User guide
Installing an app
First add the FlatPark remote (once), then install any app:
flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flatpark https://dl.flatpark.org/flatpark.flatpakrepo
flatpak --user install flatpark <app-id>
The setup page has the full first-time walkthrough, including the runtime remote.
User vs system install
--user installs into your home directory and needs no admin rights. Drop
--user from both commands for a system-wide install (requires root). You can
use either; --user is the simplest if you are not sure.
Updates and runtimes
A daily check watches each app’s upstream release channel and opens a pull
request to re-pin new versions, so a normal flatpak update keeps everything
current.
Runtimes move in step. Every app targets the current major of its runtime — the catalog is never split across, say, GNOME 49 and 50 — so you don’t end up carrying an old major on disk just for one straggler app. When a new major lands, the whole catalog is rebuilt and tested against it together:
flatpak --user update
Reading an app’s permissions
Every app page lists the exact sandbox permissions it requests, with a plain-language risk label. Check these before installing — see Trust & safety for what the model guarantees.
Granting an optional permission
Packages ship with the tightest sandbox that still lets the app work, so some optional capabilities are switched off on purpose. When an app has one, its page spells out the exact command to enable it, and you decide whether to run it:
flatpak override --user --filesystem=~/.ssh:ro org.electerm.Electerm
Review what a grant opens up before applying it — --filesystem=home, for
instance, exposes your whole home directory to the app. To see what you have
changed, or to undo it:
flatpak override --user --show org.electerm.Electerm
flatpak override --user --reset org.electerm.Electerm
Uninstalling
flatpak --user uninstall <app-id>
To also remove unused runtimes afterwards:
flatpak --user uninstall --unused
Troubleshooting
- App not found: make sure the remote was added (
flatpak remotes) and the app id is spelled exactly as shown on its page. - Signature/GPG errors: re-add the remote with the command above; it pins the signing key.
- Won’t launch: run it from a terminal (
flatpak run <app-id>) to see the error output.