Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Patch notes

The 2026.08.1 patch release (2026-08-10) fixes problems with autoupdating on Windows.

The 2026.08.2 patch release (2026-08-21) fixes performance problems throughout the app, a problem with Python discovery, and how Assistant settings are detected.

Release highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Data Connections

Data Connections is our new way to work with database-like resources in Positron, from local files and database servers to cloud data warehouses. It is currently available as a preview feature, and you can enable it with the dataConnections.enabled setting. This release more than doubles the number of data sources you can reach. Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, Databricks, and Posit Connect pins join the existing DuckDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite support.

The panel itself is more capable as well. Refresh and Refresh All reload the tree while preserving what you have expanded, briefly highlighting the rows that were reloaded. Open connections now show an indicator. Collapsing a connection keeps it open while Data Explorers previewed from it are still open. Removing a connection asks for confirmation and reports how many Data Explorers will close with it.

Data Connections is still an experimental preview, and your feedback continues to shape it. Tell us which databases and warehouses you need, and anything confusing, missing, or broken, in the Data Connections discussion.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents came out of preview last release, and this release brings you a substantial round of polish for this way of working. Be aware that the Quarto settings have moved into a dedicated quarto.* namespace with its own group in the Settings editor. The previous positron.quarto.* keys still work but are deprecated, and Positron will prompt you to update your settings.

Before a kernel starts, the kernel status names the interpreter it will start and offers an explicit Start Kernel action. When a cell fails, Fix and Explain buttons send the error to Posit Assistant, matching the Positron notebook experience. The editor also scrolls to reveal output as it is produced, which you can turn off with the new quarto.inlineOutput.autoScroll setting.

Output renders more faithfully as well. Running a cell now tells you much more about what is happening, as the editor gutter shows per-statement progress, so you can see which statement is currently executing. Positron draws images at your display's pixel ratio, so plots are sharp on retina screens, and Python figures now respect the fig-width and fig-height cell options.

HTML widgets no longer stick in the editor corner when you scroll past them, or trap scrolling instead of letting the document scroll. HTML widgets no longer render as raw HTML after a reload, and collapsed output no longer springs back open when its cell re-runs. Running code in a Quarto document also pins the editor tab now, so Positron does not silently close the document and its session when you open another file.

AI model providers

Positron now reads AI model provider configuration from a single providers.json file rather than a scattered set of settings. The new release will migrate your existing configuration automatically when you start it, and deprecates the authentication.* and positron.assistant.provider.*.enable settings in favor of it. Two new commands give you direct access: Open AI Provider Settings (JSON) opens providers.json from the Command Palette, and Migrate Provider Settings to providers.json runs the migration on demand.

Install missing packages

Positron now notices when your code refers to a package you do not have installed and offers to install it for you. The prompt appears for packages referenced by your scripts and notebooks in both R and Python. A library() or import call for something missing becomes a single click instead of an error you have to go resolve by hand.

Performance and memory

We continue to invest in the memory footprint, performance, and reliability of Positron. Several components now load only when they are actually needed, and turning off ai.enabled now means Positron never loads some heavy AI-related components at all. We fixed a cluster of long-standing reliability problems around session restarts and lifecycles.

Startup and editing are faster as well. R and Python kernels start much faster on Windows systems with aggressive antivirus software. The interpreter session picker appears immediately instead of waiting for interpreter discovery to finish. We also fixed slow typing, formatting, and saving in long R and Python files.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Patch notes

The 2026.08.1 patch release (2026-08-10) fixes problems with autoupdating on Windows.

Release highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Data Connections

Data Connections is our new way to work with database-like resources in Positron, from local files and database servers to cloud data warehouses. It is currently available as a preview feature, and you can enable it with the dataConnections.enabled setting. This release more than doubles the number of data sources you can reach. Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, Databricks, and Posit Connect pins join the existing DuckDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite support.

The panel itself is more capable as well. Refresh and Refresh All reload the tree while preserving what you have expanded, briefly highlighting the rows that were reloaded. Open connections now show an indicator. Collapsing a connection keeps it open while Data Explorers previewed from it are still open. Removing a connection asks for confirmation and reports how many Data Explorers will close with it.

