diff --git a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/decode_mesh.py b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/decode_mesh.py
index c214eda9b..1cccbc036 100644
--- a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/decode_mesh.py
+++ b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/decode_mesh.py
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import renderdoc as rd
+import sys
+
+# Import renderdoc if not already imported (e.g. in the UI)
+if 'renderdoc' not in sys.modules and '_renderdoc' not in sys.modules:
+	import renderdoc
+
+# Alias renderdoc for legibility
+rd = renderdoc
 
 # We'll need the struct data to read out of bytes objects
 import struct
diff --git a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/display_window.py b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/display_window.py
index 9ee3db4d4..acba07d85 100644
--- a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/display_window.py
+++ b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/display_window.py
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import renderdoc as rd
+import sys
+
+# Import renderdoc if not already imported (e.g. in the UI)
+if 'renderdoc' not in sys.modules and '_renderdoc' not in sys.modules:
+	import renderdoc
+
+# Alias renderdoc for legibility
+rd = renderdoc
 
 def loadCapture(filename):
 	# Open a capture file handle
diff --git a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_counters.py b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_counters.py
index 73f27a552..db4d4dfda 100644
--- a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_counters.py
+++ b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_counters.py
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import renderdoc as rd
+import sys
+
+# Import renderdoc if not already imported (e.g. in the UI)
+if 'renderdoc' not in sys.modules and '_renderdoc' not in sys.modules:
+	import renderdoc
+
+# Alias renderdoc for legibility
+rd = renderdoc
 
 draws = {}
 
diff --git a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_shader.py b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_shader.py
index 2d5a537c1..be3b87cd0 100644
--- a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_shader.py
+++ b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/fetch_shader.py
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import renderdoc as rd
+import sys
+
+# Import renderdoc if not already imported (e.g. in the UI)
+if 'renderdoc' not in sys.modules and '_renderdoc' not in sys.modules:
+	import renderdoc
+
+# Alias renderdoc for legibility
+rd = renderdoc
 
 def printVar(v, indent = ''):
 	print(indent + v.name + ":")
diff --git a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/iter_draws.py b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/iter_draws.py
index c639bfceb..532f3efb6 100644
--- a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/iter_draws.py
+++ b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/iter_draws.py
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import renderdoc as rd
+import sys
+
+# Import renderdoc if not already imported (e.g. in the UI)
+if 'renderdoc' not in sys.modules and '_renderdoc' not in sys.modules:
+	import renderdoc
+
+# Alias renderdoc for legibility
+rd = renderdoc
 
 # Define a recursive function for iterating over draws
 def iterDraw(d, indent = ''):
diff --git a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/save_texture.py b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/save_texture.py
index 0c7cdafba..ee3a47ac8 100644
--- a/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/save_texture.py
+++ b/docs/python_api/examples/renderdoc/save_texture.py
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import renderdoc as rd
+import sys
+
+# Import renderdoc if not already imported (e.g. in the UI)
+if 'renderdoc' not in sys.modules and '_renderdoc' not in sys.modules:
+	import renderdoc
+
+# Alias renderdoc for legibility
+rd = renderdoc
 
 # Recursively search for the drawcall with the most vertices
 def biggestDraw(prevBiggest, d):