New Error in ChatGPT Atlas: “getNodeByIdOrMessageId” — What Does It Mean and How Do You Fix It?
Have you ever been waiting for ChatGPT to reply in Atlas, and suddenly the screen freezes with a weird message saying:
“getNodeByIdOrMessageId – no node found by id”?
That’s exactly what several ChatGPT Atlas users recently experienced on OpenAI’s official forum. At first glance, the error sounds like alien language to most people — but for Mac users who’ve been trying the latest version of Atlas, this message pops up quite often and can be really frustrating.
I personally ran into the same issue while having several Atlas tabs open. At first, ChatGPT started to feel sluggish, and then that error message suddenly appeared on the screen. It took me a few seconds to realize: it wasn’t my connection — something was off on Atlas’s side.
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🧠 From the Forum: Users Who Found the Error
A user named YuanL shared their experience on the OpenAI forum after 2 days Atlas was released. They wrote:
“My MacBook is running macOS 15.2 with an M2 CPU. When I use ChatGPT Atlas, it takes 20–30 seconds to respond, then it shows this error: ‘getNodeByIdOrMessageId - no node found by id.’”
Not long after, a forum moderator named Foxalabs replied:
“Thanks for taking the time to flag this, raised with the team.”
Meaning: the report was forwarded directly to the OpenAI team — so this is indeed an officially recognized bug, not a user mistake.
👉 Are you also experiencing this error? API.BaseAPI.InternalRequestError error 1
⚙️ What Does This Error Actually Mean?
Simply put, this message means Atlas is trying to display a certain part of the conversation (a node) but fails to locate it in the conversation’s data structure.
Atlas (just like the web version of ChatGPT) stores every message in a tree structure — each ChatGPT reply is a “node” with a unique ID. When the system loses its reference to that node, you get the message:
“no node found by id.”
In other words, Atlas is trying to show a ChatGPT response, but its “pointer” is referring to data that’s no longer available.
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🔍 Possible Main Causes
Based on the reports and how the system behaves, here are the most likely causes:
- Session desynchronization between the model and UI
The ChatGPT response has already been processed on the server, but the Atlas UI hasn’t received it yet. As a result, Atlas tries to render a node that doesn’t exist yet. - Corrupted cache or conversation data
When local cache (like SQLite or IndexedDB in Atlas) gets corrupted, old message IDs can disappear or fail to load. - Bug in a specific version (v1.2025.288.13)
The version used by YuanL seems to have a thread management issue — a bug in the module that handles conversation node order. - Unstable internet connection
A 20–30 second delay could cause Atlas to fail to sync conversation status before rendering.
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🧩 Impact on Users
Fortunately, this bug is not dangerous — it’s not related to security, privacy, or data loss. However, it’s still pretty annoying:
- ChatGPT responses get delayed for a long time.
- Messages can disappear or fail to show up.
- Sometimes Atlas just “freezes” and needs a refresh.
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🧰 How to Fix It (Safe & Temporary Solutions)
Until OpenAI releases an official fix, here are some steps that have been proven to reduce the chances of this error:
- Completely restart ChatGPT Atlas
Close all Atlas tabs and reopen the app. - Clear Atlas cache and session data
- Go to: Settings → Data → Clear Browsing Data
- Select “Cookies and site data” and “Cached files.”
- Restart afterward.
- Make sure your connection is stable and avoid heavy proxies
Atlas requires a real-time connection to sync conversation nodes. - Update to the latest Atlas version
Some UI bugs have already been fixed in newer builds. - Report back to the forum if the error persists
Include your macOS version and Atlas build so the OpenAI team can track the pattern faster.
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🧭 Is This a Temporary Bug or a Design Problem?
Judging from the OpenAI team’s response, it’s most likely a temporary bug in a specific build, not a fundamental design flaw in Atlas. Atlas is still in rapid development — so issues like this often appear as “growing pains” before things stabilize.
That said, errors like this can really test early users’ patience. Especially when ChatGPT is in the middle of writing a long answer, and suddenly everything just stops.
But that’s also the fun part of being an early adopter of new tech like Atlas: you get to watch the product evolve — from simple bugs like this to eventually becoming a more stable and smarter AI browser.
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📩 OpenAI Support Also Responded
Not only did the moderators acknowledge the error, but OpenAI Support also responded directly in the forum. Their message asked for more technical details, including whether the issue can be reproduced consistently, whether it only happens in Atlas, and the full error ID plus the exact timestamp when it happened.
“Hello! Are you able to reproduce this consistently? And to confirm, does this only happen on Atlas? If so, would you mind sharing the full ID from the error message + the timestamp it occurred? Thank you.”
This is a strong sign that the bug is officially being investigated by the engineering team—not ignored or treated as a random glitch. When support requests logs and timestamps, it usually means the issue is being added into their debugging workflow.
So while the error may still appear occasionally, a fix is very likely coming in one of the next Atlas updates.
💬 Conclusion
The “getNodeByIdOrMessageId - no node found by id” error isn’t a big deal, but it’s still worth paying attention to. It’s a sign that Atlas is struggling to keep the AI model and user interface in sync.
The issue has already been confirmed by moderators and reported to the OpenAI team, so users don’t need to worry. For now, simple fixes like clearing cache and updating your Atlas version should be enough to stop the error from showing up again.
Atlas is still young — and like any new technology, a few bugs aren’t the end of the world, but part of its journey toward maturity.
👉 Learn: How to Keep ChatGPT Atlas Up to Date
❓FAQ: ChatGPT Atlas & “getNodeByIdOrMessageId” Error
1. What does the “no node found by id” error mean?
Atlas failed to find the conversation data (node) it was supposed to display, likely due to a sync issue.
2. Is this error dangerous?
No. It’s just a UI display error and doesn’t affect your security or privacy.
3. How can I fix it?
Restart Atlas, clear cache and session data, and update to the latest version.
4. Does OpenAI know about this issue?
Yes. Forum moderators have already forwarded the report to the OpenAI team for investigation.
5. Will this error go away in the next update?
Most likely yes. Bugs like this are usually fixed in minor releases after enough user reports come in.
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