positrondeck0.2Download ↓OPEN SOURCE · FOR POSITRON
Put the actions you use most on a button: run the next line of R, open a data view or switch your layout. You can also combine steps into a workflow of your own.
Choose a page in the top row.
Click any action to see what it does and which shortcut it uses.
01 / GET STARTED
Install the Stream Deck plugin on your Windows PC and the IDE extension in Positron. The plugin sends a keyboard shortcut; the extension runs the matching command. This also works with projects in Workbench.
Download positron-deck-0.2.0.vsix from the release. Open Extensions → ⋯ → Install from VSIX. In Workbench, install inside your remote Positron session.
To check the installation, open the Command Palette and run Positron Deck: Open Terminal.
Download org.positron-deck.shortcuts.streamDeckPlugin and double-click it. In Stream Deck 7.1+, open the Positron Deck category and drag actions onto buttons.
Before pressing a button, click into the Positron window or Workbench tab you want to control.
The plugin sends keystrokes to the IDE without opening a socket or API connection, exchanging credentials or setting up a network bridge. The Elgato SDK still connects locally to the Stream Deck application. Because Positron sends nothing back to the plugin, buttons cannot display your Git status, runtime state or test results.
Get both installation packages ↗02 / ACTION LIBRARY
Search for an action or something you want to do. Open a card to see its shortcut, the command it runs and what it needs to work. You can also search by command or filter by category.
Full command reference as Markdown ↗03 / WORKFLOWS
A workflow runs a sequence of steps inside Positron. It stops if you cancel a save or a step fails, and it can wait for a task to finish successfully. Start with one of the built-in workflows, or assign your own to any of the eight custom slots.
Save the script you are editing, then run it in the matching interpreter.
positronDeck.saveAndRunSave your files and open Source Control and Problems, ready to review changes before you stage or commit them.
positronDeck.reviewWorkspaceSwitch to the stacked layout, open Variables and return to the editor. From there, you can run a cell, inspect its dataframe, or browse and export your plots.
positronDeck.analysisWorkspaceSave the current file, switch to the stacked layout and start the Quarto preview. The preview process is managed by the native preview command.
positronDeck.quartoWorkspaceYou can also use Format and Save or Save and Test, pick a workflow from the chooser, or name and configure eight custom slots. These examples are suggestions based on the workflows in the Positron documentation.
Create VS Code tasks named Tests and Check that finish when their work is done. Then add this example to your workspace settings. Deployment runs only after both tasks finish successfully.
{
"positronDeck.workflows": [{
"name": "Validate and deploy",
"steps": [
{ "save": "all" },
{ "task": "Tests" },
{ "task": "Check" },
{ "command": "positronDeck.deploy" }
]
}],
"positronDeck.workflowSlots": ["Validate and deploy"]
}Drag Custom Workflow 1 onto a button to use this example. Before a custom workflow runs, you will see its steps and be asked to confirm. Deployment still uses its provider confirmation. Each step can save files, run a named task, or call a Deck command. You can also call a native command with an optional args array. You can have up to 32 steps. A workflow cannot call another workflow or wait on a background task.
task step that waits for the result. Calling a test command alone does not tell the workflow whether those tests passed.Read the full workflow guide for R package checks, Python tests, reproductions and app-development loops.
04 / YOUR WORKSPACE
Keep your script, console and live objects visible while you work.
Arrange the editor, console and data views side by side.
Give notebook cells and their outputs more room.
Work with chat beside your code and console. You need to configure an AI provider first.
You can also toggle panels, split the editor into columns or a two-by-two grid, enter Zen mode, zoom, or move focus between views. Reset View Locations asks before changing your arrangement. Full screen, zoom and pop-out windows may behave differently in a browser.
In the suggested XL layout, the top eight buttons switch pages. Each page has room for 24 actions underneath. Try Daily, Code, Data, Git, Layout, R/Quarto, Debug and Workflows in the preview above. Use these as a starting point for your own setup; the download contains page mappings, not an importable Stream Deck profile.
