Answers

How do I give someone my working ComfyUI setup without a wall of red missing nodes?

A workflow JSON carries neither the models nor the custom nodes and their dependencies, so on someone else's machine it opens with red nodes and empty model lists. To give them the setup itself, pack it as a nest and hand it off: a private link for the people you choose, with no public link. They claim it into their own drive and restore it on a machine of their own.

Is sending my workflow JSON enough?

Only if the other person already has the same custom nodes and models. A workflow JSON lists node types and model file names. It doesn't contain the nodes' code, the Python packages they need, or the model files. On their machine, every node they don't have shows up red, and every model they don't have gives an empty dropdown or Value not in list. That's the routine people describe: load it, see a wall of red, then hunt through the JSON for model file names. See red nodes and empty model lists for each case.

What do I do when "Get missing custom nodes" doesn't work?

ComfyUI-Manager can only install nodes it can match by name to a repository it knows, and it usually installs a current version, which may not be the one the workflow was built with. It doesn't install models. When a node is unlisted, renamed, or changed since the workflow was made, the installer can't fix it. The reliable fix is to get the setup from the machine where it worked, which is what a hand-off gives the other person.

How do I hand off a working setup with Renest?

1. Pack it where it works. Get the workflow producing images, then pack it to your drive (see the RunPod guide for the setup):

$ renest pack --dir /workspace --workflow workflow-api.json \
    --out /workspace/nests --dest hosted

2. Create a hand-off. In the web console, open the nest and create a hand-off. Choose how long the link stays valid and how many people can claim it, and confirm you have the right to pass the contents on.
3. Send the link however you like, or enter the recipient's e-mail address and Renest sends it.

Renest won't create a hand-off while the nest is still being checked after upload, when its dependencies can't be reinstalled on another machine (the recipient would download it only to fail at setup), or when the nest was stopped by our safety policy. The full rules, including expiry and claim limits, are in How hand-offs work.

What does my client or teammate do with it?

They sign in to Renest and open the link. Before claiming, they see what the nest contains, what it will run on their machine, which hosts the restore will contact, and which files they will have to fetch themselves. Claiming puts the nest in their own drive. Then they rent a machine in their own account, on any provider (a Linux machine with an NVIDIA GPU), open the nest, choose Restore, and paste the command:

$ renest restore --grant grant.json --dir ./run
$ renest start --dir ./run --listen 0.0.0.0

The restore checks their machine first and refuses one whose GPU generation, driver or CPU can't run the nest's packages, before anything large downloads. It names any missing system library with the command to install it. Then it downloads every file and checks it, installs the exact package versions your run used, starts ComfyUI and runs your workflow once, and reports which steps passed. What that does and doesn't promise is on the Proof page; what to do afterwards is in After the restore.

Do they need to pay to receive it?

No. Receiving and claiming a hand-off works on the free plan. Sending one needs a paid plan, and the number of hand-offs you can create each month depends on the plan; see Pricing. The machine they restore on is rented in their own account and billed to them by their provider.

What about models whose licence doesn't allow passing them on?

Those files aren't handed over from Renest's storage. The same applies to files whose licence Renest can't confirm. The recipient's copy of the nest still lists each one by source address and checksum, so they download it themselves with their own account and on its terms, and the restore checks it is the same file. Your own material, such as a LoRA you trained, travels normally. See Files that don't travel.

Can I post it publicly, for anyone to download?

No. There are no public links and no way to browse or search for hand-offs. A nest contains model files with licences attached and custom code that runs on the recipient's machine, so it goes to people you choose, who sign in to claim it, and you can revoke the link at any time. Revoking stops future claims; anyone who already claimed keeps their copy.

When Renest isn't the answer

If the other person already has the same models and custom nodes and only needs your graph, send the workflow JSON, or a PNG with the workflow embedded (some chat apps and drives strip that metadata, so send the JSON if it opens empty). If you want to publish a workflow for anyone to download, post it on a workflow site with links to the models and nodes; Renest only hands setups to named people.