ComfyUI Download Manager — Model Download Hub for the New Frontend

A ComfyUI download manager bridge: bring ComfyUI-Manager’s model catalog and download hub to the new ComfyUI frontend without enabling legacy UI. Adds a floating Manage Downloads button and a full model download manager (Browse, Hugging Face, Civitai, GitHub, direct URL).

Also referred to as the Manage Downloads Button / Manager Bridge extension.

This is a community extension for ComfyUI. It is not affiliated with or maintained by Comfy-Org. It builds on ComfyUI-Manager (GPL-3.0).

Search terms: ComfyUI download manager, ComfyUI model downloads, ComfyUI Manager model catalog, download models new UI, Civitai/Hugging Face import for ComfyUI.

Continuing development? See AGENTS.md and docs/ for session handoff, project index, and API reference.

What you get

• Floating Manager button on the graph (configurable)
• Download Models hub with tabs:
  • Browse catalog (Manager model-list.json)
  • Hugging Face
  • Civitai
  • GitHub (model files + custom node Git URL install)
  • Other URL (direct .safetensors, .ckpt, .pt, etc.)
• Manager power actions: unload models, free memory, restart
• Local API token storage for gated Civitai / Hugging Face downloads
• Folder quick reference on import tabs — collapsible cheat sheet for choosing the right model folder

The built-in sidebar Models button (Model Library) is unchanged — it still browses local folders only.

See CHANGELOG.md for release notes.

Requirements

• Windows ComfyUI portable layout (primary target)
• ComfyUI started with --enable-manager
• Pip package comfyui-manager installed (tested with 4.2.2)
• ComfyUI frontend v1.45.x (new UI)

Re-run setup after upgrading comfyui-manager — the installer vendors Manager JS from the pip package.

Install

1. Open a command prompt and go to your ComfyUI portable root (the folder that contains ComfyUI\, python_embeded\, and run_nvidia_gpu.bat):

   cd /d E:\Storage\AI\ComfyUI_windows_portable

   Use your actual portable path — not your user profile folder.

2. Clone this repo into that folder:

   git clone https://github.com/Osterman-Designs/comfyui-manage-downloads-button.git

3. From the same portable root, run setup:

   comfyui-manage-downloads-button\setup_model_manager.bat

   You should see Portable root: pointing at your portable folder (not C:\Users\...). If setup or uninstall targets the wrong folder, cd to portable root and run again.

4. To remove the deployed extension later, again from portable root:

   cd /d E:\Storage\AI\ComfyUI_windows_portable
   comfyui-manage-downloads-button\uninstall_model_manager.bat

   This deletes custom_nodes/comfy-manager-bridge, restores comfyui-manager.orig if setup renamed it, and reverses an optional pip patch. Saved API tokens are kept.

5. Edit ComfyUI\user\__manager\config.ini:

   [default]
   allow_git_url_install = true

6. Start ComfyUI with --enable-manager and restart after backend changes. Use Ctrl+Shift+R in the browser after JS changes.

Install via Git URL (ComfyUI Manager)

The repo root is the custom node package. ComfyUI Manager can install it directly:

1. Open Manage extensions in ComfyUI (requires --enable-manager).

2. Install custom node from Git URL

3. URL:

   https://github.com/Osterman-Designs/comfyui-manage-downloads-button.git
   

4. Target folder name: comfy-manager-bridge (recommended)

5. Manager runs install.py automatically — vendors pip Manager JS into js/.

6. Set allow_git_url_install = true in config.ini if you use Git URL custom node installs.

7. Restart ComfyUI and hard refresh the browser.

After a comfyui-manager pip upgrade, re-run vendoring:

cd /d ComfyUI\custom_nodes\comfy-manager-bridge
..\..\..\python_embeded\python.exe install.py

(or use the portable clone + setup path below instead)

Portable clone + setup (recommended for portable users)

Same as steps 1–6 above — clone as a sibling folder and run setup_model_manager.bat, which deploys to custom_nodes/comfy-manager-bridge and supports uninstall/reinstall.

