---
title: "Depending on a development version"
vignette: >
  %\VignetteIndexEntry{Depending on a development version}
  %\VignetteEngine{quarto::html}
  %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8}
---

Sometimes you need your package to depend on a development version of another package that isn't yet available on [CRAN](https://cran.r-project.org) or [Bioconductor](https://bioconductor.org/).
The `Remotes` field in `DESCRIPTION` lets you specify where to install such a dependency from.
**`Remotes` is not a standard `DESCRIPTION` field**.
It is not acceptable when releasing a package on CRAN.
The `Remotes` field is understood by devtools, [pak](https://pak.r-lib.org/), and related tools, and is meant to be a temporary measure during development.

This vignette covers the mechanics of the `Remotes` field.
For more context, see the [Nonstandard dependencies](https://r-pkgs.org/dependencies-in-practice.html#nonstandard-dependencies) section of the R Packages book.

## The `Remotes` field

You can mark any dependency listed in `Depends`, `Imports`, `Suggests`, or `Enhances` as being installed from a non-standard source by adding a package reference to `Remotes` in your `DESCRIPTION` file.

The general form is:

```
Remotes: [type::]<source>, [type2::]<source2>
```

Multiple remote dependencies are separated by commas, just like regular dependencies elsewhere in `DESCRIPTION`.

It is important to remember that you **must always declare the dependency in the usual way**, i.e. in `Depends`, `Imports`, `Suggests`, or `Enhances`.
The `Remotes` field only provides instructions about *where* to install the dependency from.
For example, note how rlang appears in both `Imports` and `Remotes`:

```
Package: mypackage
Title: What the Package Does (One Line, Title Case)
Version: 0.0.0.9000
Imports:
    rlang (>= 1.1.0.9000)
Remotes:
    r-lib/rlang
```

You can use `usethis::use_dev_package()` to add or update a development dependency.
It takes care of modifying both the `Imports` (or `Suggests`) and `Remotes` fields.

## GitHub

GitHub is the most commonly used source for development packages, and the default when no type prefix is specified:

```yaml
Remotes: r-lib/rlang
```

You can request a specific branch, tag, commit (SHA), or pull request:

```yaml
Remotes: r-lib/rlang@some-branch,
  r-lib/rlang@v1.0.0,
  r-lib/rlang@84be6207,
  r-lib/rlang#142
```

A `github::` prefix is accepted but not required:

```yaml
Remotes: github::r-lib/rlang
```

## Other sources

There are many other supported source types:

```yaml
# GitLab
Remotes: gitlab::user/repo

# Git (any host)
Remotes: git::https://github.com/r-lib/rlang.git

# Bioconductor
Remotes: bioc::SummarizedExperiment

# URL (package archive)
Remotes: url::https://example.com/package-0.1.0.tar.gz

# Local
Remotes: local::/path/to/package
```

See the [pak documentation on package sources](https://pak.r-lib.org/reference/pak_package_sources.html) for a complete list.

## CRAN submission

When you submit your package to CRAN, all of its dependencies must also be available on CRAN or Bioconductor.
You need to remove the `Remotes` field from your `DESCRIPTION` before submission.
This means having a `Remotes` field is a temporary development state: once the dependency you need is released to CRAN or Bioconductor, you should update your minimum version requirement and drop the `Remotes` entry.