diff --git a/confluent_server/bin/confluentdbutil b/confluent_server/bin/confluentdbutil
index b7c1e5c7..e74c2ab4 100755
--- a/confluent_server/bin/confluentdbutil
+++ b/confluent_server/bin/confluentdbutil
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-#!/usr/bin/python2
+#!/usr/bin/python3
 # vim: tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4
 
-# Copyright 2017 Lenovo
+# Copyright 2017,2024 Lenovo
 #
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -72,9 +72,19 @@ if args[0] in ('restore', 'merge'):
         stateless = args[0] == 'restore'
         cfm.init(stateless)
         cfm.statelessmode = stateless
+        skipped = {'nodes': [], 'nodegroups': []}
         cfm.restore_db_from_directory(
             dumpdir, password,
-            merge="skip" if args[0] == 'merge' else False)
+            merge="skip" if args[0] == 'merge' else False, skipped=skipped)
+        if skipped['nodes']:
+            skippedn = ','.join(skipped['nodes'])
+            print('The following nodes were skipped during merge: '
+                  '{}'.format(skippedn))
+        if skipped['nodegroups']:
+            skippedn = ','.join(skipped['nodegroups'])
+            print('The following node groups were skipped during merge: '
+                  '{}'.format(skippedn))
+
         cfm.statelessmode = False
         cfm.ConfigManager.wait_for_sync(True)
         if owner != 0:
diff --git a/confluent_server/confluent/config/configmanager.py b/confluent_server/confluent/config/configmanager.py
index 788c2d60..7702b97d 100644
--- a/confluent_server/confluent/config/configmanager.py
+++ b/confluent_server/confluent/config/configmanager.py
@@ -2519,19 +2519,21 @@ class ConfigManager(object):
         self._bg_sync_to_file()
         #TODO: wait for synchronization to suceed/fail??)
 
-    def _load_from_json(self, jsondata, sync=True, merge=False, keydata=None):
+    def _load_from_json(self, jsondata, sync=True, merge=False, keydata=None, skipped=None):
         self.inrestore = True
         try:
-            self._load_from_json_backend(jsondata, sync=True, merge=merge, keydata=keydata)
+            self._load_from_json_backend(jsondata, sync=True, merge=merge, keydata=keydata, skipped=skipped)
         finally:
             self.inrestore = False
 
-    def _load_from_json_backend(self, jsondata, sync=True, merge=False, keydata=None):
+    def _load_from_json_backend(self, jsondata, sync=True, merge=False, keydata=None, skipped=None):
         """Load fresh configuration data from jsondata
 
         :param jsondata: String of jsondata
         :return:
         """
+        if not skipped:
+            skipped = {'nodes': None, 'nodegroups': None}
         dumpdata = json.loads(jsondata)
         tmpconfig = {}
         for confarea in _config_areas:
@@ -2588,9 +2590,9 @@ class ConfigManager(object):
             if confarea not in tmpconfig:
                 continue
             if confarea == 'nodes':
-                self.set_node_attributes(tmpconfig[confarea], True, merge=attribmerge, keydata=keydata)
+                self.set_node_attributes(tmpconfig[confarea], True, merge=attribmerge, keydata=keydata, skipped=skipped['nodes'])
             elif confarea == 'nodegroups':
-                self.set_group_attributes(tmpconfig[confarea], True, merge=attribmerge, keydata=keydata)
+                self.set_group_attributes(tmpconfig[confarea], True, merge=attribmerge, keydata=keydata, skipped=skipped['nodegroups'])
             elif confarea == 'usergroups':
                 if merge:
                     continue
@@ -2934,7 +2936,7 @@ def _dump_keys(password, dojson=True):
     return keydata
 
 
-def restore_db_from_directory(location, password, merge=False):
+def restore_db_from_directory(location, password, merge=False, skipped=None):
     kdd = None
     try:
         with open(os.path.join(location, 'keys.json'), 'r') as cfgfile:
@@ -2973,7 +2975,7 @@ def restore_db_from_directory(location, password, merge=False):
                 raise
     with open(os.path.join(location, 'main.json'), 'r') as cfgfile:
         cfgdata = cfgfile.read()
-        ConfigManager(tenant=None)._load_from_json(cfgdata, merge=merge, keydata=kdd)
+        ConfigManager(tenant=None)._load_from_json(cfgdata, merge=merge, keydata=kdd, skipped=skipped)
     ConfigManager.wait_for_sync(True)