diff --git a/apps/vscode/src/providers/cell/commands.ts b/apps/vscode/src/providers/cell/commands.ts
index a95b1d80..ce74ccff 100644
--- a/apps/vscode/src/providers/cell/commands.ts
+++ b/apps/vscode/src/providers/cell/commands.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,10 @@ import { ExtensionHost } from "../../host";
 import { hasHooks } from "../../host/hooks";
 import { isKnitrDocument } from "../../host/executors";
 import { commands } from "vscode";
+import { virtualDocForCode, withVirtualDocUri } from "../../vdoc/vdoc";
+import { embeddedLanguage } from "../../vdoc/languages";
+import { Uri } from "vscode";
+import { StatementRange } from "positron";
 
 export function cellCommands(host: ExtensionHost, engine: MarkdownEngine): Command[] {
   return [
@@ -336,8 +340,11 @@ class RunCurrentCommand extends RunCommand implements Command {
     let selection = context.selectedText;
     const activeBlock = context.blocks.find(block => block.active);
 
+    // idea: first check that we are in Positron
+    // and leave the others untouched
+
     // if the selection is empty and this isn't a knitr document then it resolves to run cell
-    if (selection.length <= 0 && !isKnitrDocument(editor.document, this.engine_)) {
+    if (false) {
       if (activeBlock) {
         const executor = await this.cellExecutorForLanguage(activeBlock.language, editor.document, this.engine_);
         if (executor) {
@@ -345,25 +352,80 @@ class RunCurrentCommand extends RunCommand implements Command {
           await activateIfRequired(editor);
         }
       }
-
     } else {
-      // if the selection is empty take the whole line, otherwise take the selected text exactly
       let action: CodeViewSelectionAction | undefined;
-      if (selection.length <= 0) {
-        if (activeBlock) {
-          selection = lines(activeBlock.code)[context.selection.start.line];
+
+      // if the selection is empty and we are in Positron:
+      //   try to get the statement's range and use that as the selection
+      if (selection.length <= 0 && activeBlock && hasHooks()) {
+        const codeLines = lines(activeBlock.code)
+        const vdoc = virtualDocForCode(codeLines, embeddedLanguage(activeBlock.language)!);
+        if (vdoc) {
+          const parentUri = Uri.file(editor.document.fileName);
+          const injectedLines = (vdoc.language?.inject?.length ?? 0)
+
+          const positionIntoVdoc = (p: { line: number, character: number }) =>
+            new Position(p.line + injectedLines, p.character)
+          const positionOutOfVdoc = (p: { line: number, character: number }) =>
+            new Position(p.line - injectedLines, p.character)
+
+          const result = await withVirtualDocUri(vdoc, parentUri, "statementRange", async (uri) => {
+            return await commands.executeCommand<StatementRange>(
+              "vscode.executeStatementRangeProvider",
+              uri,
+              positionIntoVdoc(context.selection.start)
+            );
+          });
+          const { range, code } = result
+          if (code === undefined) return
+          const adjustedEnd = positionOutOfVdoc(range.end)
+
+          selection = code
           action = "nextline";
+
+          // BEGIN ref: https://github.com/posit-dev/positron/blob/main/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronConsole/browser/positronConsoleActions.ts#L428
+          // strategy from Positron using `StatementRangeProvider` to find range of next statement
+          // and move cursor based on that.
+          if (adjustedEnd.line + 1 <= codeLines.length) {
+            const nextStatementRange = await withVirtualDocUri(vdoc, parentUri, "statementRange", async (uri) => {
+              return await commands.executeCommand<StatementRange>(
+                "vscode.executeStatementRangeProvider",
+                uri,
+                positionIntoVdoc(new Position(adjustedEnd.line + 1, 1)) // look for statement at line after current statement
+              );
+            });
+            const nextStatement = {
+              start: positionOutOfVdoc(nextStatementRange.range.start),
+              end: positionOutOfVdoc(nextStatementRange.range.end)
+            };
+            if (nextStatement.start.line > adjustedEnd.line) {
+              action = nextStatement.start
+              // the nextStatement may start before & end after the current statement if e.g. inside a function:
+            } else if (nextStatement.end.line > adjustedEnd.line) {
+              action = nextStatement.end
+            }
+          }
+          // END ref.
         }
       }
 
+      // if the selection is still empty:
+      //   take the whole line as the selection
+      if (selection.length <= 0 && activeBlock) {
+        selection = lines(activeBlock.code)[context.selection.start.line];
+        action = "nextline";
+      }
+
       // run code
       const executor = await this.cellExecutorForLanguage(context.activeLanguage, editor.document, this.engine_);
       if (executor) {
         await executeInteractive(executor, [selection], editor.document);
 
