When setting up Node Red on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2w which has just been updated with 64bit Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie), @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard 1.30.2 now fails to install and crashes the Rasperry Pi which loses contact over VNC but the Pi restarts without Node Red running, and the latter has to be restarted in fresh terminal.
I have even sought to resolve the issue using a brand new SanDisk SD card but to no avail, so not an issue with the sd cards. Any thoughts?
I would avoid vnc for such a low powered device and simply access node-red via browser or ssh to the terminal from your computer.
How exactly are you installing?
What node version do you have on the rpi?
Do you have any logs?
Try to install it via the command line and see what it says. Assuming that you have a conventional node red install then use
cd ~/.node-red
npm install @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard
Post the full output from the command here.
Thanks for your responses. The dashboard was previously installed using an earlier version Node Red Editor rather the current version (V5.0.4), also it used Node.js version 20 (I think). My flows ran for months without issue with the flowfuse dashboard.
Unfortunately when I updated a flow it became corrupted, hence why I started afresh with a new installation of pi OS and Node Red but when that installation wasn't successful I resorted to using a newly purchased SD card. I had only installed two other nodes using the Node Red Editor's Palette Manager prior to attempting to install the dashboard and no Flows were installed.
- @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard
- @sammachin/node-red-matter-bridge
The Editor's Palette Manager would run for a while installing the dashboard then lose contact and stop as Node Red/RPI had crashed.
Before I try to install using the command line, where would I find any logs to help with identifying the cause of the issue?
Node-red installation logs go to /var/log/nodered-install.log*
You can review runtime logs, including installing nodes via journalctl -u nodered-service
There are many other options besides -u to filter journalctl output.
The install logs according to AI Gemini are OK.
Did a manual install as proposed by Colin (thanks).
According to Gemini since the dashboard plugin relies heavily on compiling code on the fly, it frequently spikes RAM usage during installation. So the raspberry pi crashed as it was out of memory. You can bypass the web portal entirely and install it safely if node red is stopped and the dashboard is installed via the command line.
$ cd ~/.node-red
npm install @flowfuse/node-red-dashboard
added 160 packages, and audited 350 packages in 3m
4 high severity vulnerabilities
To address all issues (including breaking changes), run:
npm audit fix --force
Run npm audit for details.
npm warn allow-scripts 2 packages have install scripts not yet covered by allowScripts:
npm warn allow-scripts @serialport/bindings-cpp@12.0.1 (install: node-gyp rebuild)
npm warn allow-scripts core-js@3.50.0 (postinstall: node -e "try{require('./postinstall')}catch(e){}")
npm warn allow-scripts
npm warn allow-scripts Run npm approve-scripts --allow-scripts-pending to review, or npm approve-scripts <pkg> to allow.
I have installed Node-red and added the flowfuse dashboard via manage palette many times on a Pi Zero 2, never had it crash.
I have not used node-red-matter-bridge. Did you install that before the dashboard?
If @PdeJ is running VNC on the pi he/she is effectively running a GUI, which could well overload a pi zero. I would never attempt to run a GUI on a zero. It is best to install the lite version of the OS and use SSH to manage it. In fact I use the lite OS on all my pi systems.
I (
) have previously installed dashboard 2 on the piZero 2w without issue via manage palette, but only with the earlier and not the latest V5.0.4 Node Red editor. I also routinely had vnc running as needed to switch node red on/off. I had also thought I had resolved the issues by loading the dashboard onto the Pi via ssh from the command prompt on the PC, but on with VNC running to start node red, and opening the Node Red Editor ...the Pi crashed again. So it does look as though things have become more critical for some reason. Restarted Node Red via the PC's command prompt in Safe mode, but again Pi crashed while using the Node Red Editor. 
Error log of crash:
2026-08-21 10:17:20.693 FATAL Logger Unhandled error detected: Required dependency StorageService is not available
at Environment.get (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@sammachin/node-red-matter-controller/node_modules/@matter/general/dist/cjs/environment/Environment.js:69:11)
at new ControllerStore (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/node/dist/cjs/node/client/storage/ControllerStore.js:54:33)
at asyncNew (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/general/dist/cjs/util/Construction.js:37:19)
at ControllerStore.create (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/node/dist/cjs/node/client/storage/ControllerStore.js:64:46)
at CommissioningController.initializeControllerStore (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/dist/cjs/CommissioningController.js:339:63)
at CommissioningController.start (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/dist/cjs/CommissioningController.js:350:20)
at new MatterController (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@sammachin/node-red-matter-controller/controller.js:52:38)
at Object.createNode (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/util.js:211:27)
at Flow.start (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/Flow.js:235:50)
at async start (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/index.js:403:17)
2026-08-21 10:17:20.738 FATAL Logger Unhandled error detected: Required dependency StorageService is not available
at Environment.get (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@sammachin/node-red-matter-controller/node_modules/@matter/general/dist/cjs/environment/Environment.js:69:11)
at new ControllerStore (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/node/dist/cjs/node/client/storage/ControllerStore.js:54:33)
at asyncNew (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/general/dist/cjs/util/Construction.js:37:19)
at ControllerStore.create (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/node/dist/cjs/node/client/storage/ControllerStore.js:64:46)
at CommissioningController.initializeControllerStore (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/dist/cjs/CommissioningController.js:339:63)
at CommissioningController.start (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/dist/cjs/CommissioningController.js:350:20)
at new MatterController (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@sammachin/node-red-matter-controller/controller.js:52:38)
at Object.createNode (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/util.js:211:27)
at Flow.start (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/Flow.js:235:50)
at async start (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/index.js:403:17)
[red] Uncaught Exception:
21 Aug 10:17:20 - [error] Error: Required dependency StorageService is not available
at Environment.get (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@sammachin/node-red-matter-controller/node_modules/@matter/general/dist/cjs/environment/Environment.js:69:11)
at new ControllerStore (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/node/dist/cjs/node/client/storage/ControllerStore.js:54:33)
at asyncNew (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/general/dist/cjs/util/Construction.js:37:19)
at ControllerStore.create (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/node_modules/@matter/node/dist/cjs/node/client/storage/ControllerStore.js:64:46)
at CommissioningController.initializeControllerStore (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/dist/cjs/CommissioningController.js:339:63)
at CommissioningController.start (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@project-chip/matter.js/dist/cjs/CommissioningController.js:350:20)
at new MatterController (/home/pi/.node-red/node_modules/@sammachin/node-red-matter-controller/controller.js:52:38)
at Object.createNode (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/util.js:211:27)
at Flow.start (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/Flow.js:235:50)
at async start (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/flows/index.js:403:17)
pi@piZero2:~ $
Which according to AI Gemini:
- The crash is caused by a dependency version mismatch between
@sammachin/node-red-matter-controllerand the underlying@project-chip/matter.jsengine. Recent updates tomatter.jsaltered how its internal storage environment registers theStorageService, breaking compatibility with older or mismatching implementations.*
I'll follow the AI's advice to see if that resolves the issue. But on reading it I think this issue is unrelated to the crash previously, as this is a result of loading the old Flow in safe mode and even after disabling the flows, deploying still casues the ,matter controller to look for the old configuration. I should have deleted the Matter configuration nodes before hitting deploy.
Maybe @sammachin can shine some light on this.
Nothing to do with the dashboard then.
