README

The {rstudio.prefs} package provides a programmatic interface for working with RStudio preference files to modify settings and addin keyboard shortcuts without using point-and-click option menus. This is useful for teams and individuals working across multiple devices who want a unified experience and for enforcing best practices. The package also exposes settings not available in the Global Options dialog.

Installation

install.packages("rstudio.prefs")

# install.packages('devtools')
devtools::install_github("vdwulp/rstudio.prefs")

Examples

Set RStudio Preferences

Update the RStudio preferences. A full listing of preferences is available in the RStudio documentation.

library(rstudio.prefs)

use_rstudio_prefs(
  always_save_history = FALSE,
  save_workspace = "never",
  load_workspace = FALSE,
  rainbow_parentheses = TRUE,
  busy_exclusion_list = list("tmux", "screen")
)
#> √ Downloading list of available RStudio settings
#>
#> == Updates ==================================================
#> - always_save_history   [TRUE   --> FALSE       ]
#> - save_workspace        [ask    --> never       ]
#> - load_workspace        [TRUE   --> FALSE       ]
#> - rainbow_parentheses   [FALSE  --> TRUE        ]
#> - busy_exclusion_list   [tmux   --> tmux, screen]
#> 
#> Would you like to continue? [y/n] y

Add Secondary Repository

Add secondary repositories to the ROpenSci and username R-Universes. This is also helpful for adding secondary RStudio Package Manager repositories.

use_rstudio_secondary_repo(
  ropensci = "https://ropensci.r-universe.dev",
  username = "https://username.r-universe.dev"
)
#> == Updates ==================================================
#> - ropensci   [*  --> https://ropensci.r-universe.dev]
#> - username   [*  --> https://username.r-universe.dev]
#> 
#> Would you like to continue? [y/n] y

Add Keyboard Shortcut

Use use_rstudio_keyboard_shortcut() to programmatically add or remove keyboard shortcuts for add-ins. To remove a shortcut, pass NULL instead of a function.

use_rstudio_keyboard_shortcut(
  "Ctrl+Shift+/" = "rstudio.prefs::make_path_norm"
)
#> == Updates ==================================================
#> - Ctrl+Shift+/   [*  --> rstudio.prefs::make_path_norm]
#> 
#> Would you like to continue? [y/n] y
#> √ File 'C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/RStudio/keybindings/addins 2026-08-30.json' saved as backup.
#> √ File 'C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/RStudio/keybindings/addins.json' updated.
#> * Restart RStudio for updates to take effect.

As shown in the output RStudio needs to be restarted for keyboard shortcut changes to take effect.

Package history