feat: add essentials_category (#12357)

* feat: add essentials_category field to node schema

Amp-Thread-ID: https://ampcode.com/threads/T-019c2b25-cd90-7218-9071-03cb46b351b3

* feat: add ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY to core nodes

Marked nodes:
- Basic: LoadImage, SaveImage, LoadVideo, SaveVideo, Load3D, CLIPTextEncode
- Image Tools: ImageScale, ImageInvert, ImageBatch, ImageCrop, ImageRotate, ImageBlur
- Image Tools/Preprocessing: Canny
- Image Generation: LoraLoader
- Audio: LoadAudio, SaveAudio

Amp-Thread-ID: https://ampcode.com/threads/T-019c2b25-cd90-7218-9071-03cb46b351b3

* Add ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY to more nodes

- SaveGLB (Basic)
- GetVideoComponents (Video Tools)
- TencentTextToModelNode, TencentImageToModelNode (3D)
- RecraftRemoveBackgroundNode (Image Tools)
- KlingLipSyncAudioToVideoNode (Video Generation)
- OpenAIChatNode (Text Generation)
- StabilityTextToAudio (Audio)

Amp-Thread-ID: https://ampcode.com/threads/T-019c2b69-81c1-71c3-8096-450a39e20910

* fix: correct essentials category for Canny node

Amp-Thread-ID: https://ampcode.com/threads/T-019c7303-ab53-7341-be76-a5da1f7a657e
Co-authored-by: Amp <amp@ampcode.com>

* refactor: replace essentials_category string literals with constants

Amp-Thread-ID: https://ampcode.com/threads/T-019c7303-ab53-7341-be76-a5da1f7a657e
Co-authored-by: Amp <amp@ampcode.com>

* refactor: revert constants, use string literals for essentials_category

Amp-Thread-ID: https://ampcode.com/threads/T-019c7303-ab53-7341-be76-a5da1f7a657e
Co-authored-by: Amp <amp@ampcode.com>

* fix: update basics

---------

Co-authored-by: bymyself <cbyrne@comfy.org>
Co-authored-by: Amp <amp@ampcode.com>
Co-authored-by: Jedrzej Kosinski <kosinkadink1@gmail.com>

comfy_api/latest/_io.py

@@ -1339,6 +1339,7 @@ class NodeInfoV1:
     api_node: bool=None
     price_badge: dict | None = None
     search_aliases: list[str]=None
+    essentials_category: str=None
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -1460,6 +1461,8 @@ class Schema:
     """Flags a node as expandable, allowing NodeOutput to include 'expand' property."""
     accept_all_inputs: bool=False
     """When True, all inputs from the prompt will be passed to the node as kwargs, even if not defined in the schema."""
+    essentials_category: str | None = None
+    """Optional category for the Essentials tab. Path-based like category field (e.g., 'Basic', 'Image Tools/Editing')."""
 
     def validate(self):
         '''Validate the schema:
@@ -1566,6 +1569,7 @@ class Schema:
             python_module=getattr(cls, "RELATIVE_PYTHON_MODULE", "nodes"),
             price_badge=self.price_badge.as_dict(self.inputs) if self.price_badge is not None else None,
             search_aliases=self.search_aliases if self.search_aliases else None,
+            essentials_category=self.essentials_category,
         )
         return info
 

comfy_api_nodes/nodes_hunyuan3d.py

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ class TencentTextToModelNode(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="TencentTextToModelNode",
             display_name="Hunyuan3D: Text to Model",
             category="api node/3d/Tencent",
+            essentials_category="3D",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Combo.Input(
                     "model",
@@ -168,6 +169,7 @@ class TencentImageToModelNode(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="TencentImageToModelNode",
             display_name="Hunyuan3D: Image(s) to Model",
             category="api node/3d/Tencent",
+            essentials_category="3D",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Combo.Input(
                     "model",

