What ComfyUI saves, and where
ComfyUI stores metadata on purpose: it is what lets you drag an output back onto the canvas and get the exact graph that made it. The same feature hands that graph to anyone who downloads the original file.
PNG (Save Image, Preview Image)
Text chunks named prompt and workflow, holding JSON. Extra keys added by custom nodes are saved the same way.
WebP save node
The same JSON written into EXIF text tags, as prompt:{...} and workflow:{...}.
SVG save node
A metadata element containing the prompt and workflow JSON.
Save Video and Save WEBM
ComfyUI's video save nodes store the prompt and workflow as container metadata. StripShot cleans MP4 and MOV files.
The part people miss: full file paths
Built-in loaders store model names relative to the models folder. Some custom nodes (path-based image and video loaders, some save nodes) keep absolute paths instead, such as C:\Users\jordanlee\ComfyUI\models\loras\style.safetensors. The folder after Users is the account name on that machine, which for many people is their real name. It sits in the workflow JSON alongside every model and LoRA you used, including paid or private ones.
The workflow extractor flags any username or local path it finds in a file, so you can see exactly what would be exposed.
Three ways to keep it private
- Strip the copies you share. Drop the image in the tool above. The prompt and workflow chunks and EXIF are removed in your browser; the image data is byte-identical afterwards.
- Turn metadata off at the source. Launch ComfyUI with
--disable-metadata. You lose drag-and-drop reloading of your own outputs, so keep your workflows saved separately. - Keep a private master. Save the workflow as JSON (or keep the original PNG) and post only stripped copies.
Does posting to social media remove it?
Sometimes, but you cannot rely on it. Platforms that re-encode uploads usually drop the text chunks, while file hosts, Discord attachments, cloud folders, email and many art sites keep the original file as you uploaded it. Strip it yourself and it does not matter where the file ends up. See which platforms strip metadata.
Frequently asked questions
Does ComfyUI save my workflow inside every image?
Yes, by default. The Save Image node writes two text chunks into each PNG: prompt, the graph that actually ran, and workflow, the full editor layout. Preview images are saved the same way. That is what lets you drag an output back onto the canvas to restore the graph.
How do I stop ComfyUI from saving metadata?
Start ComfyUI with the --disable-metadata launch flag. New images are then saved without the prompt and workflow chunks. The trade-off is that you can no longer drag your own outputs back in to reload their workflow, so many people keep metadata on and strip only the copies they share.
What can someone learn from my ComfyUI image?
Everything in the graph: positive and negative prompts, seed, sampler, scheduler, steps, CFG, the checkpoint, LoRA and VAE file names, custom node names, and any absolute file paths stored in node settings. Built-in loaders save model names relative to the models folder, but some custom nodes (path-based image and video loaders, some save nodes) store full paths, and those include the folder name of your computer account.
Will removing the metadata change the image?
No. StripShot removes the text chunks and EXIF blocks at the binary level and does not decode or re-encode the picture, so every pixel stays identical. The tool shows a SHA-256 check of the image data before and after.
Can I keep my workflow and still share a clean image?
Yes. Download the workflow first with the ComfyUI workflow extractor, or keep your original output, then strip the copy you post. The workflow.json file loads into ComfyUI on its own.