RStudio Discord Rich Presence Integration

This R package integrates Discord Rich Presence with RStudio, allowing you to display the R script you are currently editing in your Discord status. It automatically updates as you switch between files, similar to the VS Code "vscord" extension.

Features

• Automatic Detection: Shows the currently active file in the RStudio editor.
• Real-Time Updates: Status updates within seconds of switching files.
• Silent & Efficient: Runs in the background with minimal performance impact.
• Easy Setup: A one-time setup command is all that's needed.
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• RStudio Addins: Convenient menu options to start/stop the integration.

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Python 3.6+ must be installed and accessible from your system PATH
2. Discord desktop application must be running
3. RStudio (obviously!)

Install the Package

Option 1: From R-universe (Easiest)

# Install using standard install.packages()
install.packages('discordrpc', repos = 'https://devon7y.r-universe.dev')

Option 2: From GitHub

# Install from GitHub using devtools
devtools::install_github("devon7y/rstudio-discord-rpc")

Option 3: From CRAN (pending approval)

# Once approved on CRAN, you'll be able to install with:
install.packages("discordrpc")

Option 4: Install Locally

# Install from a local copy
devtools::install("/path/to/rstudio-discord-rpc")

Run Setup

After installation, run the setup command:

discordrpc::setup()

This will:

1. Check for Python and install if needed
2. Install the pypresence Python library
3. Configure your .Rprofile to auto-start the integration

Restart RStudio

Restart RStudio for the changes to take effect.

Usage

Once installed and set up, the integration runs automatically. There are no further steps required. Your Discord status will show the file you are editing whenever RStudio is open.

Manual Control

You can manually control the integration using:

# Start the integration
discordrpc::start()

# Stop the integration
discordrpc::stop()

# Re-run setup
discordrpc::setup()

RStudio Addins

The package also provides RStudio Addins accessible from the Addins menu:

• Start Discord Rich Presence
• Stop Discord Rich Presence
• Setup Discord Rich Presence

How It Works

The package uses a background R process with the later package to periodically check the active file in the RStudio editor. When a file change is detected, it writes to a communication file that a lightweight Python script monitors. The Python script then communicates with the local Discord client via its Rich Presence API using the pypresence library.

This approach is necessary because R cannot directly interface with Discord's IPC socket.

Configuration

.Rprofile Configuration

The setup script adds the following to your .Rprofile:

## Discord Rich Presence Integration
suppressMessages(suppressWarnings(library(discordrpc)))
suppressMessages(discordrpc::start())
## End Discord Rich Presence

You can manually remove these lines to disable auto-start.

Troubleshooting

"Python not found"

Ensure Python is installed and its location is included in your system's PATH environment variable.

"pypresence not installed"

If the automatic installation fails, open a terminal or command prompt and run:

python -m pip install pypresence
# Or if you get permission errors:
python -m pip install pypresence --break-system-packages

Status not updating

1. Make sure Discord is running
2. Check that you have enabled "Display current activity as a status message" in Discord's settings (User Settings > Activity Privacy)

Integration won't start

1. Ensure both rstudioapi and later packages are installed
2. Check that the Python script exists: system.file("python", "update_presence.py", package = "discordrpc")
3. Try running discordrpc::setup() again

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows

• Uses taskkill to stop the Python process
• May show command prompt windows briefly when starting

macOS/Linux

• Uses pkill to stop the Python process
• Uses nohup for background process execution

Credits

Inspired by the MATLAB Discord Rich Presence plugin and VS Code Discord extensions.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.