comfy_api_nodes/nodes_kling.py

@@ -2262,6 +2262,7 @@ class KlingLipSyncAudioToVideoNode(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="KlingLipSyncAudioToVideoNode",
             display_name="Kling Lip Sync Video with Audio",
             category="api node/video/Kling",
+            essentials_category="Video Generation",
             description="Kling Lip Sync Audio to Video Node. Syncs mouth movements in a video file to the audio content of an audio file. When using, ensure that the audio contains clearly distinguishable vocals and that the video contains a distinct face. The audio file should not be larger than 5MB. The video file should not be larger than 100MB, should have height/width between 720px and 1920px, and should be between 2s and 10s in length.",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Video.Input("video"),

comfy_api_nodes/nodes_openai.py

@@ -575,6 +575,7 @@ class OpenAIChatNode(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="OpenAIChatNode",
             display_name="OpenAI ChatGPT",
             category="api node/text/OpenAI",
+            essentials_category="Text Generation",
             description="Generate text responses from an OpenAI model.",
             inputs=[
                 IO.String.Input(

comfy_api_nodes/nodes_recraft.py

@@ -963,6 +963,7 @@ class RecraftRemoveBackgroundNode(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="RecraftRemoveBackgroundNode",
             display_name="Recraft Remove Background",
             category="api node/image/Recraft",
+            essentials_category="Image Tools",
             description="Remove background from image, and return processed image and mask.",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Image.Input("image"),

comfy_api_nodes/nodes_stability.py

@@ -624,6 +624,7 @@ class StabilityTextToAudio(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="StabilityTextToAudio",
             display_name="Stability AI Text To Audio",
             category="api node/audio/Stability AI",
+            essentials_category="Audio",
             description=cleandoc(cls.__doc__ or ""),
             inputs=[
                 IO.Combo.Input(

comfy_extras/nodes_audio.py

@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ class SaveAudio(IO.ComfyNode):
             search_aliases=["export flac"],
             display_name="Save Audio (FLAC)",
             category="audio",
+            essentials_category="Audio",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Audio.Input("audio"),
                 IO.String.Input("filename_prefix", default="audio/ComfyUI"),
@@ -300,6 +301,7 @@ class LoadAudio(IO.ComfyNode):
             search_aliases=["import audio", "open audio", "audio file"],
             display_name="Load Audio",
             category="audio",
+            essentials_category="Audio",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Combo.Input("audio", upload=IO.UploadType.audio, options=sorted(files)),
             ],

comfy_extras/nodes_canny.py

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ class Canny(io.ComfyNode):
             node_id="Canny",
             search_aliases=["edge detection", "outline", "contour detection", "line art"],
             category="image/preprocessors",
+            essentials_category="Image Tools",
             inputs=[
                 io.Image.Input("image"),
                 io.Float.Input("low_threshold", default=0.4, min=0.01, max=0.99, step=0.01),

comfy_extras/nodes_hunyuan3d.py

@@ -621,6 +621,7 @@ class SaveGLB(IO.ComfyNode):
             display_name="Save 3D Model",
             search_aliases=["export 3d model", "save mesh"],
             category="3d",
+            essentials_category="Basics",
             is_output_node=True,
             inputs=[
                 IO.MultiType.Input(

comfy_extras/nodes_images.py

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class ImageCrop(IO.ComfyNode):
             display_name="Image Crop (Deprecated)",
             category="image/transform",
             is_deprecated=True,
+            essentials_category="Image Tools",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Image.Input("image"),
                 IO.Int.Input("width", default=512, min=1, max=nodes.MAX_RESOLUTION, step=1),
@@ -589,6 +590,7 @@ class ImageRotate(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="ImageRotate",
             search_aliases=["turn", "flip orientation"],
             category="image/transform",
+            essentials_category="Image Tools",
             inputs=[
                 IO.Image.Input("image"),
                 IO.Combo.Input("rotation", options=["none", "90 degrees", "180 degrees", "270 degrees"]),

comfy_extras/nodes_load_3d.py

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ class Load3D(IO.ComfyNode):
             node_id="Load3D",
             display_name="Load 3D & Animation",
             category="3d",
+            essentials_category="Basics",
             is_experimental=True,
             inputs=[
                 IO.Combo.Input("model_file", options=sorted(files), upload=IO.UploadType.model),

