diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d30f6c6..4611191 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ python main.py --listen --port 8188 --enable-compress-response-body
   negligible compared to the bytes saved over the network.
 
 ## Notes
+- **Loading status:** instead of ComfyUI's silent "Comfy" splash, a small status
+  line shows whether it's *serving from cache* or *building* (with node count +
+  elapsed time), so a long rebuild isn't a black screen with no feedback. It
+  removes itself once the app is ready. Status is also at `GET /tenaciousload/status`.
 - The disk cache lives in `./cache/` (git-ignored). Delete it, or use the refresh
   button, to force a rebuild.
 - An nginx reverse proxy can cache `object_info` at the HTTP layer too, but this
diff --git a/__init__.py b/__init__.py
index 124a3ef..f909226 100644
--- a/__init__.py
+++ b/__init__.py
@@ -412,6 +412,9 @@ def _check_node_signature():
 _node_info_fn = None
 _node_info_resolved = False
 
+# Live build progress, surfaced at /tenaciousload/status for the loading overlay.
+_build_state = {"building": False, "started": 0.0, "done": 0, "total": 0, "last_ms": 0, "last_bytes": 0}
+
 
 def _resolve_node_info_fn():
     """Pull ComfyUI's own `node_info` closure off the /object_info route, so the
@@ -441,14 +444,23 @@ def _resolve_node_info_fn():
 def _build_object_info_bytes():
     """Replicate ComfyUI's object_info build. Runs in a worker thread."""
     import nodes
+    keys = list(nodes.NODE_CLASS_MAPPINGS.keys())
+    _build_state.update(building=True, started=time.time(), done=0, total=len(keys))
     out = {}
-    with folder_paths.cache_helper:
-        for x in list(nodes.NODE_CLASS_MAPPINGS.keys()):
-            try:
-                out[x] = _node_info_fn(x)
-            except Exception:  # pragma: no cover
-                log.error("Tenaciousload: node_info failed for '%s'", x, exc_info=True)
-    return json.dumps(out).encode("utf-8")
+    try:
+        with folder_paths.cache_helper:
+            for i, x in enumerate(keys):
+                try:
+                    out[x] = _node_info_fn(x)
+                except Exception:  # pragma: no cover
+                    log.error("Tenaciousload: node_info failed for '%s'", x, exc_info=True)
+                _build_state["done"] = i + 1
+        raw = json.dumps(out).encode("utf-8")
+        _build_state["last_bytes"] = len(raw)
+        return raw
+    finally:
+        _build_state["building"] = False
+        _build_state["last_ms"] = int((time.time() - _build_state["started"]) * 1000)
 
