diff --git a/scripts/dts/gen_defines.py b/scripts/dts/gen_defines.py
index 28d4a17787d6fa3..f049f7bc2e41da2 100755
--- a/scripts/dts/gen_defines.py
+++ b/scripts/dts/gen_defines.py
@@ -74,25 +74,6 @@ def main():
     with open(args.dts_out, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
         print(edt.dts_source, file=f)
 
-    # The raw index into edt.compat2nodes[compat] is used for node
-    # instance numbering within a compatible.
-    #
-    # As a way to satisfy people's intuitions about instance numbers,
-    # though, we sort this list so enabled instances come first.
-    #
-    # This might look like a hack, but it keeps drivers and
-    # applications which don't use instance numbers carefully working
-    # as expected, since e.g. instance number 0 is always the
-    # singleton instance if there's just one enabled node of a
-    # particular compatible.
-    #
-    # This doesn't violate any devicetree.h API guarantees about
-    # instance ordering, since we make no promises that instance
-    # numbers are stable across builds.
-    for compat, nodes in edt.compat2nodes.items():
-        edt.compat2nodes[compat] = sorted(
-            nodes, key=lambda node: 0 if node.status == "okay" else 1)
-
     # Create the generated header.
     with open(args.header_out, "w", encoding="utf-8") as header_file:
         write_top_comment(edt)
diff --git a/scripts/dts/python-devicetree/src/devicetree/edtlib.py b/scripts/dts/python-devicetree/src/devicetree/edtlib.py
index 088ef6e09967a29..38aa537834cc4d5 100644
--- a/scripts/dts/python-devicetree/src/devicetree/edtlib.py
+++ b/scripts/dts/python-devicetree/src/devicetree/edtlib.py
@@ -2401,6 +2401,25 @@ def _init_luts(self) -> None:
                             f"node '{node.path}' compatible '{compat}' "
                             f"has unknown vendor prefix '{vendor}'")
 
+        # The raw index into edt.compat2nodes[compat] is used for node
+        # instance numbering within a compatible.
+        #
+        # As a way to satisfy people's intuitions about instance numbers,
+        # we sort this list so enabled instances come first.
+        #
+        # This might look like a hack, but it keeps drivers and
+        # applications which don't use instance numbers carefully working
+        # as expected, since e.g. instance number 0 is always the
+        # singleton instance if there's just one enabled node of a
+        # particular compatible.
+        #
+        # This doesn't violate any devicetree.h API guarantees about
+        # instance ordering, since we make no promises that instance
+        # numbers are stable across builds.
+        for compat, nodes in self.compat2nodes.items():
+            self.compat2nodes[compat] = sorted(
+                nodes, key=lambda node: 0 if node.status == "okay" else 1
+            )
 
         for nodeset in self.scc_order:
             node = nodeset[0]