Nuke Toolsets

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Browse toolsets stored on disk in a Qt user interface: insert .nk toolsets or run .py toolsets via a standard execute() entry point. Compatibility: The Foundry Nuke 13+; tested on Windows. macOS and Linux not yet tested.

• Insert Nuke toolsets (toolset.nk) into the nodegraph (or DAG)
• Run Python toolsets (toolset.py) by calling a top-level execute()

Why it matters

A consistent on-disk toolset library reduces duplication and makes reuse predictable across a team.
This tool browses a per-user structure under NUKE_TOOLSETS_ROOT (local or shared storage).

Included

• Browse users + toolsets from disk
• Filter toolsets by name and tags
• View toolset metadata (user, tags, description)
• Insert .nk toolsets into the DAG
• Run .py toolsets via execute()
• Create new toolsets:
  • Nuke: from current Nuke node selection
  • Python: from script text
• Edit existing toolsets:
  • Tags + description for both types
  • Script editing for Python toolsets
  • Overwrite .nk payload from current selection (with confirmation)

Not included (non-goals)

• No packaging/pip installer
• No network sync / publishing workflows
• No automated test suite (manual checklist only)

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Compatibility

Supported

• Nuke: 13.x → 16+
• OS: Windows / macOS / Linux

Tested

• Windows: 13.0v10, 15.2v6, 16.0v8

Note: macOS/Linux are supported (cross-platform paths + Qt usage) but not tested yet.

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Install (manual)

This repo is structured as a “drop-in” Nuke plugin folder.

1. Copy the repo’s toolsets/ folder into your Nuke .nuke directory:

• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.nuke\toolsets\
• macOS/Linux: ~/.nuke/toolsets/

2. Add the plugin folder to Nuke’s plugin path (one-time):

• Open (or create) your Nuke init file:

  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.nuke\init.py
  • macOS/Linux: ~/.nuke/init.py

• Add these lines:

import nuke
nuke.pluginAddPath("./toolsets")  # relative to your ~/.nuke folder

3. Restart Nuke.
4. Use: Scripts > Toolsets > Show

Important: There are two separate folders:

• ~/.nuke/toolsets/ = the plugin install folder (this repo’s toolsets/ folder goes here)
• NUKE_TOOLSETS_ROOT (default ~/.nuke/toolsets_data/) = where your toolset data lives (<user>/<toolset_name>/...)

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Quick demo (included example toolsets)

This repo includes a tiny demo pack.

Option A (recommended): point the tool to the examples folder:

• Set NUKE_TOOLSETS_ROOT to:
  • Windows: <this_repo>\examples\toolsets_data
  • macOS/Linux: <this_repo>/examples/toolsets_data

Option B: copy the included examples into your default data folder:

• Copy examples/toolsets_data/Demo User/ into:
  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.nuke\toolsets_data\
  • macOS/Linux: ~/.nuke/toolsets_data/

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Repo layout

toolsets/               # copy this folder into ~/.nuke/
  init.py               # Nuke init entry point
  menu.py               # Nuke menu entry point
  toolsets/             # Python package
    config.py
    loader.py
    saver.py
    toolset.py
    icons/
      Nuke.png
      Python.png
      Warning.png
    mvc/
      controller.py
      main.py
      model.py
      view.py
      widgets.py

examples/               # optional demo TOOLSETS_ROOT content
  toolsets_data/        # point NUKE_TOOLSETS_ROOT here OR copy into your default toolsets_data
    Demo User/
      Validate Read nodes/
        data.json
        toolset.py
      Expression nodes for despilling/
        data.json
        toolset.nk

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Toolsets storage format

Default root

By default, toolsets are stored in:

• ~/.nuke/toolsets_data

Layout

TOOLSETS_ROOT/
  <user>/
    <toolset_name>/
      data.json
      toolset.nk   OR   toolset.py

data.json example

{
  "description": "My blur setup",
  "tags": ["blur", "utility"]
}

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Configuration

Set toolsets root via env var

You can override the default storage location using:

• NUKE_TOOLSETS_ROOT=/path/to/toolsets

If the env var is not set, the tool falls back to:

• ~/.nuke/toolsets_data

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Usage

Open Toolsets browser

• Scripts > Toolsets > Show

Insert/run a toolset

• Select a toolset and click Insert, or double-click the toolset:
  • .nk toolset: inserts nodes into the DAG
  • .py toolset: imports the file and calls execute()

⚠️ Safety note (Python toolsets): .py toolsets execute arbitrary Python code inside Nuke. Only run toolsets you trust, and review the toolset.py file if you didn’t create it.

Create a new toolset

• Scripts > Toolsets > New Toolset > Nuke
  • Saves the current Nuke node selection to toolset.nk
• Scripts > Toolsets > New Toolset > Python
  • Saves your script to toolset.py

Edit an existing toolset

• Select toolset → Edit
• Save or Cancel
• Nuke toolsets require a current selection to overwrite toolset.nk

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Troubleshooting

“No toolsets showing”

• Confirm TOOLSETS_ROOT exists and contains user folders.
• If you set NUKE_TOOLSETS_ROOT, confirm it points to the correct folder.

“Python toolset won’t run”

• Ensure toolset.py defines a top-level callable:

  def execute():
      pass

“Qt / PySide import errors” (especially on Nuke 16+)

• This tool is intended to run inside Nuke’s bundled Python/Qt environment.
• Nuke 13 uses PySide2; Nuke 16+ uses PySide6. The codebase must support both.

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Manual test checklist (Windows)

• Open UI: Scripts > Toolsets > Show
• User search filters list correctly
• Toolset name filter works
• Tag filter works (comma/space-separated)
• Insert .nk toolset inserts nodes
• Run .py toolset calls execute()
• Create Nuke toolset:
  • no selection → shows error
  • with selection → saves toolset folder + toolset.nk
• Create Python toolset:
  • empty script → shows error
  • valid script → saves toolset.py
• Edit/save/cancel:
  • metadata updates persist in data.json
  • Python script edits persist to disk

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License

MIT (see LICENSE).

Author

Mauricio Gidi