# ComfyUI-R1: Exploring Reasoning Models for Workflow Generation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.09790 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.09790/

## Key facts

- Cited by 15 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Reasoning for agents, planning and code, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning.
- Builds on 33 of its 58 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 11 Jun 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM reasoning / [Reasoning for agents, planning and code](https://mlsanity.com/lr/reasoning-for-agents-planning-and-code/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 33)

- [DeepSeekMath: Pushing the Limits of Mathematical Reasoning in Open Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.03300/) (2024)
- [DeepSeek-R1: Incentivizing Reasoning Capability in LLMs via Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.12948/) (2025)
- [SDXL: Improving Latent Diffusion Models for High-Resolution Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.01952/) (2023)
- [IP-Adapter: Text Compatible Image Prompt Adapter for Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.06721/) (2023)
- [Qwen2.5-Coder Technical Report](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.12186/) (2024)
- [ChatDev: Communicative Agents for Software Development](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.07924/) (2023)
- [Large Language Model based Multi-Agents: A Survey of Progress and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01680/) (2024)
- [Why Do Multi-Agent LLM Systems Fail?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.13657/) (2025)
- [Search-o1: Agentic Search-Enhanced Large Reasoning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.05366/) (2025)
- [ToolRL: Reward is All Tool Learning Needs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.13958/) (2025)
- [R1-Searcher: Incentivizing the Search Capability in LLMs via Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05592/) (2025)
- [DeepResearcher: Scaling Deep Research via Reinforcement Learning in Real-world Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.03160/) (2025)
- [LMM-R1: Empowering 3B LMMs with Strong Reasoning Abilities Through Two-Stage Rule-Based RL](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.07536/) (2025)
- [MedVLM-R1: Incentivizing Medical Reasoning Capability of Vision-Language Models (VLMs) via Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.19634/) (2025)
- [ToRL: Scaling Tool-Integrated RL](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.23383/) (2025)
- [R1-Zero's "Aha Moment" in Visual Reasoning on a 2B Non-SFT Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05132/) (2025)
- [Marco-o1: Towards Open Reasoning Models for Open-Ended Solutions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.14405/) (2024)
- [R1-Omni: Explainable Omni-Multimodal Emotion Recognition with Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05379/) (2025)
- [Improving Text-to-Image Consistency via Automatic Prompt Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.17804/) (2024)
- [Perception, Reason, Think, and Plan: A Survey on Large Multimodal Reasoning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.04921/) (2025)
- [Fin-R1: A Large Language Model for Financial Reasoning through Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.16252/) (2025)
- [Towards Reasoning in Large Language Models via Multi-Agent Peer Review Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.08152/) (2023)
- [(Perhaps) Beyond Human Translation: Harnessing Multi-Agent Collaboration for Translating Ultra-Long Literary Texts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.11804/) (2024)
- [Benchmarking Agentic Workflow Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.07869/) (2024)
- [ComfyBench: Benchmarking LLM-based Agents in ComfyUI for Autonomously Designing Collaborative AI Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.01392/) (2024)
- [FilmAgent: A Multi-Agent Framework for End-to-End Film Automation in Virtual 3D Spaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.12909/) (2025)
- [A Unified Agentic Framework for Evaluating Conditional Image Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.07046/) (2025)
- [ComfyMind: Toward General-Purpose Generation via Tree-Based Planning and Reactive Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.17908/) (2025)
- [ComfyGPT: A Self-Optimizing Multi-Agent System for Comprehensive ComfyUI Workflow Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.17671/) (2025)
- [ComfyGen: Prompt-Adaptive Workflows for Text-to-Image Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.01731/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 15 of 15)

- [From Static Templates to Dynamic Runtime Graphs: A Survey of Workflow Optimization for LLM Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.22386/) (2026)
- [A Survey on Agentic Multimodal Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.10991/) (2025)
- [COMFYCLAW: Self-Evolving Skill Harnesses for Image Generation Workflows](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.01709/) (2026)
- [Chat2Workflow: A Benchmark for Generating Executable Visual Workflows with Natural Language](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.19667/) (2026)
- [ComfySearch: Autonomous Exploration and Reasoning for ComfyUI Workflows](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.04060/) (2026)
- [VisionCreator: A Native Visual-Generation Agentic Model with Understanding, Thinking, Planning and Creation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.02681/) (2026)
- [Knowledge-Centric Agents for Workflow Generation in ComfyUI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.15845/) (2026)
- [VisionCreator-R1: A Reflection-Enhanced Native Visual-Generation Agentic Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.08812/) (2026)
- [JarvisHub: An Open Harness for Canvas-Native Multimodal Creative Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.23588/) (2026)
- [Agentic Visual Generation: From Generative Models to Agentic Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.06758/) (2026)
- [Na"ive PAINE: Lightweight Text-to-Image Generation Improvement with Prompt Evaluation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.12506/) (2026)
- [LLM-based Visual Code Completion for Aerospace Geometric Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.16806/) (2026)
- [From Search to Synthesis: Training LLMs as Zero-Shot Workflow Generators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.30704/) (2026)
- [TemplateCraft: Agentic Visual Template Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.31451/) (2026)
- [MoFlow: Multi-Objective Agentic Workflow Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.38294/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

AI-generated content has evolved from monolithic models to modular workflows, particularly on platforms like ComfyUI, enabling customization in creative pipelines. However, crafting effective workflows requires great expertise to orchestrate numerous specialized components, presenting a steep learning curve for users. To address this challenge, we introduce ComfyUI-R1, the first large reasoning model for automated workflow generation. Starting with our curated dataset of 4K workflows, we construct long chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning data, including node selection, workflow planning, and code-level workflow representation. ComfyUI-R1 is trained through a two-stage framework: (1) CoT fine-tuning for cold start, adapting models to the ComfyUI domain; (2) reinforcement learning for incentivizing reasoning capability, guided by a fine-grained rule-metric hybrid reward, ensuring format validity, structural integrity, and node-level fidelity. Experiments show that our 7B-parameter model achieves a 97% format validity rate, along with high pass rate, node-level and graph-level F1 scores, significantly surpassing prior state-of-the-art methods that employ leading closed-source models such as GPT-4o and Claude series. Further analysis highlights the critical role of the reasoning process and the advantage of transforming workflows into code. Qualitative comparison reveals our strength in synthesizing intricate workflows with diverse nodes, underscoring the potential of long CoT reasoning in AI art creation.