diff --git a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/loader.js b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/loader.js
index 61f28ab86..3f0487750 100644
--- a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/loader.js
+++ b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/loader.js
@@ -43,37 +43,40 @@ function load(disableNodePathScan) {
     return loadModuleFiles(modules);
 }
 
+function splitPath(p) {
+    return path.posix.normalize((p || '').replace(/\\/g, path.sep)).split(path.sep)
+}
 
 function loadModuleTypeFiles(module, type) {
     const things = module[type];
-    var first = true;
-    var promises = [];
-    for (var thingName in things) {
+    let first = true;
+    const promises = [];
+    for (let thingName in things) {
         /* istanbul ignore else */
         if (things.hasOwnProperty(thingName)) {
             if (module.name != "node-red" && first) {
                 // Check the module directory exists
                 first = false;
-                var fn = things[thingName].file;
-                var parts = fn.split("/");
-                var i = parts.length-1;
-                for (;i>=0;i--) {
-                    if (parts[i] == "node_modules") {
-                        break;
-                    }
+                let moduleFn = module.path
+                const fn = things[thingName].file
+                const parts = splitPath(fn)
+                const nmi = parts.indexOf('node_modules')
+                if(nmi > -1) {
+                    moduleFn = parts.slice(0,nmi+2).join(path.sep);
+                }
+                if (!moduleFn) {
+                    // shortcut - skip calling statSync on empty string 
+                    break; // Module not found, don't attempt to load its nodes
                 }
-                var moduleFn = parts.slice(0,i+2).join("/");
-
                 try {
-                    var stat = fs.statSync(moduleFn);
+                    const stat = fs.statSync(moduleFn);
                 } catch(err) {
-                    // Module not found, don't attempt to load its nodes
-                    break;
+                    break; // Module not found, don't attempt to load its nodes
                 }
             }
 
             try {
-                var promise;
+                let promise;
                 if (type === "nodes") {
                     promise = loadNodeConfig(things[thingName]);
                 } else if (type === "plugins") {
@@ -82,8 +85,7 @@ function loadModuleTypeFiles(module, type) {
                 promises.push(
                     promise.then(
                         (function() {
-                            var m = module.name;
-                            var n = thingName;
+                            const n = thingName;
                             return function(nodeSet) {
                                 things[n] = nodeSet;
                                 return nodeSet;
@@ -93,7 +95,6 @@ function loadModuleTypeFiles(module, type) {
                 );
             } catch(err) {
                 console.log(err)
-                //
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/localfilesystem.js b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/localfilesystem.js
index da4006ecc..edb805572 100644
--- a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/localfilesystem.js
+++ b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/localfilesystem.js
@@ -156,6 +156,16 @@ function scanDirForNodesModules(dir,moduleName,package) {
                 }
             }
         }
+
+        // if we have found a package.json, this IS a node_module, lets see if it is a node-red node
+        if (!isNodeRedModule && files.indexOf('package.json') > -1) {
+            package = getPackageDetails(dir) // get package details
+            if(package && package.isNodeRedModule) {
+                isNodeRedModule = true
+                files = ['package.json'] // shortcut the file scan
+            }
+        }
+
         for (let i=0;i<files.length;i++) {
             let fn = files[i];
             if (!isNodeRedModule && /^@/.test(fn)) {
diff --git a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/registry.js b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/registry.js
index baee42bf5..6e3ed6d5b 100644
--- a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/registry.js
+++ b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/registry/lib/registry.js
@@ -185,10 +185,19 @@ function loadNodeConfigs() {
 function addModule(module) {
     moduleNodes[module.name] = [];
     moduleConfigs[module.name] = module;
-    // console.log("registry.js.addModule",module.name,"user?",module.user,"usedBy",module.usedBy,"dependencies",module.dependencies)
     for (var setName in module.nodes) {
         if (module.nodes.hasOwnProperty(setName)) {
             var set = module.nodes[setName];
+            if (!set.types) {
+                const err = new Error("Node has no types")
+                err.code = "has_no_types"
+                err.details = {
+                    setName: set.name,
+                    set: { ...set }
+                }
+                console.warn(err)
+                set.err = err
+            }
             moduleNodes[module.name].push(set.name);
             nodeList.push(set.id);
             if (!set.err) {