Configure

Edit variables at the top of tools\setup_model_manager.bat (or the root wrapper), then re-run setup from your portable root. Setup writes them into ComfyUI/custom_nodes/comfy-manager-bridge/js/bridge-config.json.

For a one-off change without re-running setup, edit that bridge-config.json directly and hard refresh the browser (Ctrl+Shift+R).

MANAGER_BTN — bridge entry point on the canvas

Value	What you see
float (default)	A draggable Manager FAB on the graph. Click it for Download Models, Git URL install, unload/free/restart.
off	No bridge buttons or menu. Backend routes still load, but there is no UI to open the download hub.

When to use float: Normal use. This is the whole point of the extension — Manager’s download catalog on the new frontend without legacy UI.

When to use off: Rare. Examples: you only want the backend routes (e.g. testing or automation) and will open nothing in the UI; you’re troubleshooting whether the FAB conflicts with another overlay; or you temporarily want ComfyUI without the extra canvas button but don’t want to uninstall. If you hide the UI, use Manage extensions in ComfyUI for custom nodes — you won’t get the download hub from this extension until you switch back to float or run uninstall.

QUICK_CATALOG — second FAB (float mode only)

Value	Meaning
0 (default)	One Manager FAB; Download Models opens from its menu.
1	Adds a second FAB that opens the download hub directly (skips the Manager menu).

Use 1 if you open the catalog often and want one less click. Ignored when MANAGER_BTN=off.

APPLY_PIP_PATCH — where backend routes load from

Value	Meaning
0 (default)	Routes load from the deployed custom node (bridge_backend.py). Safer across Manager pip upgrades.
1	Patches the pip comfyui_manager package instead. Escape hatch if the custom-node path breaks after a Manager update. Re-apply after each Manager upgrade; use uninstall to restore pip files.

Most users should leave this at 0.

API tokens

Civitai and Hugging Face tokens are saved locally at:

ComfyUI/user/__manager/bridge-api-keys.json

Tokens are never committed to git. Use the Save/Clear controls on each import tab.

Project layout

bridge_routes.py          # Backend routes (deployed as bridge_backend.py)
bridge_api_keys.py        # Token storage + authenticated downloads
extension/comfy-manager-bridge/
  __init__.py
  js/                     # Bridge UI + patched Manager frontend modules
patches/                  # Optional pip-package patch files
setup_model_manager.bat     # Deploy into custom_nodes/comfy-manager-bridge
uninstall_model_manager.bat # Remove deployed extension + undo pip patch

Setup copies vendored Manager assets from:

python_embeded/Lib/site-packages/comfyui_manager/js/

Documentation

Doc	Description
AGENTS.md	Session handoff for contributors and AI agents
CHANGELOG.md	Release notes
docs/PROJECT-INDEX.md	Complete file inventory and deploy mapping
docs/REFERENCE.md	HTTP API, config, JS/Python module reference

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
Setup/uninstall uses wrong Portable root: (e.g. C:\Users\...)	cd /d to your portable folder first, then run the .bat
Setup can’t find portable root	Clone repo as a sibling of ComfyUI\ and python_embeded\, then run from that folder
Missing manager JS dependency	Install/start ComfyUI once with --enable-manager so pip Manager is present
Git URL install blocked	Set allow_git_url_install = true in config.ini and restart
Catalog 500 / empty after update	Re-run setup_model_manager.bat, restart ComfyUI
UI changes not visible	Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R)

License

GPL-3.0-only — see LICENSE. This project includes modifications to ComfyUI-Manager frontend modules and integrates with the ComfyUI-Manager Python package.

GitHub SEO (optional)

If you maintain this repo on GitHub, set About → Description to something like:

ComfyUI download manager for the new frontend — model catalog, Civitai, Hugging Face, GitHub, and direct URL imports via ComfyUI-Manager.

Suggested Topics: comfyui, comfyui-manager, download-manager, model-download, custom-node, huggingface, civitai