         // advance cursor if necessary
+        //
         if (action) {
-          editor.setBlockSelection(context, "nextline");
+          console.log('action!!!', action, this.id)
+          await editor.setBlockSelection(context, action);
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/packages/editor-codemirror/src/behaviors/trackselection.ts b/packages/editor-codemirror/src/behaviors/trackselection.ts
index bfcd073f..79a4b84f 100644
--- a/packages/editor-codemirror/src/behaviors/trackselection.ts
+++ b/packages/editor-codemirror/src/behaviors/trackselection.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import { DispatchEvent, codeViewCellContext, kCodeViewNextLineTransaction } from
 import { Behavior, BehaviorContext, State } from ".";
 
 // track the selection in prosemirror
-export function trackSelectionBehavior(context: BehaviorContext) : Behavior {
+export function trackSelectionBehavior(context: BehaviorContext): Behavior {
 
   let unsubscribe: VoidFunction;
 
@@ -50,32 +50,32 @@ export function trackSelectionBehavior(context: BehaviorContext) : Behavior {
       unsubscribe = context.pmContext.events.subscribe(DispatchEvent, (tr: Transaction | undefined) => {
         if (tr) {
           // track selection changes that occur when we don't have focus
-          if (!cmView.hasFocus && tr.selectionSet && !tr.docChanged && (tr.selection instanceof TextSelection)) {
+          if (tr.selectionSet && !tr.docChanged && (tr.selection instanceof TextSelection)) {
             const cmSelection = asCodeMirrorSelection(context.view, cmView, context.getPos);
             context.withState(State.Updating, () => {
               if (cmSelection) {
                 cmView.dispatch({ selection: cmSelection });
               } else {
-                cmView.dispatch({ selection: EditorSelection.single(0)})
-              } 
+                cmView.dispatch({ selection: EditorSelection.single(0) })
+              }
             })
           } else if (tr.getMeta(kCodeViewNextLineTransaction) === true) {
             // NOTE: this is a special directive to advance to the next line. as distinct
             // from the block above it is not a reporting of a change in the PM selection
-            // but rather an instruction to move the CM selection to the next line. as 
+            // but rather an instruction to move the CM selection to the next line. as
             // such we do not encose the code in State.Updating, because we want an update
             // to the PM selection to occur
             const cmSelection = asCodeMirrorSelection(context.view, cmView, context.getPos);
             if (cmSelection) {
               if (cursorLineDown(cmView)) {
                 cursorLineStart(cmView);
-              } 
+              }
             }
-          // for other selection changes 
+            // for other selection changes
           } else if (cmView.hasFocus && tr.selectionSet && (tr.selection instanceof TextSelection)) {
             codeViewAssist();
           }
-        } 
+        }
       });
     },
 
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ export const asCodeMirrorSelection = (
   cmView: EditorView,
   getPos: (() => number) | boolean
 ) => {
-  if (typeof(getPos) === "function") {
+  if (typeof (getPos) === "function") {
     const offset = getPos() + 1;
     const node = pmView.state.doc.nodeAt(getPos());
     if (node) {
@@ -104,8 +104,8 @@ export const asCodeMirrorSelection = (
       } else if (selection.from <= cmRange.from && selection.to >= cmRange.to) {
         return EditorSelection.single(0, cmView.state.doc.length);
       }
-      
+
     }
   }
   return undefined;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/packages/editor-types/src/codeview.ts b/packages/editor-types/src/codeview.ts
index 349a961a..07fa1325 100644
--- a/packages/editor-types/src/codeview.ts
+++ b/packages/editor-types/src/codeview.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export interface CodeViewActiveBlockContext {
   selectedText: string;
 }
 
-export type CodeViewSelectionAction = "nextline" | "nextblock" | "prevblock";
+export type CodeViewSelectionAction = "nextline" | "nextblock" | "prevblock" | { line: number, character: number };
 
 export interface CodeViewCellContext {
   filepath: string;
diff --git a/packages/editor/src/api/codeview.ts b/packages/editor/src/api/codeview.ts
index 25e4df42..3f664d11 100644
--- a/packages/editor/src/api/codeview.ts
+++ b/packages/editor/src/api/codeview.ts
@@ -205,12 +205,25 @@ export function codeViewSetBlockSelection(
   context: CodeViewActiveBlockContext,
   action: CodeViewSelectionAction
 ) {
-
-
   const activeIndex = context.blocks.findIndex(block => block.active);
 
   if (activeIndex !== -1) {
-    if (action === "nextline") {
+    if (typeof action === 'object') {
+      // convert action line and character in code block space to pos in prosemirror space
+      const block = context.blocks[activeIndex]
+      // asummes the meta line looks like this:
+      const metaLine = '{' + block.language + '}\n'
+      const code = lines(block.code)
+      if (action.line > code.length) throw 'trying to move cursor outside block!'
+      let pos = block.pos + metaLine.length
+      for (let i = 0; i < action.line; i++) {
+        pos += code[i].length + 1
+      }
+      pos += action.character
+
+      navigateToPos(view, pos, false)
+    }
+    else if (action === "nextline") {
       const tr = view.state.tr;
       tr.setMeta(kCodeViewNextLineTransaction, true);
       view.dispatch(tr);
@@ -226,9 +239,6 @@ export function codeViewSetBlockSelection(
       }
     }
   }
-
-
-
 }