Download the page mappings (JSON) ↓05 / CONFIGURATION
Open Settings and search for positronDeck. Choose the providers and commands that suit your project. The extension has no built-in server, repository, branch, Connect instance or credentials.
| Setting | Default | Purpose |
|---|
The original 32 commands use F13 through F24 combinations. The added actions use a two-stroke chord: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1 through F5, followed by a letter or digit. The plugin sends both strokes, but stops if you switch windows between them. It checks for a window change; it cannot tell whether the active window is Positron.
For each button, choose the default shortcut, an alternative mapping or your own shortcut or chord. To use the supplied alternative keybindings, merge them into your existing user keybindings array, keeping your other shortcuts. Test the result on your keyboard layout and browser, since either can affect which keys reach Positron.
To use Deck shortcuts while the terminal is focused, run Enable Hotkeys in Terminal. It asks before adding Deck commands to your user-level terminal.integrated.commandsToSkipShell. Changing settings does not send any keystrokes.
06 / COMPATIBILITY
| Environment | Supported behavior |
|---|---|
| Windows 10+ x64 / ARM64 | Stream Deck companion with local SendInput. Stream Deck application 7.1+. |
| Positron Desktop | Primary target. Native features depend on version and enabled views. |
| Positron Pro / Workbench | Extension in the remote session, companion on the local Windows machine. Browser focus and hotkey delivery require local validation. |
| VS Code 1.96+ | Generic editor, layout, navigation, Git and task commands. R/Python and Quarto require their providers. Positron-only commands explain when unavailable. |
| macOS / Linux | The IDE extension can be used through the Command Palette or manual keybindings. The Stream Deck companion is Windows-only. |
| Restricted workspaces | Navigation remains available. Code, workflows and project mutations require trust. |
R package actions require devtools, styler or lintr as appropriate; packages are never installed automatically. Apps support R Shiny, Python Shiny, Streamlit and FastAPI. Deployment supports Posit Publisher, Git push, VS Code tasks or a custom shell command.
07 / TROUBLESHOOTING
First run the same Positron Deck command from the IDE Command Palette. If that works, check the foreground window and browser tab, matching package versions, duplicate keybindings and the button's selected mode. Use Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting in the IDE to inspect received keys.
The first stroke of a chord was not received. Check the IDE keybinding, then try the button's alternative or custom mode. Use the same mapping on both sides. Keep physical Ctrl, Alt, Shift and Windows keys released when pressing the Deck.
Run Check Action Availability to see which commands your Positron installation has. You may need to enable a view or extension. Notebook actions need the Positron notebook editor; data actions need an active Data Explorer. Language actions need a supported source file.
Run Enable Hotkeys in Terminal and approve its user setting update, or manually add selected Deck command IDs to terminal.integrated.commandsToSkipShell.
The companion could not send the complete input sequence. Physical modifiers may be held, the focused window may have changed, or Windows may block input across elevation levels. Run Stream Deck and Positron at the same normal privilege level. Plugin feedback does not report IDE success.
Check the task output in the IDE. Each task name must match exactly one task, and the task must finish with exit code 0 before the workflow continues. Background tasks are not supported. If a task hangs, stop it through the IDE task controls. The remaining steps will be skipped.
Run Positron Deck: Show Log to see which actions started, finished or failed. Check Action Availability opens a local text report of registered native commands. The Deck log leaves out code, secrets and raw provider errors.
08 / BUILD & CONTRIBUTE
Both extensions are written in TypeScript and share one MIT-licensed repository. The IDE extension uses the VS Code API and an optional Positron adapter; the Stream Deck plugin uses the Elgato SDK.
git clone https://github.com/JanWein/positron-deck.git
cd positron-deck
npm --prefix extension ci
npm --prefix streamdeck ci
npm run generate
npm run lint
npm test
npm run packageUse Node 24+. Edit catalog/actions.json for metadata and delegated actions. The generator updates both manifests, bindings, icons and documentation. Project-aware logic stays in provider modules; native commands are checked before execution.
GitHub Actions tests and builds both packages from the repository source, then publishes the installers. GitHub Pages hosts this documentation.
09 / RESEARCH NOTES
The command mappings were checked against the official documentation and source code on 17 September 2026. Some newer commands may be missing from your installed release. The extension checks that a command is available before calling it.