Manage palette is missing after fresh install Node red 4.09 and fresh install Dietpi.
on Rpi zero2.
Can you share the start of the log output? Also are any errors showing up in the log?
How to generate a log file.
Did you use the Raspberry Pi installer script to install Node-RED?
If so, the log is controlled by systemd. sudo journalctl -u node-red I think will then show you the log.
root@mario:~# sudo journalctl -u node-red
May 19 12:45:32 mario systemd[1]: Started node-red.service - Node-RED (DietPi).
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:38 - [info]
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: Welcome to Node-RED
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: ===================
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:38 - [info] Node-RED version: v4.0.9
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:38 - [info] Node.js version: v24.0.2
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:38 - [info] Linux 6.12.25+rpt-rpi-v8 arm64 LE
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: (node:418) [DEP0190] DeprecationWarning: Passing args to a child process with shell option true can lead to security vulnerabilities, as the arguments are not escaped, only concatenated.
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: (Use `node --trace-deprecation ...` to show where the warning was created)
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:38 - [info] Palette editor disabled : npm command not found
May 19 12:45:38 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:38 - [info] Loading palette nodes
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] Settings file : /mnt/dietpi_userdata/node-red/settings.js
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] Context store : 'default' [module=memory]
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] User directory : /mnt/dietpi_userdata/node-red
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [warn] Projects disabled : editorTheme.projects.enabled=false
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] Flows file : /mnt/dietpi_userdata/node-red/flows.json
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] Creating new flow file
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [warn]
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: ---------------------------------------------------------------------
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: Your flow credentials file is encrypted using a system-generated key.
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: If the system-generated key is lost for any reason, your credentials
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: file will not be recoverable, you will have to delete it and re-enter
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: your credentials.
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: You should set your own key using the 'credentialSecret' option in
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: your settings file. Node-RED will then re-encrypt your credentials
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: file using your chosen key the next time you deploy a change.
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: ---------------------------------------------------------------------
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [warn] Encrypted credentials not found
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] Starting flows
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] Started flows
May 19 12:45:43 mario node-red[418]: 19 May 12:45:43 - [info] Server now running at http://127.0.0.1:1880/
root@mario:~#
I'm not sure how well tested Node-RED is with Node.js v24?
I wonder if something in npm has changed? I've not yet looked at node.js v24
I would recommend downgrading node.js to v22 for now.
How to downgrade npm to ver 22?
The log suggests that npm is not installed. Run npm -v to check that.
I make a clean install again. The result is a same. Missing pallete manager.
Version of npm is:
root@DietPi:~# npm -v
11.3.0
root@DietPi:~#
How did you install?
What user is Node-RED running as?
Did you use a tool like n or nvm to install NodeJS? These tools ONLY install NodeJS for that single user, not system wide, so if it's a different user to root, then they won't have access.
1 Like
I install node red via dietpi install manager.
How did you install nodejs?
Also, did you manually install npm?
Everithyng is instaled automaticaly with Node Red.
I've done countless installations this way. The problem is apparently recent.
I think you will need to ask on a dietpi forum then.
As a matter of interest, why are you using dietpi rather than the lite headless version of the regular pi os?
When I discovered Node Red the version was 0.17.
I was trying to make a controller based on the Rpi Zero W, at that time it was single-core and I wanted to reduce the CPU load and read/write of the SD card to a minimum. At that time the alternative was Dietpi. With Raspbian the SD card crashed constantly while with Dietpi things were completely different. Then the RPI Zero 2 came out with four cores and things got drastically better. Luckily for me I found EMMC memory that fits in the SD card slot and since then the data loss and operating system crash have stopped (I have systems that have been running for a whole year).
In general, that's why I use Dietpi.
I have a pi that has been running 24/7 for about 7 years with hardly a glitch.
Let us know when you get a response on the Dietpi forum.
2 Likes
Maybe it's silly but just in case: some time ago I lost āmanage paletteā and the problem was that the screen resolution was changed and it went out of the screen.
You can see from the error:
that the problem is that node red cannot find npm.
1 Like
@devifast, what does the command
which npm show, running in a command window and also if you run it using an exec node in node-red.