Data Connections is still an experimental preview, and your feedback continues to shape it. Tell us which databases and warehouses you need, and anything confusing, missing, or broken, in the Data Connections discussion.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents came out of preview last release, and this release brings you a substantial round of polish for this way of working. Be aware that the Quarto settings have moved into a dedicated quarto.* namespace with its own group in the Settings editor. The previous positron.quarto.* keys still work but are deprecated, and Positron will prompt you to update your settings.

Before a kernel starts, the kernel status names the interpreter it will start and offers an explicit Start Kernel action. When a cell fails, Fix and Explain buttons send the error to Posit Assistant, matching the Positron notebook experience. The editor also scrolls to reveal output as it is produced, which you can turn off with the new quarto.inlineOutput.autoScroll setting.

Output renders more faithfully as well. Running a cell now tells you much more about what is happening, as the editor gutter shows per-statement progress, so you can see which statement is currently executing. Positron draws images at your display's pixel ratio, so plots are sharp on retina screens, and Python figures now respect the fig-width and fig-height cell options.

HTML widgets no longer stick in the editor corner when you scroll past them, or trap scrolling instead of letting the document scroll. HTML widgets no longer render as raw HTML after a reload, and collapsed output no longer springs back open when its cell re-runs. Running code in a Quarto document also pins the editor tab now, so Positron does not silently close the document and its session when you open another file.

AI model providers

Positron now reads AI model provider configuration from a single providers.json file rather than a scattered set of settings. The new release will migrate your existing configuration automatically when you start it, and deprecates the authentication.* and positron.assistant.provider.*.enable settings in favor of it. Two new commands give you direct access: Open AI Provider Settings (JSON) opens providers.json from the Command Palette, and Migrate Provider Settings to providers.json runs the migration on demand.

Install missing packages

Positron now notices when your code refers to a package you do not have installed and offers to install it for you. The prompt appears for packages referenced by your scripts and notebooks in both R and Python. A library() or import call for something missing becomes a single click instead of an error you have to go resolve by hand.

Performance and memory

We continue to invest in the memory footprint, performance, and reliability of Positron. Several components now load only when they are actually needed, and turning off ai.enabled now means Positron never loads some heavy AI-related components at all. We fixed a cluster of long-standing reliability problems around session restarts and lifecycles.

Startup and editing are faster as well. R and Python kernels start much faster on Windows systems with aggressive antivirus software. The interpreter session picker appears immediately instead of waiting for interpreter discovery to finish. We also fixed slow typing, formatting, and saving in long R and Python files.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Data Connections

Data Connections is our new way to work with database-like resources in Positron, from local files and database servers to cloud data warehouses. It is currently available as a preview feature, and you can enable it with the dataConnections.enabled setting. This release more than doubles the number of data sources you can reach. Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, Databricks, and Posit Connect pins join the existing DuckDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite support.

The panel itself is more capable as well. Refresh and Refresh All reload the tree while preserving what you have expanded, briefly highlighting the rows that were reloaded. Open connections now show an indicator. Collapsing a connection keeps it open while Data Explorers previewed from it are still open. Removing a connection asks for confirmation and reports how many Data Explorers will close with it.

Data Connections is still an experimental preview, and your feedback continues to shape it. Tell us which databases and warehouses you need, and anything confusing, missing, or broken, in the Data Connections discussion.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents came out of preview last release, and this release brings you a substantial round of polish for this way of working. Be aware that the Quarto settings have moved into a dedicated quarto.* namespace with its own group in the Settings editor. The previous positron.quarto.* keys still work but are deprecated, and Positron will prompt you to update your settings.

Before a kernel starts, the kernel status names the interpreter it will start and offers an explicit Start Kernel action. When a cell fails, Fix and Explain buttons send the error to Posit Assistant, matching the Positron notebook experience. The editor also scrolls to reveal output as it is produced, which you can turn off with the new quarto.inlineOutput.autoScroll setting.

Output renders more faithfully as well. Running a cell now tells you much more about what is happening, as the editor gutter shows per-statement progress, so you can see which statement is currently executing. Positron draws images at your display's pixel ratio, so plots are sharp on retina screens, and Python figures now respect the fig-width and fig-height cell options.

