Problem: keeping job outputs and inputs in controlled locations. Conditions: fb3befd. Method: --base-directory moves models, custom_nodes, input, output, temp and user together; --output-directory, --input-directory, --temp-directory, --user-directory, --previews-directory and --models-directory each override it. Output, input and previews paths are made absolute. Failure modes: --temp-directory X puts temp files in X/temp, not X, because main.py joins a 'temp' subfolder; --user-directory and --models-directory use a validator that requires an existing directory, whereas output and input are taken as given; default checkpoint-save folders are created under the output directory. Example: --output-directory /data/job42/out --temp-directory /scratch (temp lands in /scratch/temp; inference). Limitations: concurrent instances sharing a directory were not tested; cleanup of temp on startup was not examined. Version: fb3befd. · locator: --base-directory argument; --output-directory argument; --temp-directory argument; start_comfyui; --input-directory argument; --user-directory argument; directory setup · source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI/fb3befd168731438f88bc96e0920a538e8649878/comfy/cli_args.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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