feat: integrate to comfyui sidebar as custom node

[zioniony]

• Serve SmartGallery via ComfyUI routes at /galleryout/* (without standalone server)
• Add a ComfyUI sidebar “Gallery” tab that embeds /galleryout/view/root in an iframe
• Update README and installation docs with plugin install/usage instructions

[zioniony]

benefits:

1. integrate this project as ComfyUI sidebar by non-intrusive code
2. no need to start a new service if ComfyUI served.

preview:

[biagiomaf]

Hello zioniony, interesting solution. We’ll run some internal tests on it. Thanks for the Pull Request!

[biagiomaf]

Interesting solution! It needs some tweaks to work better during the first launch with large galleries. Right now, if it's the first time using it, the app hangs for minutes without feedback while indexing (especially with 10k+ items).
Next steps: adding a notification for the initial wait time, some JS adjustments, and a Python core update to mention that FFmpeg is required for certain features. Thanks for sharing this custom node integration, it's really cool! Let me know if you plan on making any changes. In a few weeks, when I have the chance, I’ll try to contribute some improvements as well.

[zioniony]

I'll try to resolve these issues.

[biagiomaf]

I am making some changes to the corre application to make it aware that is launched as custom node, so I can better adjust its behavior while launched inside the comfyui interface. Thanks for proposing this custom_node solution.

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On Mon, Mar 9, 2026 at 6:30 AM Young ***@***.***> wrote: *zioniony* left a comment (biagiomaf/smart-comfyui-gallery#47) <#47 (comment)> I'll try to resolve these issues. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#47 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BFAI6VBTKXPEMNHKATCAW4D4PZJHZAVCNFSM6AAAAACWKE6ZLSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHM2DAMRRGI3DEOJZGQ> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[zioniony]

Cool.
Suggest this comfyui plugin do just 3 things:

1. Tell backend/frontend the current mode
2. Embed backend apis to ComfyUI backend
3. Embed frontend page to ComfyUI sidebar

[zioniony]

Interesting solution! It needs some tweaks to work better during the first launch with large galleries. Right now, if it's the first time using it, the app hangs for minutes without feedback while indexing (especially with 10k+ items). Next steps: adding a notification for the initial wait time, some JS adjustments, and a Python core update to mention that FFmpeg is required for certain features. Thanks for sharing this custom node integration, it's really cool! Let me know if you plan on making any changes. In a few weeks, when I have the chance, I’ll try to contribute some improvements as well.

The first launch is now very quick by skipping full sync database.
When smart-gallery main page loaded, It will auto scan root dir, and progress bar showed the same as standalone server.

[biagiomaf]

Thanks! I’m going to test your solution. From a strategic perspective, I’ll work on making the core aware when it's running as a custom_node, so I can disable certain features that only make sense in standalone mode. I’ll also need to clarify to users that the gallery offers full benefits when launched in standalone mode, which is how SmartGallery was primarily intended. That said, I really like your idea of using it as a custom_node and you’ve proven it’s totally doable. Once everything is polished, it will be a great addition. The project is also evolving into a full Digital Asset Manager, and I’m sure the community will appreciate SmartGallery’s flexibility and configuration options. It's becoming a truly versatile tool!

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On Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 2:24 PM Young ***@***.***> wrote: *zioniony* left a comment (biagiomaf/smart-comfyui-gallery#47) <#47 (comment)> Interesting solution! It needs some tweaks to work better during the first launch with large galleries. Right now, if it's the first time using it, the app hangs for minutes without feedback while indexing (especially with 10k+ items). Next steps: adding a notification for the initial wait time, some JS adjustments, and a Python core update to mention that FFmpeg is required for certain features. Thanks for sharing this custom node integration, it's really cool! Let me know if you plan on making any changes. In a few weeks, when I have the chance, I’ll try to contribute some improvements as well. The first launch is now very quick by skipping full sync database. When smart-gallery main page loaded, It will auto scan root dir, and progress bar showed the same as standalone server. Shot-2026-03-10.212125.png (view on web) <https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/23f525e3-b8fc-4ffa-b58c-6ec683eb1d26> — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#47 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BFAI6VF6ELV6LZFUNCI72734QAJQPAVCNFSM6AAAAACWKE6ZLSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHM2DAMZRGM3DEMJVGA> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[biagiomaf]

Good idea,
To handle behavioral adjustments beyond the scan file initialization, I will add this variable to the core application.
Inside smartgallery.py:
IS_CUSTOM_NODE = os.environ.get('SG_CUSTOM_NODE', 'false').lower() == 'true'
Then, in your init.py:
os.environ["SG_CUSTOM_NODE"] = "true"
This way, I can customize the behavior of certain functions while running as a custom node (not just during the initial scan).
Thank you for the great work!