diff --git a/red/nodes/registry.js b/red/nodes/registry.js
index c738fca19..40ec01e4a 100644
--- a/red/nodes/registry.js
+++ b/red/nodes/registry.js
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ function getNodeFiles(dir) {
 
 /**
  * Scans the node_modules path for nodes
+ * @param moduleName the name of the module to be found
  * @return a list of node modules: {dir,package}
  */
 function scanTreeForNodesModules(moduleName) {
@@ -230,13 +231,21 @@ function init(_settings) {
 
 /**
  * Loads all palette nodes
+ * @param defaultNodesDir optional parameter, when set, it overrides the default location
+ * of nodeFiles
  * @return a promise that resolves to a list of any errors encountered loading nodes
  */
-function load() {
+function load(defaultNodesDir) {
     return when.promise(function(resolve,reject) {
         
         // Find all of the nodes to load
-        var nodeFiles = getNodeFiles(__dirname+"/../../nodes");
+        var nodeFiles;
+        if(defaultNodesDir) {
+            nodeFiles = getNodeFiles(path.resolve(defaultNodesDir));
+        } else {
+            nodeFiles = getNodeFiles(__dirname+"/../../nodes");
+        }
+        
         if (settings.nodesDir) {
             var dir = settings.nodesDir;
             if (typeof settings.nodesDir == "string") {
@@ -320,4 +329,3 @@ module.exports = {
         
     }
 }
-
diff --git a/test/red/nodes/registry_spec.js b/test/red/nodes/registry_spec.js
index 38dde7a5c..4c7dc2c20 100644
--- a/test/red/nodes/registry_spec.js
+++ b/test/red/nodes/registry_spec.js
@@ -29,6 +29,129 @@ describe('NodeRegistry', function() {
         
         should.strictEqual(n,newNode);
     });
-})
-        
+});
 
+describe('NodeRegistry', function() {
+    it('does not accept incorrect nodesDir',function(done) {
+        var typeRegistry = require("../../../red/nodes/registry");
+        var settings = {
+                nodesDir : "wontexist"
+        }
+
+        typeRegistry.init(null);
+        typeRegistry.load().then(function(){
+            try {
+                should.fail(null, null, "Loading of non-existing nodesDir should never succeed");
+            } catch (err) {
+                done(err);
+            }
+        }).catch(function(e) { // successful test, failed promise
+            done();
+        });
+    });
+    
+    it('fails to load additional node files from invalid nodesDir',function(done) {
+        var typeRegistry = require("../../../red/nodes/registry");
+        var settings = {
+                nodesDir : "wontexist"
+        }
+
+        typeRegistry.init(settings);
+        typeRegistry.load().then(function(){
+            try {
+                should.fail(null, null, "Loading of non-existing nodesDir should never succeed");
+            } catch (err) {
+                done(err);
+            }
+        }).catch(function(e) { // successful test, failed promise
+            done();
+        });
+    });
+});
+
+/*
+ * This test does the following:
+ * 1) injects settings that tell the registry to load its default nodes from 
+ * tempNoNodesContainedDir that contains no valid nodes => this means that no default nodes are loaded
+ * 2) We only load a single node we pre-deploy into tempDir
+ * 3) This node (fakeNodeJS = reads "fake Node JavaScript"), when exported automatically creates a known
+ * file
+ * 4) We can assert that this file exists and make the loading test pass/fail 
+ */
+describe("getNodeFiles", function() {
+    var fs = require('fs-extra');
+    var path = require('path');
+    
+    var tempDir = path.join(__dirname,".tmp/");
+    var fakeNodeJS = tempDir + "testNode.js"; //  when exported, this fake node creates a file we can assert on
+    
+    var nodeInjectedFileName = "testInjected";
+    var nodeInjectedFilePath = path.join(tempDir, nodeInjectedFileName);
+    
+    var tempNoNodesContainedDir = path.join(__dirname,".noNodes/"); 
+
+    beforeEach(function(done) {
+        fs.remove(tempDir,function(err) {
+            fs.mkdirSync(tempDir);
+            var fileContents =     "var fs = require('fs');\n" +
+                                    "var path = require('path');\n" +
+                                    "var tempFile = path.join(__dirname, \"" + nodeInjectedFileName + "\");\n" +
+                                    "\n" +
+                                    "module.exports = function(RED) {\n" +
+                                    "        fs.writeFileSync(tempFile, \"Test passes if this file has been written.\");\n" +
+                                    "}\n";
+            fs.writeFileSync(fakeNodeJS, fileContents);
+            fs.remove(tempNoNodesContainedDir,function(err) {
+                fs.mkdirSync(tempNoNodesContainedDir);
+                done();
+            });     
+        });   
+    });
+    afterEach(function(done) {
+        fs.exists(tempNoNodesContainedDir, function(exists) {
+           if(exists) {
+               fs.removeSync(tempNoNodesContainedDir);
+           } 
+        });
+        fs.exists(nodeInjectedFilePath, function(exists) {
+            if(exists) {
+                fs.unlinkSync(nodeInjectedFilePath);
+            } 
+          });
+        fs.exists(fakeNodeJS, function(exists) {
+          if(exists) {
+              fs.unlinkSync(fakeNodeJS);
+          } 
+          fs.remove(tempDir, done);
+        });
+    });
+    
+    it('loads additional node files from specified external nodesDir',function(done) {
+        var typeRegistry = require("../../../red/nodes/registry");
+        var settings = {
+                nodesDir : tempDir
+        }
+
+        typeRegistry.init(settings);
+        
+        typeRegistry.load(tempNoNodesContainedDir).then(function(){
+            fs.exists(nodeInjectedFilePath, function(exists) {
+               if(exists) {
+                   done();
+               } else {
+                   try {
+                       should.fail(null, null, nodeInjectedFilePath + " should be created by registered test node.");   
+                   } catch(err) {
+                       done(err)
+                   }
+               }
+            });
+        }).catch(function(e) {
+            try {
+                should.fail(null, null, "Loading of nodesDir should succeed");
+            } catch (err) {
+                done(err);
+            }
+        });
+    });
+});