Keep ST Studio on your Windows or Linux computer and let another machine do the GPU work. Write prompts, choose Pipes, send inputs, follow progress and review results in the desktop app. Your everyday creative workspace stays on your own computer; you do not need to work inside a remote Linux desktop or notebook.
ST Bridge runs beside ComfyUI on the GPU machine. It connects that machine to Studio, including its models, nodes, generation progress and media transfers. Your local computer does not need an NVIDIA GPU or a local CUDA installation for this setup.
What runs where #
| Part | Where it runs | What you use it for |
|---|---|---|
| ST Studio | Your computer | Projects, prompts, Pipe controls, Gallery and editing |
| ComfyUI and ST Bridge | The GPU machine | Models, custom nodes and image or video generation |
| Sweet Tea account | Sign in from both sides | Approve the machine and authorize Studio to connect |
Bridge carries inputs and original media directly between your computers. A generation can finish on the remote machine before its original has transferred to your computer. Wait for the original to be available, or explicitly download it, before deleting remote storage.
Choose the connection path #
| Your GPU machine | Start here |
|---|---|
| Already runs a paired Bridge image or Bridge service | Sign in to the same account and select the machine in Studio; no SSH installation is needed |
| Has ComfyUI but no Bridge | Install the standalone ST Bridge application, or use Install from Studio below |
| Will run the whole Studio interface remotely | Follow Hosted and remote Studio |
RunPod and Vast.ai are GPU providers. Studio is your creative workspace; Bridge connects it to the selected machine. Pick the template and persistent storage for the provider you use.
Before you start #
- Install Studio on your computer and sign in to your Sweet Tea account.
- Have a running GPU machine with ComfyUI. It can be a machine you own or a rented cloud instance.
- Keep the GPU machine's ComfyUI installation, models and outputs on persistent storage if you want them to survive stopping or replacing its container.
- For setup entirely from Studio, have full SSH access: host, port, username, SSH private key and a way to verify the machine's host fingerprint.
Bridge pairing uses an account. Enabling Studio sync is a separate choice; pairing does not require you to migrate your whole local workspace.
Connect from the desktop app #
- Open the engine menu at the top of Studio's generation workspace and choose Connect another machine.
- In Install from Studio, choose Enter SSH details, or select a connected Runpod or Vast.ai account and then its running machine. The dialog links to My Desk to manage those provider accounts.
- Review the host, port, user and machine name. Select Check SSH identity and compare the fingerprint with the one supplied by your provider or the machine itself.
- Confirm the fingerprint, select your SSH private-key file and enter its passphrase if needed. Your SSH key stays in this Studio's private local storage.
- Select Connect to this machine, then Install Bridge and connect. If Bridge is already installed, the button offers an update instead.
- Open the pairing page, sign in to the same Sweet Tea account, compare the displayed machine code and approve it.
- Return to Studio and select I've approved it · finish connection. Choose that machine from the engine menu.
Studio installs Bridge alongside the existing ComfyUI setup. Its models and custom nodes stay in place. Full SSH is needed for this setup path; a provider's restricted SSH gateway or browser terminal alone may not support it.
If the machine has only a terminal or notebook #
Use Install on the machine in the same dialog. Choose the remote machine's platform, put the offered Bridge package on it, and run the exact install command shown there. Open Bridge's sign-in link and approve the matching code.
Leave Bridge running. It looks for ComfyUI on port 8188; the dialog shows how to specify another port. Back in Studio, choose I've paired it · find my machine, then select the machine in the engine menu. This path needs a one-time terminal setup, while prompting and generation continue in your local Studio.
A headless ST Bridge image is another option when configuring a cloud instance: it runs the remote engine and Bridge, while Studio stays on your computer. A hosted Studio image also runs the Studio interface remotely. Choose the Bridge setup when you want your own desktop to remain your workspace.
Make the first result #
- Select the remote machine in the engine menu.
- Choose a Pipe and check its requirements against that engine. Install missing models or nodes on the remote machine; installing them only on your local computer does not make them available remotely.
- Choose your project and output folder, supply the prompt or input image, and select Generate.
- Follow progress in Studio and open the finished result in Gallery. Check that its original is available before relying on a local copy.
The engine menu selects the destination for the next run. A run already in progress keeps the engine it started with. Readiness is specific to the selected destination; a healthy connection does not mean every Pipe's dependencies are installed.
Return to it later #
- Start the same machine or reattach its persistent storage using your provider.
- Let ComfyUI and Bridge start, then select the machine in Studio.
- Revalidate the Pipe against that engine and reopen your project or Canvas.
- Before stopping or replacing the instance, confirm required originals have transferred.
Keep the remote volume when stopping a cloud instance. Bridge needs to be running again when the machine returns. If setup says it runs until the machine stops, start Bridge again after a machine restart or use an image that starts it automatically.
Closing Studio does not stop a rented GPU machine. Finish or cancel active runs, confirm needed originals and persistent storage, then use the provider's stop control when you are done with the compute.
If something is unavailable #
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Machine is missing from the menu | Confirm the same account approved it, Bridge is running, then refresh connected machines |
| Machine is unavailable | Check the provider machine and its Bridge/ComfyUI services; local ComfyUI setup is a different destination |
| SSH setup is unavailable | Use the machine's terminal/notebook setup path, or supply full SSH access |
| A Pipe reports missing models or nodes | Resolve its requirements on the selected remote engine |
| A result has finished but its original is not available | Keep the remote output and reconnect so transfer can finish |