HTML widgets no longer stick in the editor corner when you scroll past them, or trap scrolling instead of letting the document scroll. HTML widgets no longer render as raw HTML after a reload, and collapsed output no longer springs back open when its cell re-runs. Running code in a Quarto document also pins the editor tab now, so Positron does not silently close the document and its session when you open another file.

AI model providers

Positron now reads AI model provider configuration from a single providers.json file rather than a scattered set of settings. The new release will migrate your existing configuration automatically when you start it, and deprecates the authentication.* and positron.assistant.provider.*.enable settings in favor of it. Two new commands give you direct access: Open AI Provider Settings (JSON) opens providers.json from the Command Palette, and Migrate Provider Settings to providers.json runs the migration on demand.

Install missing packages

Positron now notices when your code refers to a package you do not have installed and offers to install it for you. The prompt appears for packages referenced by your scripts and notebooks in both R and Python. A library() or import call for something missing becomes a single click instead of an error you have to go resolve by hand.

Performance and memory

We continue to invest in the memory footprint, performance, and reliability of Positron. Several components now load only when they are actually needed, and turning off ai.enabled now means Positron never loads some heavy AI-related components at all. We fixed a cluster of long-standing reliability problems around session restarts and lifecycles.

Startup and editing are faster as well. R and Python kernels start much faster on Windows systems with aggressive antivirus software. The interpreter session picker appears immediately instead of waiting for interpreter discovery to finish. We also fixed slow typing, formatting, and saving in long R and Python files.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Patch notes

The 2026.07.1 patch release (2026-07-09) improves Python discovery behavior and when GitHub Copilot completions are offered.

Release highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Positron Notebook Editor

The Positron Notebook Editor comes out of preview to general availability in this release, and is now the default editor for Jupyter (.ipynb) notebooks. Built specifically for data science, it offers notebook-aware AI assistance, integrated data exploration through the Variables pane and Data Explorer, and debugging that works out of the box, with no extensions required.

Alongside general availability, this release adds a wave of improvements. You can split-edit a notebook side by side, add and manage cell tags, run a selection or the current line in a cell, and export a notebook to a Quarto, Python, or R file. A new Help panel, opened from a toolbar button or F1, lists notebook commands and keyboard shortcuts, and we added many of the keyboard shortcuts you know from JupyterLab. Rich outputs also render more faithfully, including inline PDFs, Mermaid diagrams, htmlwidgets, and theme-aware ipywidgets.

Packages pane

The Packages pane also comes out of preview to general availability in this release. It gives you a live view of the R and Python packages installed in your active session, so you can search, install, update, and remove packages, and jump to their documentation, without leaving Positron.

This release also makes the pane more capable. Clicking a package opens a detail editor with its overview, metadata, and actions, similar to the Extensions pane. Installing a package searches results as you type, and each row has a button that opens the package's website. Update indicators appear immediately on a new session from a cached snapshot, and Update All Packages reports exactly what changed. Package operations keep your environment consistent too, resolving against a workspace requirements.txt for Python and updating the renv.lock snapshot for R.

Posit Assistant

Posit Assistant is our unified, data-science-focused approach to AI assistance in Positron. As announced in the previous release, we have now removed the older Positron Assistant, and Posit Assistant is the single way to bring AI into your Positron workflow. For the story of how we got here, read about the history of Posit data science agents.

This release also gives you finer control over AI in Positron. The new ai.enabled setting turns off every Positron AI feature at once, and administrators can enforce it; notebook.ai.enabled does the same for notebooks specifically. The set of language model providers keeps growing, with DeepSeek joining as an experimental provider and Microsoft Foundry reaching general availability. The configuration modal now shows every provider by default with preview and experimental badges.

R language intelligence

Last release, R language support in Positron gained the ability to understand symbols within a file, and this release takes that further. Go to Definition, Find References, and Rename Symbol now work across files, in both R packages and standalone scripts, where cross-file resolution follows source() calls. This more accurate resolution strategy is experimental and, for now, powers symbol navigation only. R language intelligence is also more responsive to your workspace. Features such as diagnostics and workspace symbols react to changes made outside open editors, like switching a git branch or having an agent write a file. What Positron knows about your code stays in sync with what is on disk.

