Griptape Convert: Text to Combo

Griptape Convert: Text to Combo looks like the most pointless node in the pack - it takes a string and returns the same string - but it exists because ComfyUI types matter more than they look. It converts text into the * "combo" type so a value can flow into inputs that wouldn't normally accept a plain string. It's a type-adapter, not a transformer.

What it's for

ComfyUI has several flavors of "text-ish" inputs. A node that expects a combo/dropdown-style value won't always accept a plain STRING wire, and the pack's own nodes return strings in shapes other nodes don't want to receive. This node's whole job is to label its output as * (the wildcard type that matches anything) so downstream combo-style inputs accept it. Its node description - "Convert text to a Combo conditioning" - is really saying: make this string acceptable to combo inputs.

You'll reach for it when ComfyUI refuses a connection with a type mismatch, or when you want to feed a generated string into a dropdown-style parameter. It's a quiet compatibility shim.

How it works

It's a straight passthrough. The input STRING is marked forceInput, meaning you can't just type into it - you have to wire something in. The function is literally:

def convert(self, STRING):
    return (STRING,)

In and out, byte for byte, just re-labeled to the * type. There is no "conditioning" happening in the diffusion sense - the word "conditioning" here is a Griptape/ComfyUI typing quirk, not a CLIP encode.

Inputs and output

• STRING (STRING, required, force-input only) - the text to pass through.
• Output: combo (*) - the same text, typed so combo inputs accept it.

Installation

Ships in ComfyUI Griptape Nodes:

• ComfyUI Manager: search "Griptape" → install.
• Manual: cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes && git clone https://github.com/griptape-ai/ComfyUI-Griptape, restart ComfyUI.

Gotchas

• Don't reach for this when you want to change text. It changes nothing. If you want text manipulation, look at the text utilities or a Create Text node.
• If you're not hitting a type-mismatch error, you probably don't need this node at all. It's a fix-it-when-it-complains tool, not a staple.
• Because it returns *, it can also trigger ComfyUI's wildcard-acceptance paths elsewhere - harmless, but worth knowing if a downstream node suddenly accepts everything.

Minimal node, minimal explanation. Keep it in your back pocket for the day ComfyUI tells you your text won't plug in.