rsconnect deployment log ends at package restore: locating the real failure point

Answer

To see the full, untruncated build output when the IDE log stops at the package‑restore step, enable verbose logging on the client side before calling deployApp(). Then compare that output with the Connect server’s Build and Runtime logs to locate whether the error happened during restore/compile or at application start‑up. Finally, inspect the restored library on the server and try loading the package to decide if the problem is a version drift in manifest.json or a missing system dependency.

1. Expose the full client‑side output

• Set the log level to trace when deploying:

  deployApp(..., logLevel = 'trace')

• Or enable HTTP verbosity globally:

  options(rsconnect.http.verbose = TRUE)

• For older rsconnect releases (pre‑0.8.10) the environment variable works instead:

  export RSCONNECT_VERBOSE=1

This forces rsconnect to pass through the raw R package install output instead of the IDE‑summarized log, revealing any compile or dependency‑resolution errors.

2. Cross‑check client log with Connect server logs

1. In the Connect dashboard, open the content item → Logs → Build. This log contains the exact output of the package restore/compile step that ran on the server.
2. Open Logs → Runtime for the same item. This log shows application start‑up and any errors that occur after the line indicating the app has started (e.g., “Application started” or “Listening on”).
3. Compare timestamps: if an error appears in the Build log before the start‑up line, the failure occurred during restore/compile. If it appears after that line in the Runtime log, the failure is a start‑up issue.

3. Distinguish version drift from missing system dependency

• On the Connect server, locate the restored library folder, e.g.:

/opt/rstudio-connect/packages/<content‑guid>/lib

• Start an R session in that directory and run:

installed.packages()[, c('Package', 'Version')]

• Compare the versions shown with those recorded in the bundle’s manifest.json (downloadable from the Deployments pane). A mismatch indicates version drift.
• Next, try loading the suspect package:

library(<pkgName>)

• If the error is cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory, the problem is a missing system library.
• If the error mentions a version conflict or package … is not available for …, the cause is manifest drift.

4. Missing diagnostic detail

The exact client‑side verbose flag (logLevel = 'trace' vs options(rsconnect.http.verbose) vs RSCONNECT_VERBOSE) depends on your rsconnect version. If you are using rsconnect < 0.8.10, the environment variable is required; otherwise the logLevel argument works. Please confirm your rsconnect version so the recommendation can be finalized.