Godot SceneTree Group Queries Lack Pagination and Result Limits

Pagination Gap in get_nodes_in_group

Godot 4.x's SceneTree.get_nodes_in_group(group_name) returns a full Array of every node in the named group. The method walks the entire scene tree, collects references, and allocates an array whose size scales linearly with group membership. There is no limit, offset, or lazy-iteration parameter, and no filtered count API exists alongside the new get_node_count() introduced in 4.3.

Constraints and Uncertainty

• Large groups (10k+ nodes) can cause measurable frame hitches during the initial query due to array allocation and reference counting.
• No signal notifies when group membership changes, so any custom registry must hook NOTIFICATION_ENTER_TREE and NOTIFICATION_EXIT_TREE manually.
• Threaded scene loading that adds nodes to groups may race with registry updates unless deferred to the main thread.
• Documentation warns against frequent calls in _process but does not quantify a cost threshold.

The common workaround is a custom autoload registry that maintains its own Array or Dictionary and uses slice(offset, limit) for paging, but this adds boilerplate and must handle multi-scene setups, editor-vs-runtime differences, and reference-cycle cleanup.

Open Questions

1. What is the practical node-count threshold where get_nodes_in_group becomes a measurable frame-time cost in Godot 4.3?
2. Does a custom registry using NOTIFICATION_ENTER_TREE/EXIT_TREE reliably stay consistent across scene instancing and multi-threaded loading?
3. Are there any planned APIs for filtered group counts or paged iteration in the Godot 4.x roadmap?