A system for automatic detection of drill pipe coupling on a drilling machine is disclosed. The system may include a rotary head, a drill pipe, a display, and a controller. The controller may be configured to: automatically identify a coupling or decoupling condition of the drill pipe; monitor motion and forces associated with the rotary head during a coupling or decoupling action of the drill pipe; automatically identify a fully coupled or fully decoupled condition of the coupling or decoupling action based on the monitored motion and forces of the rotary head; terminate the coupling action based on the identification of the fully coupled or fully decoupled condition; and update the display to indicate the fully coupled or fully decoupled condition of the drill pipe.