Open Excel files directly in the Data Explorer

Open an Excel workbook (.xlsx) and start exploring it right away in the Data Explorer, without first needing to load it via Python or R. Sort, filter, and profile columns, switch between worksheets, and toggle whether the first row holds column names. An Open in Excel button opens the workbook in your native spreadsheet application.

This release broadens what you can open in the Data Explorer overall. Backed by a native DuckDB engine, it now also previews compressed CSV, TSV, and Parquet files. Also, a new Open in Data Explorer code action, from the editor lightbulb or Cmd+., opens the data frame under your cursor in R, Python, and Quarto files, so you can jump straight from your code to exploring your data.

Try Data Connections (preview)

We are building new Data Connections support to become the way you work with database-like resources in Positron, from local files and database servers to cloud data warehouses. In this experimental preview, you can browse schemas, tables, views, columns, and indexes in a tree, open a table or view in the Data Explorer with a double-click, and generate ready-to-run connection code in Python or R. It supports DuckDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite today, with more databases and warehouses on the way. This feature is in early days, and your feedback will directly shape where it goes. Learn how to try it out and tell us what you think in the Data Connections discussion: which databases and warehouses you need, whether the connection setup is clear, and anything confusing, missing, or broken.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Positron Notebook Editor

The Positron Notebook Editor comes out of preview to general availability in this release, and is now the default editor for Jupyter (.ipynb) notebooks. Built specifically for data science, it offers notebook-aware AI assistance, integrated data exploration through the Variables pane and Data Explorer, and debugging that works out of the box, with no extensions required.

Alongside general availability, this release adds a wave of improvements. You can split-edit a notebook side by side, add and manage cell tags, run a selection or the current line in a cell, and export a notebook to a Quarto, Python, or R file. A new Help panel, opened from a toolbar button or F1, lists notebook commands and keyboard shortcuts, and we added many of the keyboard shortcuts you know from JupyterLab. Rich outputs also render more faithfully, including inline PDFs, Mermaid diagrams, htmlwidgets, and theme-aware ipywidgets.

Packages pane

The Packages pane also comes out of preview to general availability in this release. It gives you a live view of the R and Python packages installed in your active session, so you can search, install, update, and remove packages, and jump to their documentation, without leaving Positron.

This release also makes the pane more capable. Clicking a package opens a detail editor with its overview, metadata, and actions, similar to the Extensions pane. Installing a package searches results as you type, and each row has a button that opens the package's website. Update indicators appear immediately on a new session from a cached snapshot, and Update All Packages reports exactly what changed. Package operations keep your environment consistent too, resolving against a workspace requirements.txt for Python and updating the renv.lock snapshot for R.

Posit Assistant

Posit Assistant is our unified, data-science-focused approach to AI assistance in Positron. As announced in the previous release, we have now removed the older Positron Assistant, and Posit Assistant is the single way to bring AI into your Positron workflow. For the story of how we got here, read about the history of Posit data science agents.

This release also gives you finer control over AI in Positron. The new ai.enabled setting turns off every Positron AI feature at once, and administrators can enforce it; notebook.ai.enabled does the same for notebooks specifically. The set of language model providers keeps growing, with DeepSeek joining as an experimental provider and Microsoft Foundry reaching general availability. The configuration modal now shows every provider by default with preview and experimental badges.

R language intelligence

Last release, R language support in Positron gained the ability to understand symbols within a file, and this release takes that further. Go to Definition, Find References, and Rename Symbol now work across files, in both R packages and standalone scripts, where cross-file resolution follows source() calls. This more accurate resolution strategy is experimental and, for now, powers symbol navigation only. R language intelligence is also more responsive to your workspace. Features such as diagnostics and workspace symbols react to changes made outside open editors, like switching a git branch or having an agent write a file. What Positron knows about your code stays in sync with what is on disk.

Open Excel files directly in the Data Explorer

Open an Excel workbook (.xlsx) and start exploring it right away in the Data Explorer, without first needing to load it via Python or R. Sort, filter, and profile columns, switch between worksheets, and toggle whether the first row holds column names. An Open in Excel button opens the workbook in your native spreadsheet application.

