## Summary
Documents the PrimitiveNode copy/paste bug mechanism and connection
lifecycle semantics in `WIDGET_SERIALIZATION.md`. This is tribal
knowledge from debugging
[#1757](https://github.com/Comfy-Org/ComfyUI_frontend/issues/1757) and
the related [Slack
discussion](https://comfy-organization.slack.com/archives/C09AQRB49QX/p1771806268469089).
## What's documented
- **The clone→serialize gap**: `_serializeItems()` calls
`item.clone()?.serialize()`. The clone has no `this.widgets`
(PrimitiveNode creates them on connection), so `serialize()` silently
drops `widgets_values`.
- **Why seed survives but control_after_generate doesn't**: Primary
widget value is copied from the target on reconnect; secondary widgets
read from `this.widgets_values` which was lost.
- **Current vs. proposed lifecycle**: Empty-on-copy → morph-on-connect
(current) vs. clone-configured-instance → empty-on-disconnect
(proposed).
- **Design considerations**: `input.widget` override flexibility,
deserialization ordering, and the minimal `serialize()` override fix.
## Related
- Issue: #1757
- Fix PR: #8938
- Companion: #9102 (initial WIDGET_SERIALIZATION.md), #9105 (type/JSDoc
improvements)
- Notion: COM-15282
┆Issue is synchronized with this [Notion
page](https://www.notion.so/PR-9119-docs-document-PrimitiveNode-copy-paste-semantics-and-widgets_values-loss-3106d73d3650816ba7f7d9e6f3bb3868)
by [Unito](https://www.unito.io)
## Summary
Clarifies the two distinct `serialize` properties on widgets via
improved TypeScript types and JSDoc:
- **`IWidgetOptions.serialize`** — controls whether the widget value is
included in the **API prompt** sent for execution
- **`IBaseWidget.serialize`** — controls whether the widget value is
persisted in the **workflow JSON** (`widgets_values`)
These two properties are easily confused. This PR adds cross-linking
JSDoc, explicit `@default` tags, and a clarifying comment at the check
site in `executionUtil.ts`.
## Changes
| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `src/lib/litegraph/src/types/widgets.ts` | Add `serialize?: boolean`
to `IWidgetOptions` with JSDoc; expand JSDoc on `IBaseWidget.serialize`
|
| `src/utils/executionUtil.ts` | Clarifying comment at the
`widget.options.serialize` check |
| `src/types/metadataTypes.ts` | Connect `ComfyMetadataTags` enum values
to their corresponding serialize properties |
## Related
- Companion doc: #9102 (`WIDGET_SERIALIZATION.md`)
- Issue: #1757
## Verification
- `vue-tsc --noEmit` passes clean
- `eslint` passes clean on all 3 files
- No runtime changes — JSDoc and types only
┆Issue is synchronized with this [Notion
page](https://www.notion.so/PR-9105-docs-clarify-widget-serialize-vs-options-serialize-in-types-and-JSDoc-3106d73d36508155b618ee56cf18f969)
by [Unito](https://www.unito.io)
Documents the distinction between `widget.serialize` (workflow
persistence, checked by `LGraphNode.serialize()`) and
`widget.options.serialize` (API prompt, checked by `executionUtil.ts`).
These share a property name but live at different levels of the widget
object and are consumed by different code paths — a common source of
confusion when debugging serialization bugs.
Includes:
- Explanation of both properties with code references
- Permutation table of the 4 possible combinations with real examples
- Gotchas section covering the `addWidget` options bag behavior and
`PrimitiveNode` dynamic widgets
- Reference added to `src/lib/litegraph/AGENTS.md`
Context: discovered while debugging #1757 (PrimitiveNode
`control_after_generate` lost on copy-paste).
┆Issue is synchronized with this [Notion
page](https://www.notion.so/PR-9102-docs-add-widget-serialization-reference-widget-serialize-vs-widget-options-serialize-30f6d73d365081cd86add44bdaa20d30)
by [Unito](https://www.unito.io)
---------
Co-authored-by: GitHub Action <action@github.com>
