01 · Getting started
Quick start
Install the add-on, open the panel, and run your first cleanup:
- Install. Edit ▸ Preferences ▸ Add-ons ▸ Install…, pick
node_group_manager.zip, enable OEBS Node Group Manager. In Blender 4.2+ you can drag the zip into the window instead. - Open the panel. Press N in the 3D Viewport → Nodes Manager tab, or press N in any node editor → GN / SN / Comp Manager tab.
- Browse. The list shows every node group in the file. Click a name to load its details into the Active Group panel.
- Clean up. Open File Health, click Run Health Check, then Merge All (duplicates) and Purge (unused) to reclaim the file.
02 · Getting started
Concepts & vocabulary
A shared vocabulary for the rest of the guide.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Node group | A reusable Geometry, Shader, or Compositor node tree (bpy.data.node_groups). |
| Orphaned | A group not reachable from any object modifier (GN) or material (Shader). |
| Unused | A group with zero real users. A Fake User does not count as a real user. |
| Stray object | An object that exists in the file but sits in no collection — a common cause of "phantom" group users. |
| Fake User | Blender's shield flag that keeps a datablock from being purged even when unused. |
| Top-level group | A group assigned directly to a modifier (GN), or not nested inside any other group (Shader). |
| Complexity score | A weight: nodes×1 + links×0.5 + nested×5 — roughly "how heavy is this group". |
03 · Getting started
Where the panels live
The add-on appears in two places and adapts to the active editor.
- 3D Viewport → N → "Nodes Manager". A Geometry Shader Compositor selector picks which manager to view — a slimmer, browsing-focused layout.
- Node Editor → N sidebar. Auto-detects the editor type and shows the full toolset under the GN / SN / Comp Manager tab.
Draggable panels New in 2.0
File Health, Duplicate Finder, Library Browser and Column Widths are now separate sidebar panels. Drag their headers to reorder, collapse each independently — Blender remembers your arrangement per workspace. They start collapsed.
NoteBy default these four appear only in the Node Editor sidebars. To show them in the 3D Viewport too, enable Preferences ▸ Behaviour ▸ Show All Panels in 3D Viewport.