comfy_extras/nodes_post_processing.py

@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ class Blur(io.ComfyNode):
         return io.Schema(
             node_id="ImageBlur",
             category="image/postprocessing",
+            essentials_category="Image Tools",
             inputs=[
                 io.Image.Input("image"),
                 io.Int.Input("blur_radius", default=1, min=1, max=31, step=1),

comfy_extras/nodes_video.py

@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ class SaveVideo(io.ComfyNode):
             search_aliases=["export video"],
             display_name="Save Video",
             category="image/video",
+            essentials_category="Basics",
             description="Saves the input images to your ComfyUI output directory.",
             inputs=[
                 io.Video.Input("video", tooltip="The video to save."),
@@ -146,6 +147,7 @@ class GetVideoComponents(io.ComfyNode):
             search_aliases=["extract frames", "split video", "video to images", "demux"],
             display_name="Get Video Components",
             category="image/video",
+            essentials_category="Video Tools",
             description="Extracts all components from a video: frames, audio, and framerate.",
             inputs=[
                 io.Video.Input("video", tooltip="The video to extract components from."),
@@ -174,6 +176,7 @@ class LoadVideo(io.ComfyNode):
             search_aliases=["import video", "open video", "video file"],
             display_name="Load Video",
             category="image/video",
+            essentials_category="Basics",
             inputs=[
                 io.Combo.Input("file", options=sorted(files), upload=io.UploadType.video),
             ],

nodes.py

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import json
 import glob
 import hashlib
 import inspect
+
 import traceback
 import math
 import time
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ class CLIPTextEncode(ComfyNodeABC):
     FUNCTION = "encode"
 
     CATEGORY = "conditioning"
+    ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY = "Basics"
     DESCRIPTION = "Encodes a text prompt using a CLIP model into an embedding that can be used to guide the diffusion model towards generating specific images."
     SEARCH_ALIASES = ["text", "prompt", "text prompt", "positive prompt", "negative prompt", "encode text", "text encoder", "encode prompt"]
 
@@ -667,6 +669,8 @@ class CLIPSetLastLayer:
         return (clip,)
 
 class LoraLoader:
+    ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY = "Image Generation"
+
     def __init__(self):
         self.loaded_lora = None
 
@@ -1648,6 +1652,7 @@ class SaveImage:
     OUTPUT_NODE = True
 
     CATEGORY = "image"
+    ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY = "Basics"
     DESCRIPTION = "Saves the input images to your ComfyUI output directory."
     SEARCH_ALIASES = ["save", "save image", "export image", "output image", "write image", "download"]
 
@@ -1706,6 +1711,7 @@ class LoadImage:
                 }
 
     CATEGORY = "image"
+    ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY = "Basics"
     SEARCH_ALIASES = ["load image", "open image", "import image", "image input", "upload image", "read image", "image loader"]
 
     RETURN_TYPES = ("IMAGE", "MASK")
@@ -1863,6 +1869,7 @@ class ImageScale:
     FUNCTION = "upscale"
 
     CATEGORY = "image/upscaling"
+    ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY = "Image Tools"
     SEARCH_ALIASES = ["resize", "resize image", "scale image", "image resize", "zoom", "zoom in", "change size"]
 
     def upscale(self, image, upscale_method, width, height, crop):
@@ -1902,6 +1909,7 @@ class ImageScaleBy:
 
 class ImageInvert:
     SEARCH_ALIASES = ["reverse colors"]
+    ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY = "Image Tools"
 
     @classmethod
     def INPUT_TYPES(s):
@@ -1918,6 +1926,7 @@ class ImageInvert:
 
 class ImageBatch:
     SEARCH_ALIASES = ["combine images", "merge images", "stack images"]
+    ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY = "Image Tools"
 
     @classmethod
     def INPUT_TYPES(s):

server.py

@@ -689,6 +689,10 @@ class PromptServer():
                 info['api_node'] = obj_class.API_NODE
 
             info['search_aliases'] = getattr(obj_class, 'SEARCH_ALIASES', [])
+
+            if hasattr(obj_class, 'ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY'):
+                info['essentials_category'] = obj_class.ESSENTIALS_CATEGORY
+
             return info
 
         @routes.get("/object_info")