CheckpointLoader Node

Load Stable Diffusion checkpoint models.

Function

Loads checkpoint files (.safetensors, .ckpt) containing model weights.

Inputs

Input	Type	Description
model	(from node)	Model file selection

Outputs

Output	Type	Description
MODEL	model	Model for KSampler
CLIP	clip	CLIP model for text encoding
VAE	vae	VAE model for encoding/decoding

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
checkpoint_name	dropdown	Available model files

Usage

Basic Setup

CheckpointLoader
    ↓ MODEL → KSampler
    ↓ CLIP → CLIPTextEncode → KSampler
    ↓ VAE → VAEDecode

With SDXL

SDXL checkpoints have different structure:

CheckpointLoader (SDXL)
    ↓ MODEL → KSampler
    ↓ CLIP1 → CLIPTextEncode (positive)
    ↓ CLIP2 → CLIPTextEncode (negative) / combined
    ↓ VAE → VAEDecode

Model Files

Location

ComfyUI/models/checkpoints/

Supported Formats

Format	Extension	Recommended
SafeTensors	.safetensors	✅
PyTorch	.ckpt, .pth	Use if needed

Tips

1. Model selection: Choose based on your needs
2. SDXL models: Use SDXL-specific checkpoints
3. Refresh: Click refresh if model not showing

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Model not found	Check file location
Out of memory	Use fp16 or smaller model
Slow loading	Normal for large models

Next Steps

• CLIPTextEncode - Encode prompts
• KSampler - Sample image
• VAE operations - Encode/decode