A complete, pipe-first diffusion workflow for ComfyUI: load models, build text conditioning, sample, decode, and acquire verified model files without turning your canvas into a wall of connections.

Version 1.0.2 includes eleven Nodes 2.0-ready nodes. ComfyUI Eclipse is optional.

Annotated Nodes 2.0 workflow connecting Smart Model Loader, IO Checkpoint Loader, CLIP encoders, and the pipe KSampler

Why use it?

One stable PIPE connection carries the model, CLIP, VAE, latent, dimensions, sampler settings, seed, and names.
One adaptive loader supports checkpoints, UNets, Nunchaku, and GGUF while showing only the controls you enable.
A complete generation path includes basic and advanced CLIP encoding, model-aware conditioning cleanup, pipe inspection, sampling, and VAE decode.
Verified acquisition inspects exact CivitAI or Hugging Face files before adding them to a persistent download queue.
Workflow compatibility preserves the historical [Eclipse] node IDs, so existing workflows load without node replacement.

Visual tour

Find every node in one menu

The pack has its own top-level Smart Model Loader category. Nodes are grouped into Conditioning, Loader, Pipe, and Sampler submenus.

Start compact

The default Smart Model Loader exposes the common checkpoint path: model type, baked CLIP, baked VAE, memory cleanup, and one PIPE output.

Open the chip bar

The feature bar controls the node's optional sections. Selected chips reveal their widgets immediately; inactive sections stay out of the way.

Annotated open Smart Model Loader feature-chip bar in Nodes 2.0

Available chips are templates, clip, vae, audio_vae, latent, sampler, lora, model_sampling, block_swap, memory_cleanup, integrity, and seed. Block swap is disabled when ComfyUI's native dynamic VRAM management already owns that job.

Build the loader you need

Enable latent, sampler, seed, LoRA, integrity, or architecture-specific sampling only when the workflow needs them. The serialized workflow retains the selected feature state.

Load a template

Enable templates, choose Load, then select a bundled or saved template. The selection applies the template's enabled loader and generation settings. Delete Template removes only that saved configuration—not any model files.

Templates live in ComfyUI/custom_nodes/ComfyUI_SmartModelLoader/templates/.

Recover a model referenced by a template

Loading a template never downloads files automatically. If its primary model is not installed, the loader keeps the referenced filename selected with a (missing) marker, restores the saved CivitAI AIR or SHA-256 identity, infers the registered destination, and reveals Download from CivitAI.

The bundled Krea2_RedCraft template below restores its Krea2 CLIP, external VAE, sampler settings, and missing UNet reference. Pressing the download action resolves the provider file for the selected precision, verifies it, saves it under the shown model role, and refreshes the node. Until that button is pressed, no transfer starts.

Annotated Krea2 RedCraft template showing a missing UNet, restored CivitAI AIR, destination role, and explicit download action

Use focused loaders when you want direct control

The standalone Model, CLIP, and VAE loaders are useful for modular UNet, Nunchaku, GGUF, video, and audio setups. IO Checkpoint Loader merges direct components over an incoming PIPE and exposes the result on individual sockets.

Annotated modular Model Loader Pipe, CLIP Loader, VAE Loader, and IO Checkpoint Loader workflow

Shape conditioning

Use the basic encoder for ordinary scheduled conditioning. The Advanced encoder adds a multiplier and Krea2 layer-rebalancing presets, while Conditioning Zero Out clears tensors and can choose a known model's base token length.

Annotated basic and Advanced CLIP encoders with Conditioning Zero Out

Sample from the PIPE

Eclipse KSampler (Pipe) reads its model and VAE from the PIPE, accepts positive and negative conditioning, supports image or latent input, and returns a copied PIPE containing the sampled latent and decoded image. It also provides pipe/widget precedence, tiled VAE decode, preview modes, and queue-time seed controls.

Annotated IO Checkpoint Loader and Eclipse KSampler Pipe controls

Acquire exact model files

Open Download Manager (Beta) from the Smart Model Loader menu. Inspect a CivitAI AIR/hash/URL or Hugging Face repository, select exact compatible files, choose their registered model destinations, and monitor the persistent queue.

Annotated Smart Model Loader Download Manager showing provider inspection, file selection, and queue controls

Included nodes

| Group | Node | Purpose | | --- | --- | --- | | Loader | Smart Model Loader [Eclipse] | Adaptive all-in-one loader with templates and optional generation settings | | Loader | Model Loader [Eclipse] | Load model components on direct sockets | | Loader | Model Loader Pipe [Eclipse] | Load model components into one PIPE | | Loader | CLIP Loader [Eclipse] | Load one to four external text encoders | | Loader | VAE Loader [Eclipse] | Load an external image/video VAE | | Loader | VAE Loader Video+Audio [Eclipse] | Load separate video and audio VAEs | | Conditioning | CLIP Text Encode [Eclipse] | Build scheduled conditioning from connected text | | Conditioning | CLIP Text Encode (Advanced) [Eclipse] | Apply multipliers and Krea2 layer rebalancing | | Conditioning | Conditioning Zero Out [Eclipse] | Clear and optionally truncate conditioning | | Pipe | IO Checkpoint Loader [Eclipse] | Merge, override, and expose checkpoint PIPE values | | Sampler | Eclipse KSampler (Pipe) [Eclipse] | Sample, VAE-decode, preview, and update the PIPE |

The [Eclipse] suffixes are compatibility identifiers. Smart Model Loader owns these eleven implementations and does not require Eclipse at runtime.

Installation

ComfyUI Manager

Search for ComfyUI Smart Model Loader, install it, and restart ComfyUI.

Manual

From your ComfyUI installation:

cd custom_nodes
git clone https://github.com/r-vage/ComfyUI_SmartModelLoader.git
cd ComfyUI_SmartModelLoader
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Restart ComfyUI, then open Add Node → Smart Model Loader. Settings appear under Smart Model Loader → General and use SmartModelLoader.* IDs.

Nunchaku and GGUF model types require their respective ComfyUI integrations. Without them, the standard checkpoint, UNet, conditioning, pipe, sampler, and Download Manager features remain available.

Compatibility and ownership

Saved workflows keep the same node IDs, schemas, socket order, PIPE keys, and template format.
The pack owns /smart-model-loader/... routes, its private config.json, and its Download Manager queue.
On first startup, missing loader templates and relevant legacy Eclipse loader data can be copied into this pack. Originals are not moved or deleted.
Optional Eclipse nodes—Context Image, Generation Data, generic channel pipes, Concat Pipe Multi, Smart Sampler Settings, Save Images, Kargim, and Conditioning Passer—can consume the same PIPE contract.

Guides

For bugs and feature requests, use the GitHub issue tracker.

Licensed under Apache-2.0. See LICENSE and NOTICE.