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Use ComfyUI with FlashBoards
Local workflows (Beta)

FlashBoards can drive a local ComfyUI instance for on-device generations. This feature is currently in beta — follow the steps below to install ComfyUI, connect it to FlashBoards, and keep the workflow stable.

Before You Start

  • • Install ComfyUI on your machine. The desktop build defaults to port 8000, while the standalone server uses 8188.
  • • FlashBoards ships with ready-to-go workflow templates (Flux Schnell text-to-image, img2img, inpainting, upscale) built into the AI panel.
  • • Keep ComfyUI running locally before starting a generation in FlashBoards.
ComfyUI Resources

Official installer and documentation: github.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI. The desktop app bundles Python and PyTorch; advanced users can run from source following the README.

Connect FlashBoards to ComfyUI

FlashBoards auto-detects ComfyUI on localhost. Use the Settings modal to test or launch the service.

Connection Steps

  1. 1. Open Settings → AI Generation in FlashBoards
  2. 2. In the ComfyUI section, click "Test connection"
  3. 3. FlashBoards checks http://localhost:8000 and http://localhost:8188 automatically
  4. 4. If test succeeds, status switches to Connected
  5. 5. Choose Launch if you want FlashBoards to start the desktop app for you

Launch buttons search common install paths on macOS and Windows. If FlashBoards can't find ComfyUI, start the server manually and press Test connection again.

macOS Considerations

Metal Performance Shaders (MPS) Fallback

Some Macs need Metal Performance Shaders (MPS) fallbacks when running PyTorch. Toggle Use MPS fallback in Settings → AI Generation before launching ComfyUI from FlashBoards.

This sets the environment variables PYTORCH_ENABLE_MPS_FALLBACK=1 and PYTORCH_MPS_HIGH_WATERMARK_RATIO=0.0.

Gatekeeper Warning

Apple Gatekeeper may block unsigned binaries. If the desktop launcher fails, open the ComfyUI app once via Finder (right-click → Open) to approve it.

Optimization & Monitoring

Performance Tips
  • • Use the MPS fallback toggle on macOS if you see Metal driver crashes or blank outputs. FlashBoards exports the required environment variables before launching ComfyUI.
  • • Keep the connection status visible while running long jobs. If the connection drops, re-test from Settings so the queue can resume.
  • • ComfyUI runs sequentially (one job at a time) while in beta. Queue additional jobs by running them after the current prompt finishes.

ComfyUI support is currently in beta. Expect occasional UI changes and report issues with connection logs or workflow errors so we can refine the integration.

Next Steps

Return to the AI workflows guide to learn how to use ComfyUI templates with FlashBoards and configure your generation workflow, or visit the API tokens setup guide to configure cloud providers like Replicate, fal.ai, and RunningHub.