 
 async def _build_object_info_off_loop():
@@ -533,6 +545,22 @@ _install_middleware()
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
 #  Refresh API
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+@PromptServer.instance.routes.get("/tenaciousload/status")
+async def _status(request):
+    st = {
+        "building": _build_state["building"],
+        "done": _build_state["done"],
+        "total": _build_state["total"],
+        "last_ms": _build_state["last_ms"],
+        "cached": _mem["raw"] is not None,
+        "cache_bytes": len(_mem["raw"]) if _mem["raw"] else 0,
+        "gz_bytes": len(_mem["gz"]) if _mem["gz"] else 0,
+    }
+    if _build_state["building"] and _build_state["started"]:
+        st["elapsed"] = round(time.time() - _build_state["started"], 1)
+    return web.json_response(st)
+
+
 @PromptServer.instance.routes.post("/tenaciousload/refresh")
 async def _refresh(request):
     try:
diff --git a/web/loading-status.js b/web/loading-status.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9e933e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/loading-status.js
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+import { app } from "../../scripts/app.js";
+import { api } from "../../scripts/api.js";
+
+// Shows a small status line on ComfyUI's "Comfy" loading splash so a long
+// object_info build (or cache load) isn't a silent black screen.
+
+const START = performance.now();
+let overlay = null;
+let ready = false;
+let lastDone = -1;
+let stallTicks = 0;
+
+function injectStyle() {
+    if (document.getElementById("tl-loading-style")) return;
+    const s = document.createElement("style");
+    s.id = "tl-loading-style";
+    s.textContent = `
+@keyframes tl-indet { 0%{left:-35%;width:35%} 50%{left:40%;width:45%} 100%{left:100%;width:35%} }
+#tl-loading{position:fixed;left:0;right:0;top:57%;margin:0 auto;z-index:99999;width:340px;
+  text-align:center;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,sans-serif;color:#a1a1aa;pointer-events:none;
+  transition:opacity .35s ease}
+#tl-loading .tl-msg{font-size:12.5px;letter-spacing:.3px;line-height:1.5}
+#tl-loading .tl-sub{font-size:11px;color:#71717a;margin-top:2px}
+#tl-loading .tl-track{position:relative;margin:11px auto 0;width:240px;height:4px;
+  background:#27272a;border-radius:3px;overflow:hidden}
+#tl-loading .tl-bar{position:absolute;top:0;height:100%;border-radius:3px;
+  background:linear-gradient(90deg,#60a5fa,#a78bfa,#ff9cf9)}
+#tl-loading .tl-bar.indet{animation:tl-indet 1.15s ease-in-out infinite}`;
+    document.head.appendChild(s);
+}
+
+function ensureOverlay() {
+    if (overlay || ready) return;
+    injectStyle();
+    overlay = document.createElement("div");
+    overlay.id = "tl-loading";
+    overlay.innerHTML =
+        '<div class="tl-msg" id="tl-msg">Tenaciousload</div>' +
+        '<div class="tl-sub" id="tl-sub"></div>' +
+        '<div class="tl-track"><div class="tl-bar indet" id="tl-bar" style="left:0;width:35%"></div></div>';
+    (document.body || document.documentElement).appendChild(overlay);
+}
+
+function fmt(s) {
+    s = Math.max(0, Math.round(s));
+    const m = Math.floor(s / 60);
+    return m ? `${m}:${String(s % 60).padStart(2, "0")}` : `${s}s`;
+}
+const mb = (b) => (b / 1048576).toFixed(1) + " MB";
+
+async function tick() {
+    if (ready) return;
+    if (!overlay && performance.now() - START > 700) ensureOverlay();
+    if (!overlay) return;
+
+    let st = null;
+    try { st = await (await api.fetchApi("/tenaciousload/status")).json(); } catch (e) { /* ignore */ }
+    const msg = overlay.querySelector("#tl-msg");
+    const sub = overlay.querySelector("#tl-sub");
+    const bar = overlay.querySelector("#tl-bar");
+    if (!msg) return;
+
+    if (st && st.building) {
+        const pct = st.total ? Math.round((100 * st.done) / st.total) : 0;
+        msg.textContent = `Building node definitions — ${st.done}/${st.total} (${pct}%)`;
+        // detect a stall (the model-folder walk) and explain it
+        stallTicks = st.done === lastDone ? stallTicks + 1 : 0;
+        lastDone = st.done;
+        sub.textContent = stallTicks >= 3
+            ? `scanning model folders over the network… · ${fmt(st.elapsed || 0)}`
+            : `first build / refresh · ${fmt(st.elapsed || 0)}`;
+        bar.classList.add("indet");
+        bar.style.width = "35%";
+    } else {
+        msg.textContent = "Loading node definitions…";
+        sub.textContent = st && st.cached ? `from cache · ${mb(st.gz_bytes || st.cache_bytes || 0)} gzipped` : "";
+        bar.classList.remove("indet");
+        bar.style.left = "0";
+        bar.style.width = "90%";
+    }
+}
+
+const poll = setInterval(tick, 600);
+tick();
+
+app.registerExtension({
+    name: "Tenaciousload.LoadingStatus",
+    // setup() fires once the app is ready (object_info loaded, nodes registered).
+    async setup() {
+        ready = true;
+        clearInterval(poll);
+        if (overlay) {
+            overlay.style.opacity = "0";
+            setTimeout(() => overlay && overlay.remove(), 350);
+        }
+    },
+});
+
+// hard safety: never let the overlay linger
+setTimeout(() => { if (overlay && !ready) { clearInterval(poll); overlay.remove(); } }, 15 * 60 * 1000);