Importing Blueprints

NodeLens reads your Blueprints as structured data. There are three ways to get them in: sending directly from Unreal Engine via the plugin, loading an existing folder from disk, or pasting Blueprint clipboard data manually.

Method 1 — Send from Unreal Engine (Plugin)

The NodeLens UE5 plugin adds a Send to Blueprint AI button to the Blueprint editor toolbar and a context menu entry in the Content Browser. When you click it, the plugin extracts the Blueprint data and sends it directly to the NodeLens app running on your machine.

Note: The NodeLens app must be open and running before you send from UE5. The plugin connects to http://localhost:7823 — if the app is closed, you will see a connection error in UE5.

Toolbar button — Blueprint Editor

Open any Blueprint in the Blueprint editor. You will see a Send to Blueprint AI button in the toolbar at the top. Click it to send the current Blueprint to NodeLens.

This method works for:

Content Browser right-click

Right-click any supported asset in the Content Browser and select Send to Blueprint AI from the context menu.

This method supports additional asset types:

Asset Type What NodeLens shows
Blueprint Blueprint Class All functions and their graphs
Blueprint Widget Blueprint All functions and their graphs
Blueprint Animation Blueprint All functions and animation graphs
Struct Blueprint Struct All fields with types and default values
Enum Blueprint Enum All enum values
DA Data Asset All properties and their values
DT Data Table All columns and rows
Mat Material Material graph nodes and connections
Tip: After sending, NodeLens automatically selects the Blueprint in the sidebar and opens the first function. You do not need to do anything in the app — just switch to it.

Plugin Project Settings

You can configure the plugin from Edit → Project Settings → NodeLens:

If you change the server port in NodeLens settings, update this URL to match and restart UE5.

Method 2 — Load Project from Folder

If you already have NodeLens data files saved on disk (for example, from a previous session or shared by a teammate), you can load an entire project folder directly into the app without needing UE5 open.

  1. Click the ↓ arrow next to the PROJECTS header in the sidebar.
  2. In the modal that opens, enter the folder path or click the folder icon (…) to browse.
  3. NodeLens scans the folder and shows a preview with all detected Blueprints and MD files, grouped by project.
  4. Use the checkboxes to select which projects to import, then click Import Selected.
Note: If a project with the same name already exists in the app, you will see a ⚠ warning. New Blueprints are added to the existing project. If a Blueprint with the same name already exists, its files will be overwritten by the imported version.

Method 3 — Paste Blueprint Clipboard

You can import a Blueprint graph directly by copying nodes from the UE5 Blueprint editor and pasting the clipboard data into NodeLens. This works without the plugin installed.

  1. In the UE5 Blueprint editor, select the nodes you want to analyze and press Ctrl+C.
  2. In NodeLens, click the + Import button in the viewer header.
  3. Paste the clipboard content into the text area and click Parse.
  4. Review the graph in the viewer. When ready, click Save as… to save it to a project.
Limitation: This method only captures the nodes you copied — it does not include Blueprint variables, components, or other functions. For a complete Blueprint export, use the UE5 plugin (Method 1).
Tip: After parsing, the Import panel stays in BGL view so you can edit the graph text directly and re-parse before saving.

After Importing

Once a Blueprint is in NodeLens, it appears in the sidebar under its project name. Click a function name to open it in the viewer.

NodeLens saves all Blueprint data as .md files on your machine — in the Projects Directory set in Settings. This means your data persists between sessions and you can open NodeLens at any time without needing UE5 running.

Tip: To re-send an updated Blueprint from UE5 (after making changes), just click the toolbar button again. NodeLens will update the existing entry automatically.
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Send from UE5 Toolbar button Content Browser Project Settings Load from Folder Paste Clipboard After Importing