Rho

Rho stands for R-centered Human–AI Orchestration: an agent-native desktop workbench for R. It combines a persistent R workspace, project-aware code editing, scientific outputs, and an AI collaborator in one application. The user remains in control: editor, Console, and approved Agent actions all work with the same live Workspace R session.

Features

• Project-aware R editing with a Monaco editor, multiple documents, a real file tree, source execution, and project/session restoration.
• One persistent Workspace R powered by Ark, shared by manual Console work, editor execution, and approved Agent actions.
• Scientific output surfaces for Console output, Environment objects, plots, Problems, and durable run history with provenance.
• Ask, Plan, and Act modes for explanation, planning, and reviewed actions against the current project and R session.
• Provider-first model settings with model discovery, visible capability evidence, explicit capability routing, optional Base URL overrides, and API keys kept in the operating system credential store.
• Reviewable file changes so Agent-proposed project edits can be inspected before they are applied.
• Resizable, persistent workspace layout for Files, editor, Agent, Environment, Console, Plots, and Problems.
• Local-first runtime with no Python, Jupyter Server, JupyterLab, or Electron dependency.

Installation

Rho currently has development builds for Windows x64 and Apple Silicon macOS. It requires:

• Windows 10/11 with Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, or Apple Silicon macOS 14 or later;
• R 4.4 or later;
• aisdk 1.5.0 or later and a configured model only for Agent features; the pinned aisdk.providers package is additionally required when using DeepSeek, Moonshot, Kimi Code, Stepfun, Volcengine, AiHubMix, xAI, OpenRouter, Bailian, or NVIDIA.

Listed Apple Silicon macOS packages use Developer ID signing and notarization. Current Windows downloads are not Authenticode-signed and must not be treated as public-release-ready merely because a checksum is available. Unsigned local builds are for development review only. See the Windows prototype guide and the macOS support specification for platform-specific status and prerequisites.

Quick Start

1. Launch Rho and open an R project directory.
2. Open or create an .R file, then run a selection, the current line, or the complete file in Workspace R.
3. Inspect results in Console, Environment, Plots, Problems, and Runs.
4. Open Model settings, create a Provider connection, import or add a model, then assign that model to the routes you intend to use.
5. Use Ask or Plan for read-only help, or Act for actions that require review and approval.

Uninstallation

• Windows: Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Rho, choose Uninstall, and follow the installer prompts.
• macOS: Quit Rho, then move Rho.app from Applications to the Trash.

Uninstalling the application does not automatically delete project files, local application data, logs, or operating-system credential-store entries. Remove Provider credentials from Model settings before uninstalling when possible, and review the Privacy policy before deleting retained data manually.

Architecture

Workspace R is authoritative for project execution and scientific objects. Agent R handles LLM orchestration, while the Rust broker owns transport, approvals, revisions, persistence, and process lifecycle. See the architecture documentation for details, or use the documentation index to browse design, implementation, project, bug-fix, and release documents.

Project Status

Rho is under active development. Windows packaging, Apple Silicon macOS packaging, and the core project workflow are implemented; installed-candidate acceptance, release signing/publication, macOS x64, and Linux packaging remain in progress.

Security, Privacy, And Signing

Rho does not perform automatic update checks or first-party background telemetry. Network-capable operations follow an explicit user action, such as checking for updates, connecting a model Provider, resolving a DOI, operating on a package environment, or running user/approved code. Review the complete Privacy policy, especially before configuring a custom Base URL or sharing diagnostics.

Report vulnerabilities through the private process in the Security policy, not through a public Issue. Windows and macOS trust status, signing scope, manual approval, and incident handling are defined in the Code signing policy.

License

Rho-original source code, documentation, tests, and scripts are licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 only (AGPL-3.0-only), except where a file or directory carries a different notice. Copyright © 2026 YuLab-SMU and contributors.

Commercial use is permitted. If you distribute a modified version, or let users interact with a modified version over a network, the AGPL requires the corresponding source to remain available under its terms. Rho does not offer a proprietary dual license.

This change is prospective: licenses already granted for historical Rho versions or copies remain valid. Bundled and vendored third-party components retain their own licenses; see Licensing and third-party notices. See Contributing before submitting changes.