diff --git a/extensions/positron-r/package.json b/extensions/positron-r/package.json
index 7941b5b405b..82eb3c1d68a 100644
--- a/extensions/positron-r/package.json
+++ b/extensions/positron-r/package.json
@@ -281,6 +281,12 @@
             },
             "default": [],
             "description": "%r.configuration.extraArguments.description%"
+          },
+          "positron.r.taskHyperlinks": {
+            "scope": "window",
+            "type": "boolean",
+            "default": false,
+            "description": "%r.configuration.taskHyperlinks.description%"
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/extensions/positron-r/package.nls.json b/extensions/positron-r/package.nls.json
index 3f5ee6eb8ab..6a12749ba20 100644
--- a/extensions/positron-r/package.nls.json
+++ b/extensions/positron-r/package.nls.json
@@ -58,5 +58,6 @@
 	"r.configuration.pipe.magrittr.token": "%>%",
 	"r.configuration.pipe.native.description": "Native pipe available in R >= 4.1",
 	"r.configuration.pipe.magrittr.description": "Pipe operator from the magrittr package, re-exported by many other packages",
-	"r.configuration.diagnostics.enable.description": "Enable R diagnostics globally"
+	"r.configuration.diagnostics.enable.description": "Enable R diagnostics globally",
+	"r.configuration.taskHyperlinks.description": "Turn on experimental support for hyperlinks in package development tasks"
 }
diff --git a/extensions/positron-r/src/uri-handler.ts b/extensions/positron-r/src/uri-handler.ts
index 4cd893b69ed..3e85cb0c296 100644
--- a/extensions/positron-r/src/uri-handler.ts
+++ b/extensions/positron-r/src/uri-handler.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,18 @@ export async function registerUriHandler() {
 	vscode.window.registerUriHandler({ handleUri });
 }
 
+// Temporary feature flag to finesse the fact that cli hyperlinks are either all ON or all OFF.
+// cli 3.6.3.9001 gained support for configuring the URL format of run/help/vignette hyperlinks.
+// But file hyperlinks are not yet configurable and will delegate to operating system.
+// If the user still has RStudio as the app associated with .R files, it will open in RStudio.
+// Flag will be removed once cli can be configured to emit positron://file/... hyperlinks.
+function taskHyperlinksEnabled(): boolean {
+	const extConfig = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration('positron.r');
+	const taskHyperlinksEnabled = extConfig.get<boolean>('taskHyperlinks');
+
+	return taskHyperlinksEnabled === true;
+}
+
 // Example of a URI we expect to handle:
 // positron://positron.positron-r/cli?command=x-r-run:testthat::snapshot_review('snap')
 //
@@ -60,11 +72,11 @@ export async function prepCliEnvVars(session?: RSession): Promise<EnvVar> {
 		return {};
 	}
 
-	// cli 3.6.3.9001 gained support for configuring the URL format for hyperlinks.
+	const taskHyperlinks = taskHyperlinksEnabled();
 	const cliPkg = await session.packageVersion('cli', '3.6.3.9001');
 	const cliSupportsHyperlinks = cliPkg?.compatible ?? false;
 
-	if (!cliSupportsHyperlinks) {
+	if (!taskHyperlinks || !cliSupportsHyperlinks) {
 		// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/naming-convention
 		return { R_CLI_HYPERLINKS: 'FALSE' };
 	}