Troubleshooting
If you’re having trouble with Positron, here is some info and tools to help you get back on track.
Reloading
Positron is an Electron app. If you’re seeing what looks like a temporary glitch, you can try reloading the window. To do this, from the Command Palette, run the Developer: Reload Window command.
A window reload shouldn’t cause you to lose any state, but it does cause the Positron front end and all language packs to restart.
Python and R logs
Output panel
Python and R logs are emitted in the Output panel. Each interpreter starts several output channels that can be used to help diagnose problems with a respective part of the system.
Run the Output: Show Output Channels command to show a list of output channels. You can then select one to view its output by name, like “R Language Pack”. Here’s a list of some Positron-specific channels you may be interested in:
| Channel | Description |
|---|---|
| Kernel | Communication from the Python or R kernel itself: requests to execute code, output to be shown in the Console, data used to build plots/environment/help panes, etc. This channel will have a name like “R X.Y.Z: Kernel.” |
| Console/Notebook | Communication from the Console or Notebook running the Python or R kernel: messages the Console sends and receives, changes in the Console’s state, etc. This channel will have a name like “Python X.Y.Z: Console.” |
| Language Server | Debug logs from the server side of the language server Positron uses for any given interpreter. This channel will have a name like “R X.Y.Z: Language Server (Console).” |
| Language Pack | Debug logs from the extension that Positron uses to discover, start, and manage interpreters. This channel will have a name like “Python Language Pack.” |
Log level
Most of these output channels have a log level associated with them that you can change in the settings UI. For example, you can change the log level for how much information is passed from the R kernel itself to the “R X.Y.Z: Kernel” output channel using the positron.r.kernel.logLevel setting.
Developer tools
When looking for the source of an error, the developer tools can be helpful. From the Command Palette, run the Developer: Toggle Developer Tools command. Then, from the Developer Tools panel that appears, select the Console tab.
If you see an error in the developer tools related to the issue you’re seeing, please include it when filing an issue on Github.
Resetting Positron
If you seem to have gotten things in a bad state, you can reset Positron to factory-fresh as follows. Close all Positron instances, then delete its state files:
rm -rf "~/Library/Application Support/Positron"
rm -rf ~/.positronThen, download the latest release of Positron and install it.
Ask for help
Finally, ask for help early and often. If you’re having trouble as one of our beta testers, we’d like to hear about it, perhaps even before you blow away any state that might tell us what the issue was. Join us on GitHub Discussions!