Manager cannot load the node list: investigate retrieval before reinstalling nodes

An empty list does not prove installed nodes are gone

Manager's official troubleshooting covers installation and network conditions.1 We separate retrieving a directory from loading code already present on disk.

Record the active ComfyUI instance, Manager version, search filters, configured network_mode and list source before interpreting an empty result. Official modes include public, private (a configured private channel) and offline (cache if available); the config path also varies by version.3 Capture the failing browser request when one exists, but backend-originated retrieval needs server-side logs too.2

Our suggested branches are directory retrieval, installation and import. If existing nodes still run while search fails, first check whether the intended public, private or offline channel supplied the list; investigate that retrieval path rather than moving custom_nodes. If a list loads but an install fails, inspect that install. If installation completes but import fails, follow the import traceback.

Do not disable TLS validation, weaken security settings or erase all nodes to repair a list request. For a certificate error, record the exact endpoint and certificate failure before changing any connection settings. Treat cache clearing as a targeted, reversible action only when the cache is relevant.

Validate list retrieval, target discovery, installation and node execution separately. A project absent from a registry should remain marked as unlisted; a similarly named project is not an automatic substitute.

Related checks

• ComfyUI Failed to fetch: identify the request before reinstalling
• aiohttp and requests: a missing library is not a connection failure

Source and language review: 2026-09-26. No site-run Manager request, node installation or GPU test is claimed; the branches are editorial diagnosis, not a confirmed fix.