diff --git a/addNode.go b/addNode.go
index e0af110..cab2852 100644
--- a/addNode.go
+++ b/addNode.go
@@ -24,19 +24,19 @@ func (me *TreeInfo) AddNode(a *widget.Action) *Node {
 	if a.WidgetType == widget.Root {
 		log.Log(TREE, "AddNode() Root")
 		n.Parent = n
-		me.treeRoot = n
+		treeRoot = n
 		return n
 	}
 
-	if me.treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.WidgetId) != nil {
+	if treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.WidgetId) != nil {
 		log.Log(TREEWARN, "AddNode() WidgetId already exists", a.WidgetId)
 		log.Log(TREEWARN, "probably this is a Show() / Hide() issue")
 		log.Log(TREEWARN, "TODO: figure out what to do here")
-		return me.treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.WidgetId)
+		return treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.WidgetId)
 	}
 
 	// add this new widget on the binary tree
-	p := me.treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.ParentId)
+	p := treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.ParentId)
 	n.Parent = p
 	if n.Parent == nil {
 		log.Log(TREEWARN, "AddNode() ERROR n.Parent == nil n =", n.WidgetId, n.WidgetType, n.GetProgName())
diff --git a/debug.go b/debug.go
index f14e94c..86fa7ce 100644
--- a/debug.go
+++ b/debug.go
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ import (
 	"go.wit.com/widget"
 )
 
+func ShowButtons() {
+	treeRoot.ShowButtons()
+}
+
 func (n *Node) ShowButtons() {
 	if n.WidgetType == widget.Button {
 		n.DumpWidget("Button:")
@@ -21,6 +25,10 @@ func (n *Node) DumpWidget(pad string) {
 
 var depth int = 0
 
+func ListWidgets() {
+	treeRoot.ListWidgets()
+}
+
 func (n *Node) ListWidgets() {
 	if n == nil {
 		log.Log(TREEWARN, "ERRRORRRR: n == nil in ListWidgets()")
diff --git a/init.go b/init.go
index ac5fb09..53d17c2 100644
--- a/init.go
+++ b/init.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package tree
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"os"
 	"runtime/debug"
 	"sync"
 
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ var muAction sync.Mutex
 
 // TODO: add checks for nil function pointers
 func (me *TreeInfo) newAction(a widget.Action) {
-	n := me.treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.WidgetId)
+	n := treeRoot.FindWidgetId(a.WidgetId)
 	switch a.ActionType {
 	case widget.Add:
 		if n == nil {
@@ -83,6 +84,9 @@ func (me *TreeInfo) catchActionChannel() {
 			me.SendToolkitPanic()
 			debug.PrintStack()
 			me.ToolkitClose()
+			if me.PluginName == "nocui" {
+				os.Exit(-1)
+			}
 		}
 	}()
 	log.Log(TREE, "catchActionChannel() START")
@@ -108,12 +112,6 @@ func New() *TreeInfo {
 	me := new(TreeInfo)
 	me.pluginChan = make(chan widget.Action, 1)
 
-	/*
-		full := "go.wit.com/gui"
-		short := "gui"
-		TREE = log.NewFlag("TREE", true, full, short, "treeRoot info")
-	*/
-
 	log.Log(TREE, "Init() start channel reciever")
 	go me.catchActionChannel()
 	log.Log(TREE, "Init() END")
diff --git a/plugin.go b/plugin.go
index cfa1fb4..1498880 100644
--- a/plugin.go
+++ b/plugin.go
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ import (
 	"go.wit.com/widget"
 )
 
+// searches the binary tree for a WidgetId
+func FindWidgetId(id int) *Node {
+	return treeRoot.FindWidgetId(id)
+}
+
 // searches the binary tree for a WidgetId
 func (n *Node) FindWidgetId(id int) *Node {
 	if n == nil {
diff --git a/structs.go b/structs.go
index 367f21a..17c10bc 100644
--- a/structs.go
+++ b/structs.go
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ import (
 	"go.wit.com/widget"
 )
 
+// this is the root node of the binary tree
+// There is only one of these per application
+var treeRoot *Node
+
 type TreeInfo struct {
 	PluginName string
 
@@ -20,7 +24,6 @@ type TreeInfo struct {
 	// this is the channel we get requests to make widgets
 	pluginChan chan widget.Action
 
-	treeRoot *Node
 	// NodeI             interface{}
 
 	// ActionFromChannel func(widget.Action)