This release broadens what you can open in the Data Explorer overall. Backed by a native DuckDB engine, it now also previews compressed CSV, TSV, and Parquet files. Also, a new Open in Data Explorer code action, from the editor lightbulb or Cmd+., opens the data frame under your cursor in R, Python, and Quarto files, so you can jump straight from your code to exploring your data.

Try Data Connections (preview)

We are building new Data Connections support to become the way you work with database-like resources in Positron, from local files and database servers to cloud data warehouses. In this experimental preview, you can browse schemas, tables, views, columns, and indexes in a tree, open a table or view in the Data Explorer with a double-click, and generate ready-to-run connection code in Python or R. It supports DuckDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite today, with more databases and warehouses on the way. This feature is in early days, and your feedback will directly shape where it goes. Learn how to try it out and tell us what you think in the Data Connections discussion: which databases and warehouses you need, whether the connection setup is clear, and anything confusing, missing, or broken.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Patch notes

The 2026.06.1 patch release (2026-06-23) provides security vulnerability updates.

Release highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Posit Assistant

Last release we introduced Posit Assistant, our unified, data-science-focused approach to AI assistance. This release continues that work, and we want to give you advance notice that the older Positron Assistant will be deprecated in the next release. If you are still using Positron Assistant, we encourage you to migrate to Posit Assistant now. As a first step, the positron.assistant.enable setting is deprecated in favor of assistant.enabled, and the Positron Assistant welcome view now points you to Posit Assistant.

Posit Assistant supports the same broad set of providers as Positron Assistant, along with the Posit AI model provider and new experimental support for Google Vertex. Learn more about the differences between the new Posit Assistant and the older Positron Assistant.

New in Posit Assistant this release, you can use the Posit AI model provider for Next Edit Suggestions, which propose your likely next change as you edit. You can also access the Configure Language Model Providers item in the accounts menu.

Packages pane improvements

We introduced the Packages pane last release, and this release makes it more informative and flexible. A Show Help button and context menu entry on every package take you straight to its documentation in the Help pane. You can now combine category filters as an intersection, so you can narrow the list to, for example, packages that are both attached and outdated. A new Item Size toggle lets you switch between a compact row view and a richer card view that surfaces package descriptions and other metadata. For R users, the new packages.r.installer setting controls whether installs, updates, and removals use pak, base R, or an automatic choice. The setting that controls the pane has been renamed to packages.enabled; the previous positron.packages.enable setting is deprecated but still honored.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents was one of Positron's most-requested features ever, and it is now out of preview. A new toolbar button in Quarto documents gives you one-click access to running cells, managing inline output, and showing the console. Inserting code into a Quarto document from the History pane now automatically wraps it in cell markup when you drop it into a prose region. You can opt in to inline output with the positron.quarto.inlineOutput.enabled setting.

Faster startup

We continue to invest in performance improvements, and Positron starts up even faster in this release. Positron now caches previously discovered system interpreters, dramatically speeding up startup in new folders and projects; you can control this with the new interpreters.discoveryCache.enabled setting. On Windows, we fixed multi-minute startup delays by skipping slow PATH discovery by default, governed by the new positron.r.interpreters.pathDiscoveryMode setting. We also fixed an occasional hang at "Preparing" when starting Positron after updating to a new version.

R language intelligence

Positron's R language support now understands symbols within a file. You can rename a local symbol and have every use of it updated at once, and Go to Definition and Find References now work for local symbols, so you can jump to where a variable is defined (such as via <- or a function parameter) or see everywhere it is used within a function. Renaming symbols across files is not yet supported, but it is coming soon.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Posit Assistant

Last release we introduced Posit Assistant, our unified, data-science-focused approach to AI assistance. This release continues that work, and we want to give you advance notice that the older Positron Assistant will be deprecated in the next release. If you are still using Positron Assistant, we encourage you to migrate to Posit Assistant now. As a first step, the positron.assistant.enable setting is deprecated in favor of assistant.enabled, and the Positron Assistant welcome view now points you to Posit Assistant.

Posit Assistant supports the same broad set of providers as Positron Assistant, along with the Posit AI model provider and new experimental support for Google Vertex. Learn more about the differences between the new Posit Assistant and the older Positron Assistant.

New in Posit Assistant this release, you can use the Posit AI model provider for Next Edit Suggestions, which propose your likely next change as you edit. You can also access the Configure Language Model Providers item in the accounts menu.

