posit-dev / posit-dev/positron
R doesn't start up
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Description
Type: Bug
I'm having trouble using R on Positron where it refuses to start up.
Here is the error message:
"R 4.5.2 failed to start up (exit code -1073741515)
The kernel exited before a connection could be established"
Here are my Positron details:
Positron Version: 2026.01.0 (system setup) build 147
Code - OSS Version: 1.106.0
Commit: 3290136f699527bf01b703b390457b05ef2b858a
Date: 2026-01-06T02:10:20.907Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200
Any help getting this working would be appreciated. Thank you.
Version: Positron 2026.01.0+147 (3290136f699527bf01b703b390457b05ef2b858a, 2026-01-06T02:10:20.907Z)
Code - OSS version: VS Code 1.106.0
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200
Modes:
System Info
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| CPUs | 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13620H (16 x 2918) |
| GPU Status | 2d_canvas: enabled direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: enabled_on rasterization: enabled raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off trees_in_viz: disabled_off video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled vulkan: disabled_off webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: enabled webnn: disabled_off |
| Load (avg) | undefined |
| Memory (System) | 31.56GB (7.43GB free) |
| Process Argv | |
| Screen Reader | no |
| VM | 0% |
Extensions (14)
| Extension | Author (truncated) | Version |
|---|---|---|
| ruff | cha | 2026.34.0 |
| vscode-pull-request-github | Git | 0.120.2 |
| pyrefly | met | 0.50.1 |
| pyright | ms- | 1.1.402 |
| debugpy | ms- | 2025.18.0 |
| vscode-python-envs | ms- | 1.16.0 |
| jupyter | ms- | 2025.9.1 |
| jupyter-keymap | ms- | 1.1.2 |
| vscode-jupyter-cell-tags | ms- | 0.1.9 |
| vscode-jupyter-slideshow | ms- | 0.1.6 |
| air-vscode | Pos | 0.20.0 |
| publisher | pos | 1.29.11 |
| shiny | Pos | 1.3.3 |
| quarto | qua | 1.129.0 |
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by reproducing the R startup failure on Windows with Positron 2026.01.0 and R 4.5.2, then inspect the startup and kernel logs around exit code -1073741515. Done means R starts successfully and establishes the kernel connection; no source file or test is identified in the report.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- r
- Domain
- developer-experience
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100