diff --git a/r/pom.xml b/r/pom.xml
index a6bec5284dc..fb5922b318f 100644
--- a/r/pom.xml
+++ b/r/pom.xml
@@ -200,6 +200,7 @@
             <exclude>**/derby.log</exclude>
             <exclude>**/metastore_db/</exclude>
             <exclude>**/README.md</exclude>
+            <exclude>**/interpreter-setting.json</exclude>
             <exclude>**/dependency-reduced-pom.xml</exclude>
           </excludes>
         </configuration>
diff --git a/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/KnitR.java b/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/KnitR.java
index e0af1d4698a..51a790cf385 100644
--- a/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/KnitR.java
+++ b/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/KnitR.java
@@ -34,12 +34,6 @@
 public class KnitR extends Interpreter implements WrappedInterpreter {
   KnitRInterpreter intp;
 
-  static {
-    Interpreter.register("knitr", "spark", KnitR.class.getName(),
-        RInterpreter.getProps()
-    );
-  }
-
   public KnitR(Properties property, Boolean startSpark) {
     super(property);
     intp = new KnitRInterpreter(property, startSpark);
diff --git a/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/RRepl.java b/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/RRepl.java
index 220b56e1285..0c46670c1d7 100644
--- a/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/RRepl.java
+++ b/r/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/rinterpreter/RRepl.java
@@ -34,12 +34,6 @@
 public class RRepl extends Interpreter implements WrappedInterpreter {
   RReplInterpreter intp;
 
-  static {
-    Interpreter.register("r", "spark", RRepl.class.getName(),
-            RInterpreter.getProps()
-    );
-  }
-
   public RRepl(Properties property, Boolean startSpark) {
     super(property);
     intp = new RReplInterpreter(property, startSpark);
diff --git a/r/src/main/resources/interpreter-setting.json b/r/src/main/resources/interpreter-setting.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dee681423bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/r/src/main/resources/interpreter-setting.json
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[
+  {
+    "group": "spark",
+    "name": "knitr",
+    "className": "org.apache.zeppelin.rinterpreter.KnitR",
+    "properties": null
+  },
+  {
+    "group": "spark",
+    "name": "r",
+    "className": "org.apache.zeppelin.rinterpreter.RRepl",
+    "properties": null
+  }
+]