Packages pane improvements

We introduced the Packages pane last release, and this release makes it more informative and flexible. A Show Help button and context menu entry on every package take you straight to its documentation in the Help pane. You can now combine category filters as an intersection, so you can narrow the list to, for example, packages that are both attached and outdated. A new Item Size toggle lets you switch between a compact row view and a richer card view that surfaces package descriptions and other metadata. For R users, the new packages.r.installer setting controls whether installs, updates, and removals use pak, base R, or an automatic choice. The setting that controls the pane has been renamed to packages.enabled; the previous positron.packages.enable setting is deprecated but still honored.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents was one of Positron's most-requested features ever, and it is now out of preview. A new toolbar button in Quarto documents gives you one-click access to running cells, managing inline output, and showing the console. Inserting code into a Quarto document from the History pane now automatically wraps it in cell markup when you drop it into a prose region. You can opt in to inline output with the positron.quarto.inlineOutput.enabled setting.

Faster startup

We continue to invest in performance improvements, and Positron starts up even faster in this release. Positron now caches previously discovered system interpreters, dramatically speeding up startup in new folders and projects; you can control this with the new interpreters.discoveryCache.enabled setting. On Windows, we fixed multi-minute startup delays by skipping slow PATH discovery by default, governed by the new positron.r.interpreters.pathDiscoveryMode setting. We also fixed an occasional hang at "Preparing" when starting Positron after updating to a new version.

R language intelligence

Positron's R language support now understands symbols within a file. You can rename a local symbol and have every use of it updated at once, and Go to Definition and Find References now work for local symbols, so you can jump to where a variable is defined (such as via <- or a function parameter) or see everywhere it is used within a function. Renaming symbols across files is not yet supported, but it is coming soon.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Patch notes

The 2026.05.1 patch release (2026-05-06) provides corrected builds for x64/Intel macOS.

The 2026.05.2 patch release (2026-05-14) fixes the behavior when switching tabs in the Positron notebook editor.

Release highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Announcing the Packages pane

Our Packages pane is available in this release as a preview feature. The new Packages pane brings streamlined package management directly into the IDE so you can see at a glance what's installed, what's attached, and what's out of date.

Find it in the Primary Sidebar by clicking the package icon. Positron automatically detects and integrates with your current interpreter; today we have support for pip, venv, uv, and conda for Python, plus base R, pak, and renv for R. You can search, sort, install, update, remove, filter by category (including "Outdated Packages"), and even see which packages are attached in your current session. To hide the pane, disable positron.packages.enable. Let us know how it fits into your workflow.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents was one of Positron's most-requested features ever, with many users telling us it was the one thing keeping them tied to RStudio or Jupyter notebooks. We are happy to share that Quarto inline output is available this release as a preview feature. Quarto kernels start automatically when you open a document with inline output, so you don't wait for a kernel on first execution. Each inline output cell shows a status line with execution status and elapsed time, and outputs are now collapsible when they get long. We've also added a tool to switch the interpreter used for inline output, support for Show Notebook Console for Quarto documents, and fixed a handful of papercuts around execution indicators, autocompletion, and the kernel selector. Enable inline output via the positron.quarto.inlineOutput.enabled setting.

Extensions available from Posit Public Package Manager

Positron's extension gallery now uses Posit Public Package Manager (P3M) by default, replacing Open VSX as the source for browsing and installing extensions. The catalog is the same set of extensions you already use, served from Posit infrastructure for reliable distribution. If you prefer to stay on Open VSX, the new positron.extensions.gallerySource setting lets you switch back at any time. For organizations on Posit Workbench, Posit Package Manager also added support for mirroring and serving VS Code extensions from your own instance, bringing the same governance, security, and air-gapped distribution to extensions that you already have for R and Python packages.

Positron Notebook Editor is now in beta

The Positron Notebook Editor for .ipynb files is officially moving from alpha to beta. This release brings a wave of polish and reliability we hope makes it ready for your daily workflow:

• Cleaner git diffs by default: New notebook.save.outputs and notebook.save.executionCounts settings let you exclude outputs and execution counts from saved notebook files so reviewers see only the relevant code changes.

