Change Kodi video nodes with a recovery plan

Decide whether navigation needs to change

A Kodi video node is a defined view in the video interface. A custom node is useful when the library navigation itself needs a named entry, rather than when you only need to open a saved playlist occasionally. State which existing entry should remain and which new view should be added before editing files.

Record the installed Kodi version, skin and current navigation. Identify one own-media subset that the new entry should expose. Do not use a custom node as an access restriction: a different view of a library does not establish that another user cannot reach the same files through a different route.

Find the actual tree for this installation

The official wiki describes custom nodes in userdata and warns that an incomplete custom structure can cause missing entries to be treated as intentional. Preserve the existing userdata node tree, if any, and identify the defaults belonging to the installed release. Some documentation examples contain historical platform paths, so confirm the real location instead of pasting an old path into a current machine.

Prepare a separate working copy before changing the active tree. Keep the full required baseline structure when following the documented custom-node method. Record which files are untouched defaults and which are deliberate edits. This makes an absent Movies or Years entry easier to diagnose than a folder of snippets with no known starting point.

Make one view change and inspect its inputs

Start with one small, understandable node change. Use documented node components and rules appropriate to the library view. Verify the intended media subset independently in the library first; changing navigation cannot compensate for missing metadata or a source that was never scanned.

Review the XML carefully before putting the prepared copy into use. Give the node a clear label and an order that fits the existing menu. Avoid modifying several defaults at once. If the result is wrong, a single changed file and a saved baseline offer a manageable comparison instead of a complete menu redesign with several possible causes.

Test navigation and rollback separately

In the actual skin, inspect the new entry, the expected sample items and the original navigation routes that should remain. Check both entering and leaving the view. A working custom entry is not a successful change if ordinary library routes disappeared unintentionally.

If the navigation is incomplete, return to the recorded baseline rather than cleaning the media library or deleting source files. Preserve the changed tree for diagnosis. After a Kodi or skin upgrade, compare against the new release's defaults before carrying old custom files forward. The finished record names the intended view, edited file, baseline version and acceptance results; no installation or navigation test is claimed here.

Related reading

Questions answered

Sources & further reading

Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.

• https://kodi.wiki/view/Video_nodes