diff --git a/src/node/server.js b/src/node/server.js
index b91b0e17..327fa166 100755
--- a/src/node/server.js
+++ b/src/node/server.js
@@ -21,31 +21,49 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+var log4js = require('log4js')
+  , async = require('async')
+  ;
+
 // set up logger
-var log4js = require('log4js');
 log4js.replaceConsole();
 
-var settings = require('./utils/Settings');
-
-//set loglevel
-log4js.setGlobalLogLevel(settings.loglevel);
-
-var db = require('./db/DB');
-var async = require('async');
-var plugins = require("ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pluginfw/plugins");
-var hooks = require("ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pluginfw/hooks");
+var settings
+  , db
+  , plugins
+  , hooks;
 var npm = require("npm/lib/npm.js");
 
-hooks.plugins = plugins;
-
 async.waterfall([
+  // load npm
+  function(callback) {
+    npm.load({}, function(er) {
+      callback(er)
+    })
+  },
+  
+  // load everything
+  function(callback) {
+    settings = require('./utils/Settings');
+    db = require('./db/DB');
+    plugins = require("ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pluginfw/plugins");
+    hooks = require("ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pluginfw/hooks");
+    hooks.plugins = plugins;
+
+    //set loglevel
+    log4js.setGlobalLogLevel(settings.loglevel);
+    callback();
+  },
+  
   //initalize the database
   function (callback)
   {
     db.init(callback);
   },
 
-  plugins.update,
+  function(callback) {
+    plugins.update(callback)
+  },
 
   function (callback) {
     console.info("Installed plugins: " + plugins.formatPlugins());
diff --git a/src/package.json b/src/package.json
index e4e9b9c3..c3c4968a 100644
--- a/src/package.json
+++ b/src/package.json
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
                       "jsdom-nocontextifiy" : "0.2.10",
                       "async-stacktrace"    : "0.0.2",
                       "npm"                 : "1.1.x",
+                      "npm-registry-client" : "0.2.10",
                       "ejs"                 : "0.6.1",
                       "graceful-fs"         : "1.1.5",
                       "slide"               : "1.1.3",
diff --git a/src/static/js/pluginfw/installer.js b/src/static/js/pluginfw/installer.js
index e7c6fb80..d668e549 100644
--- a/src/static/js/pluginfw/installer.js
+++ b/src/static/js/pluginfw/installer.js
@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
 var plugins = require("ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pluginfw/plugins");
 var hooks = require("ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pluginfw/hooks");
 var npm = require("npm");
-var registry = require("npm/lib/utils/npm-registry-client/index.js");
+var RegClient = require("npm-registry-client")
+
+var registry = new RegClient(
+{ registry: "http://registry.npmjs.org"
+, cache: npm.cache }
+);
 
 var withNpm = function (npmfn, final, cb) {
   npm.load({}, function (er) {
@@ -72,7 +77,7 @@ exports.search = function(query, cache, cb) {
           cb(null, exports.searchCache);
         } else {
           registry.get(
-            "/-/all", null, 600, false, true,
+            "/-/all", 600, false, true,
             function (er, data) {
               if (er) return cb(er);
               exports.searchCache = data;
diff --git a/src/static/js/pluginfw/plugins.js b/src/static/js/pluginfw/plugins.js
index 12ba94a2..e02c1331 100644
--- a/src/static/js/pluginfw/plugins.js
+++ b/src/static/js/pluginfw/plugins.js
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 var npm = require("npm/lib/npm.js");
 var readInstalled = require("./read-installed.js");
-var relativize = require("npm/lib/utils/relativize.js");
-var readJson = require("npm/lib/utils/read-json.js");
 var path = require("path");
 var async = require("async");
 var fs = require("fs");
diff --git a/src/static/js/pluginfw/read-installed.js b/src/static/js/pluginfw/read-installed.js
index cc03b357..800ee32c 100644
--- a/src/static/js/pluginfw/read-installed.js
+++ b/src/static/js/pluginfw/read-installed.js
@@ -94,8 +94,21 @@ var npm = require("npm/lib/npm.js")
   , path = require("path")
   , asyncMap = require("slide").asyncMap
   , semver = require("semver")
-  , readJson = require("npm/lib/utils/read-json.js")
-  , log = require("npm/lib/utils/log.js")
+  , log = require("log4js").getLogger('pluginfw')
+
+function readJson(file, callback) {
+  fs.readFile(file, function(er, buf) {
+    if(er) {
+      callback(er);
+      return;
+    }
+    try {
+      callback( null, JSON.parse(buf.toString()) )
+    } catch(er) {
+      callback(er)
+    }
+  })
+}
 
 module.exports = readInstalled
 
@@ -274,7 +287,7 @@ function findUnmet (obj) {
       }
 
     })
-  log.verbose([obj._id], "returning")
+  log.debug([obj._id], "returning")
   return obj
 }