Comfy-Org/desktop

Fork 0

mirror of https://github.com/Comfy-Org/desktop.git synced 2026-11-04 23:47:43 +00:00

[GH-ISSUE #1230] [Feature Request]: Allow usage of an existing python environment instead of generating a new venv #343

New issue

Closed

opened 2026-10-31 22:11:49 +00:00 by bsakaguchi · 1 comment

bsakaguchi commented

2026-10-31 22:11:49 +00:00

Owner

Originally created by @Natans8 on GitHub (Jul 26, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/Comfy-Org/desktop/issues/1230

Prerequisites

I have searched the existing issues and checked the recent builds/commits
I have read the documentation and this feature is not already available
This is a single feature request (not multiple features combined)

Problem Statement

Before the Desktop release, I was using ComfyUI with a conda environment I set up with all sorts of custom and complicated dependencies. Some wheels were complied from the source, some dependencies manually upgraded or downgraded to keep compatibility the others. It took a lot of debugging to get to that point. But I find it more flexible, especially when dealing with new and experimental nodes a lot of the times.

And after downloading the Desktop version, I found it really hard to migrate. With the automatic venv setup, more than half of my nodes were broken, and manually setting them all up again is a lot of work. I know there are ways to freeze the environment and convert it to a venv, and other workarounds, but it is an inconvenient and cumbersome process.

Proposed Solution

I believe that it would be very convenient to have the ability to select an existing python interpreter during the installation/configuration instead of creating a new environment from scratch.

Potential workflow

It could look something like that:

During the installation process, add a radio button options to
- Generate a new environment
- Use an existing environment
When selecting "Use an existing environment", you will be prompted to select a python interpreter from the ones detected on your machine (similar to how IDE like PyCharm and VS Code detect them), be it a native python interpreter, a venv, a conda environment etc.
You will also have the option to input a direct path to the python executable.

Perhaps it would make sense to keep that option under "advanced", so new users won't break their installation if they don't know what they are doing, and slap on a warning for additional caution.

Additionally it would be nice to have the same option to change your interpreter after installation, in the settings (requires a restart obviously). Or in a configuration file somewhere.

Impact Level

Medium (Nice to have)

Alternatives Considered

It could be possible to just migrate the old venv from an existing ComfyUI installation, that is a limited solution, but I'm sure it might help a lot of people as well.

Additional information

I am not sure how realistic it is and if it makes a lot of sense, but for me and many other users, ComfyUI is all about flexibility, having the ability to configure every aspect of my python environment is critical, and allowing to continue with our previously setup environments will massively ease the migration.

┆Issue is synchronized with this Notion page by Unito

Originally created by @Natans8 on GitHub (Jul 26, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/Comfy-Org/desktop/issues/1230 ### Prerequisites - [x] I have searched the existing issues and checked the recent builds/commits - [x] I have read the documentation and this feature is not already available - [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features combined) ### Problem Statement Before the Desktop release, I was using ComfyUI with a conda environment I set up with all sorts of custom and complicated dependencies. Some wheels were complied from the source, some dependencies manually upgraded or downgraded to keep compatibility the others. It took a lot of debugging to get to that point. But I find it more flexible, especially when dealing with new and experimental nodes a lot of the times. And after downloading the Desktop version, I found it really hard to migrate. With the automatic venv setup, more than half of my nodes were broken, and manually setting them all up again is a lot of work. I know there are ways to freeze the environment and convert it to a venv, and other workarounds, but it is an inconvenient and cumbersome process. ### Proposed Solution I believe that it would be very convenient to have the ability to select an existing python interpreter during the installation/configuration instead of creating a new environment from scratch. ### Potential workflow It could look something like that: 1. During the installation process, add a radio button options to - Generate a new environment - Use an existing environment 2. When selecting "Use an existing environment", you will be prompted to select a python interpreter from the ones detected on your machine (similar to how IDE like PyCharm and VS Code detect them), be it a native python interpreter, a venv, a conda environment etc. 3. You will also have the option to input a direct path to the python executable. Perhaps it would make sense to keep that option under "advanced", so new users won't break their installation if they don't know what they are doing, and slap on a warning for additional caution. Additionally it would be nice to have the same option to change your interpreter after installation, in the settings (requires a restart obviously). Or in a configuration file somewhere. ### Impact Level Medium (Nice to have) ### Alternatives Considered It could be possible to just migrate the old venv from an existing ComfyUI installation, that is a limited solution, but I'm sure it might help a lot of people as well. ### Additional information I am not sure how realistic it is and if it makes a lot of sense, but for me and many other users, ComfyUI is all about flexibility, having the ability to configure every aspect of my python environment is critical, and allowing to continue with our previously setup environments will massively ease the migration. ┆Issue is synchronized with this [Notion page](https://www.notion.so/Issue-1230-Feature-Request-Allow-usage-of-an-existing-python-environment-instead-of-generating-23c6d73d365081ba8558c2c9822d17d0) by [Unito](https://www.unito.io)

bsakaguchi

2026-10-31 22:11:49 +00:00

closed this issue
added the
enhancement
label

bsakaguchi commented

2026-10-31 22:11:50 +00:00

Author

Owner

@dosubot[bot] commented on GitHub (Oct 25, 2025):

Hi, @Natans8. I'm Dosu (https://dosu.dev), and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog and am marking this issue as stale.

Issue Summary:

You requested a feature in the ComfyUI installer to allow selecting an existing Python environment instead of creating a new virtual environment.
This feature aims to help users migrate from custom setups with complex dependencies.
You suggested adding this option under advanced settings with warnings to prevent confusion for new users.
There has been no further activity or comments on this issue since it was opened.

Next Steps:

Please let me know if this feature request is still relevant to the latest version of the ComfyUI desktop app by commenting on this issue.
If I do not hear back within 7 days, I will automatically close this issue.

Thank you for your understanding and contribution!

@dosubot[bot] commented on GitHub (Oct 25, 2025): Hi, @Natans8. I'm Dosu (https://dosu.dev), and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog and am marking this issue as stale. **Issue Summary:** - You requested a feature in the ComfyUI installer to allow selecting an existing Python environment instead of creating a new virtual environment. - This feature aims to help users migrate from custom setups with complex dependencies. - You suggested adding this option under advanced settings with warnings to prevent confusion for new users. - There has been no further activity or comments on this issue since it was opened. **Next Steps:** - Please let me know if this feature request is still relevant to the latest version of the ComfyUI desktop app by commenting on this issue. - If I do not hear back within 7 days, I will automatically close this issue. Thank you for your understanding and contribution!

bsakaguchi referenced this issue

2026-10-31 22:17:06 +00:00

[PR #343] [MERGED] [chore] Update frontend version to v1.4.10 #806

No milestone

No project

No assignees

1 participant

Notifications

Due date

The due date is invalid or out of range. Please use the format "yyyy-mm-dd".

No due date set.

Dependencies

No dependencies set.

Reference

Comfy-Org/desktop#343

No description provided.

Rows
Columns