diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c777f13..c9a2f7f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ Stuff here is new and has not been thoroughly tested. Inputs, outputs, and behav
 
 > **Experimental** - new and not well tested. Behavior and interface may change.
 
-Prepares control video and mask for inpainting. An optional reference image can be input as a context frame to guide generation.
+Prepares control video and mask for inpainting. Connect the output to `WanVaceToVideo.control_video` / `control_masks`; use `WanVaceToVideo.reference_image` separately if you need a reference frame.
 
 **Parameters:**
 
@@ -228,16 +228,15 @@ Prepares control video and mask for inpainting. An optional reference image can
 |-|-|-|
 | video | | Source video frames (IMAGE) |
 | mask | | Inpaint mask. White (1) marks regions to regenerate, black (0) preserves the original. Can be a single frame (broadcast to all frames) or a per-frame sequence. |
-| reference_image | *(optional)* | A single image prepended as a context frame with mask=0. Resized automatically if dimensions differ from the video. |
 
 **Outputs:**
 
 | Output | Description |
 |-|-|
-| control_video | VACE control video input. Masked pixels replaced with gray (0.5); reference frame prepended if supplied. |
-| control_mask | VACE control mask input. Matches control_video length; reference frame slot is fully black (0). |
+| control_video | VACE control video input. Masked pixels replaced with gray (0.5). |
+| control_mask | VACE control mask input. White (1) where inpainting should occur, black (0) over preserved content. |
 | width, height | Video dimensions (must be divisible by 16) |
-| length | Frame count (video frames + 1 if reference image provided) |
+| length | Frame count (matches input video) |
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/vace_inpaint.py b/vace_inpaint.py
index 34fe069..a0d3a76 100644
--- a/vace_inpaint.py
+++ b/vace_inpaint.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import torch
-import torch.nn.functional as F
 
 
 class WanVACEInpaint:
@@ -10,9 +9,6 @@ class WanVACEInpaint:
                 "video": ("IMAGE",),
                 "mask": ("MASK",),
             },
-            "optional": {
-                "reference_image": ("IMAGE",),
-            },
         }
 
     RETURN_TYPES = ("IMAGE", "MASK", "INT", "INT", "INT")
@@ -22,12 +18,11 @@ class WanVACEInpaint:
     DESCRIPTION = (
         "Prepares a video for VACE inpainting. Masked regions (mask=1) are "
         "replaced with a gray placeholder so Wan VACE will regenerate them while "
-        "preserving the rest. An optional reference image is prepended as a "
-        "context frame (mask=0) to guide generation."
+        "preserving the rest."
     )
     EXPERIMENTAL = True
     
-    def run(self, video, mask, reference_image=None):
+    def run(self, video, mask):
         N, H, W, C = video.shape
 
         if W % 16 != 0 or H % 16 != 0:
@@ -58,27 +53,6 @@ class WanVACEInpaint:
         mask_bool = mask > 0.5  # [N, H, W]
         masked_video[mask_bool] = 0.5
 
-        if reference_image is not None:
-            ref = reference_image[0:1]  # [1, H_ref, W_ref, C]
-            ref_h, ref_w = ref.shape[1], ref.shape[2]
-            if ref_h != H or ref_w != W:
-                print(
-                    f"[WanVACEInpaint] Resizing reference image from "
-                    f"{ref_w}x{ref_h} to {W}x{H}"
-                )
-                ref = ref.permute(0, 3, 1, 2)  # [1, C, H_ref, W_ref]
-                ref = F.interpolate(ref, size=(H, W), mode="bilinear", align_corners=False)
-                ref = ref.permute(0, 2, 3, 1)  # [1, H, W, C]
-
-            control_video = torch.cat([ref, masked_video], dim=0)
-            ref_mask = torch.zeros(1, H, W, dtype=mask.dtype, device=mask.device)
-            control_mask = torch.cat([ref_mask, mask], dim=0)
-            length = N + 1
-        else:
-            control_video = masked_video
-            control_mask = mask
-            length = N
-
-        return (control_video, control_mask, W, H, length)
+        return (masked_video, mask, W, H, N)