• Stronger R support: R notebooks can now be debugged with breakpoints and the "Debug Cell" action, and R dataframe outputs in notebook cells now render in the inline Data Explorer for the same interactive exploration you get in the Console.

• Help on F1: Pressing F1 on a function in a notebook cell now opens the Help pane, just like in .py and .R files. Works for both Python and R Jupyter notebooks.

• UX polish: Long cell outputs default to scrolling instead of overwhelming the page, the cell action bar stays visible as you scroll through tall cells, markdown cells render footnotes, and your scroll position is preserved when switching between notebook tabs.

Posit Assistant and Posit AI

This release introduces two new AI options: Posit Assistant and Posit AI.

• You may have tried some of our previous experiments for AI code assistance available in Positron, Positron Assistant and/or Databot. We are now migrating to a more data-science-specific, holistic, unified approach to AI chat, built on the same Posit Assistant interface that we recently brought to RStudio. Instead of switching between tools, you get code generation, next edit suggestions, chat, and agentic tools all in one place. Learn how to get started.

• Posit AI is a new, optional model provider service available to use with Posit Assistant. Posit AI is a subscription priced at $20/month for individual users; both Positron and Posit Assistant remain free to use. Learn how to sign up for an account.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

Please review Positron's license agreement and privacy policy. Your acceptance of this license agreement and privacy policy is required as a condition to proceeding with your download or use of the software.

Patch notes

The 2026.05.1 patch release (2026-05-06) provides corrected builds for x64/Intel macOS.

Release highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Announcing the Packages pane

Our Packages pane is available in this release as a preview feature. The new Packages pane brings streamlined package management directly into the IDE so you can see at a glance what's installed, what's attached, and what's out of date.

Find it in the Primary Sidebar by clicking the package icon. Positron automatically detects and integrates with your current interpreter; today we have support for pip, venv, uv, and conda for Python, plus base R, pak, and renv for R. You can search, sort, install, update, remove, filter by category (including "Outdated Packages"), and even see which packages are attached in your current session. To hide the pane, disable positron.packages.enable. Let us know how it fits into your workflow.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents was one of Positron's most-requested features ever, with many users telling us it was the one thing keeping them tied to RStudio or Jupyter notebooks. We are happy to share that Quarto inline output is available this release as a preview feature. Quarto kernels start automatically when you open a document with inline output, so you don't wait for a kernel on first execution. Each inline output cell shows a status line with execution status and elapsed time, and outputs are now collapsible when they get long. We've also added a tool to switch the interpreter used for inline output, support for Show Notebook Console for Quarto documents, and fixed a handful of papercuts around execution indicators, autocompletion, and the kernel selector. Enable inline output via the positron.quarto.inlineOutput.enabled setting.

Extensions available from Posit Public Package Manager

Positron's extension gallery now uses Posit Public Package Manager (P3M) by default, replacing Open VSX as the source for browsing and installing extensions. The catalog is the same set of extensions you already use, served from Posit infrastructure for reliable distribution. If you prefer to stay on Open VSX, the new positron.extensions.gallerySource setting lets you switch back at any time. For organizations on Posit Workbench, Posit Package Manager also added support for mirroring and serving VS Code extensions from your own instance, bringing the same governance, security, and air-gapped distribution to extensions that you already have for R and Python packages.

Positron Notebook Editor is now in beta

The Positron Notebook Editor for .ipynb files is officially moving from alpha to beta. This release brings a wave of polish and reliability we hope makes it ready for your daily workflow:

• Cleaner git diffs by default: New notebook.save.outputs and notebook.save.executionCounts settings let you exclude outputs and execution counts from saved notebook files so reviewers see only the relevant code changes.

• Stronger R support: R notebooks can now be debugged with breakpoints and the "Debug Cell" action, and R dataframe outputs in notebook cells now render in the inline Data Explorer for the same interactive exploration you get in the Console.

• Help on F1: Pressing F1 on a function in a notebook cell now opens the Help pane, just like in .py and .R files. Works for both Python and R Jupyter notebooks.

• UX polish: Long cell outputs default to scrolling instead of overwhelming the page, the cell action bar stays visible as you scroll through tall cells, markdown cells render footnotes, and your scroll position is preserved when switching between notebook tabs.

