devtools::install_github() success but remotes::install_git() fails

[mabuimo]

I am coming from here. I have observed an extremely annoying issue in corporate environments (Windows 11):

if you are using options(download.file.method = "auto") there is no chance that you will be able to install a package directly from GitHub, For instance, devtools::install_github("hrbrmstr/streamgraph will fail

Downloading GitHub repo hrbrmstr/streamgraph@HEAD
Error in utils::download.file(url, path, method = method, quiet = quiet,  : 
  cannot open URL 'https://api.github.com/repos/hrbrmstr/streamgraph/tarball/HEAD'

If you use remotes::install_git("hrbrmstr/streamgraph") you get

remotes::install_git("hrbrmstr/streamgraph")
Error: Failed to install 'unknown package' from Git:
  Command failed (128)
In addition: Warning message:
In system(full, intern = TRUE, ignore.stderr = quiet) :
  running command '"C:\PROGRA~1\Git\cmd\git.exe" ls-remote hrbrmstr/streamgraph ' had status 128

If now you run options(download.file.method = "wininet")

1. remotes::install_git() fails

   Error: Failed to install 'unknown package' from Git:
   Command failed (128)
   In addition: Warning message:
   In system(full, intern = TRUE, ignore.stderr = quiet) :
   running command '"C:\PROGRA~1\Git\cmd\git.exe" ls-remote hrbrmstr/streamgraph ' had status 128

   but....

2. devtools::install_github("hrbrmstr/streamgraph") is successful!!

   
   Downloading GitHub repo hrbrmstr/streamgraph@HEAD
   ── R CMD build ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   ✔  checking for file 'C:\Users\ubs008\AppData\Local\Temp\RtmpCctAnf\remotes700458d053\hrbrmstr-streamgraph-76f7173/DESCRIPTION' (1.3s)
   ─  preparing 'streamgraph': (1s)
   ✔  checking DESCRIPTION meta-information
   ─  checking for LF line-endings in source and make files and shell scripts
   ─  checking for empty or unneeded directories
   ─  building 'streamgraph_0.9.0.tar.gz'

• installing source package 'streamgraph' ... using staged installation R inst byte-compile and prepare package for lazy loading ** help * installing help indices building package indices installing vignettes testing if installed package can be loaded from temporary location testing if installed package can be loaded from final location testing if installed package keeps a record of temporary installation path
• DONE (streamgraph)```

[gaborcsardi]

Yes, I can see that this is annoying, but what can remotes do to improve this? remotes::install_git() uses command line git, so if that doesn't work, I am not sure what we can do.

Btw. you can also try pak::pkg_install("git::https://..."), which might work better, or worse.

[mabuimo]

Hi @gaborcsardi could you elaborate further about what are the core differences between remotes::install_git() and devtools::install_github, please?

[gaborcsardi]

remotes::install_git() uses command line git, or the git2r package. devtools::install_github() and remotes::install_github() (which is the same, effectively) use the GitHub API through HTTP.

[conig]

install_git should take a URL, not a username/repo pair: Try

remotes::install_git("https://github.com/hrbrmstr/streamgraph.git")