ComfyUI-HoldCounter

A small but flexible utility node for ComfyUI that emits a sequential integer index, holds it for a configurable number of consecutive queue runs, and walks an inclusive [min_index, max_index] range using the advancement mode of your choice. Useful as a Load Image batch index when you want each input image to be used for several consecutive runs (e.g. multiple seeds per image) before advancing — and for many other batch automation patterns.

Features

• runs_per_index — how many consecutive queue runs hold each index (default 1).
• min_index / max_index — inclusive output range (defaults 0 / 1). Order doesn't matter; if min > max they're swapped automatically.
• mode — how the index advances:
  • loop (default) — wrap from max back to min.
  • clamp — stop at max, then keep emitting max forever.
  • pingpong — bounce: 0,1,2,3,4,3,2,1,0,1,….
  • random — uniformly random in range each tick (still held for runs_per_index runs).
  • shuffle — walk a random permutation of the range; reshuffle after a full pass.
• format — Python-style format string applied to the emitted index_str output. Examples: "{}" → "7", "{:04d}" → "0007", "frame_{:03d}" → "frame_007". Bad templates fall back to str(index) rather than raising.
• Two outputs — index (INT) and index_str (STRING). Wire either or both.
• Reset button in the node body — momentary; rewinds only this node's counter.
• Per-node state — multiple HoldCounter nodes in one workflow advance independently.
• Live display — the current index_str is shown read-only inside the node body after each run.

Examples

Sequence of outputs for min_index=0, max_index=4:

Mode	Output sequence (runs_per_index=1)
loop	0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, …
clamp	0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, …
pingpong	0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, …
random	each value uniformly random in [0, 4]
shuffle	random permutation per pass, e.g. 2, 0, 4, 1, 3, …

Increasing runs_per_index simply repeats each emitted value that many times — for example, mode=loop, runs_per_index=2 produces 0, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 0, 0, ….

Installation

Via ComfyUI Manager

1. Open Manager → Install Custom Nodes.
2. Search for ComfyUI-HoldCounter and click Install.
3. Restart ComfyUI.

Manual install

cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes
git clone https://github.com/mitch-avis/ComfyUI-HoldCounter.git

Then restart ComfyUI. There are no Python dependencies beyond ComfyUI itself.

Usage

The node appears under utils → Hold Counter. Connect:

• index (INT) → e.g. the index input of a Load Image (Batch) node.
• index_str (STRING) → e.g. a filename prefix on a Save Image node.

A ready-to-import example lives in workflows/hold_counter_basic.json.

Notes

• Counter state is per-node (keyed by ComfyUI's internal unique_id) and persists across queue runs within a single ComfyUI session. Restarting ComfyUI resets every counter.
• The node is OUTPUT_NODE = True, so it executes every queue submission even when its outputs aren't connected to anything downstream.

Development

cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes/hold_counter
uv venv && uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
uv tool run ruff format --check .
uv tool run ruff check .
uv run pyright .
uv run pytest --cov

CI runs the same checks across Python 3.10 / 3.11 / 3.12 on every push and PR.

License

MIT. See CHANGELOG.md for release notes.