Posit Assistant and Posit AI

This release introduces two new AI options: Posit Assistant and Posit AI.

• You may have tried some of our previous experiments for AI code assistance available in Positron, Positron Assistant and/or Databot. We are now migrating to a more data-science-specific, holistic, unified approach to AI chat, built on the same Posit Assistant interface that we recently brought to RStudio. Instead of switching between tools, you get code generation, next edit suggestions, chat, and agentic tools all in one place. Learn how to get started.

• Posit AI is a new, optional model provider service available to use with Posit Assistant. Posit AI is a subscription priced at $20/month for individual users; both Positron and Posit Assistant remain free to use. Learn how to sign up for an account.

Thank you for using Positron!

Downloads

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Highlights

Check out all the changes for this release.

Announcing the Packages pane

Our Packages pane is available in this release as a preview feature. The new Packages pane brings streamlined package management directly into the IDE so you can see at a glance what's installed, what's attached, and what's out of date.

Find it in the Primary Sidebar by clicking the package icon. Positron automatically detects and integrates with your current interpreter; today we have support for pip, venv, uv, and conda for Python, plus base R, pak, and renv for R. You can search, sort, install, update, remove, filter by category (including "Outdated Packages"), and even see which packages are attached in your current session. To hide the pane, disable positron.packages.enable. Let us know how it fits into your workflow.

Inline output for Quarto

Inline output for .qmd documents was one of Positron's most-requested features ever, with many users telling us it was the one thing keeping them tied to RStudio or Jupyter notebooks. We are happy to share that Quarto inline output is available this release as a preview feature. Quarto kernels start automatically when you open a document with inline output, so you don't wait for a kernel on first execution. Each inline output cell shows a status line with execution status and elapsed time, and outputs are now collapsible when they get long. We've also added a tool to switch the interpreter used for inline output, support for Show Notebook Console for Quarto documents, and fixed a handful of papercuts around execution indicators, autocompletion, and the kernel selector. Enable inline output via the positron.quarto.inlineOutput.enabled setting.

Extensions available from Posit Public Package Manager

Positron's extension gallery now uses Posit Public Package Manager (P3M) by default, replacing Open VSX as the source for browsing and installing extensions. The catalog is the same set of extensions you already use, served from Posit infrastructure for reliable distribution. If you prefer to stay on Open VSX, the new positron.extensions.gallerySource setting lets you switch back at any time. For organizations on Posit Workbench, Posit Package Manager also added support for mirroring and serving VS Code extensions from your own instance, bringing the same governance, security, and air-gapped distribution to extensions that you already have for R and Python packages.

Positron Notebook Editor is now in beta

The Positron Notebook Editor for .ipynb files is officially moving from alpha to beta. This release brings a wave of polish and reliability we hope makes it ready for your daily workflow:

• Cleaner git diffs by default: New notebook.save.outputs and notebook.save.executionCounts settings let you exclude outputs and execution counts from saved notebook files so reviewers see only the relevant code changes.

• Stronger R support: R notebooks can now be debugged with breakpoints and the "Debug Cell" action, and R dataframe outputs in notebook cells now render in the inline Data Explorer for the same interactive exploration you get in the Console.

• Help on F1: Pressing F1 on a function in a notebook cell now opens the Help pane, just like in .py and .R files. Works for both Python and R Jupyter notebooks.

• UX polish: Long cell outputs default to scrolling instead of overwhelming the page, the cell action bar stays visible as you scroll through tall cells, markdown cells render footnotes, and your scroll position is preserved when switching between notebook tabs.

Posit Assistant and Posit AI

This release introduces two new AI options: Posit Assistant and Posit AI.

• You may have tried some of our previous experiments for AI code assistance available in Positron, Positron Assistant and/or Databot. We are now migrating to a more data-science-specific, holistic, unified approach to AI chat, built on the same Posit Assistant interface that we recently brought to RStudio. Instead of switching between tools, you get code generation, next edit suggestions, chat, and agentic tools all in one place. Learn how to get started.

• Posit AI is a new, optional model provider service available to use with Posit Assistant. Posit AI is a subscription priced at $20/month for individual users; both Positron and Posit Assistant remain free to use. Learn how to sign up for an account.