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Submission

App submissions are extremely welcome and the process is straightforward.

Before submission​

Please follow the requirements to ensure that the submission is technically and legally compatible for Flathub.

It's best practice to make sure your submission correctly builds and runs locally with Flatpak. This will help you to fix any potential issues and expedite the review process.

Flathub recommends using org.flatpak.Builder to build the application.

flatpak install -y flathub org.flatpak.Builder

Build and install​

flatpak run org.flatpak.Builder --force-clean --sandbox --user --install --install-deps-from=flathub --ccache --mirror-screenshots-url=https://dl.flathub.org/media/ --repo=repo builddir <manifest>

If you are using an extra-data source, please use flatpak-builder from your distribution:

flatpak-builder --force-clean --sandbox --user --install --install-deps-from=flathub --ccache --mirror-screenshots-url=https://dl.flathub.org/media/ --repo=repo builddir <manifest>

Run and test​

flatpak run <app id>

Run the linter​

Please run the linter once. Consult the documentation for explanation of the errors. For certain errors you might need an exception.

flatpak run --command=flatpak-builder-lint org.flatpak.Builder manifest <manifest>
flatpak run --command=flatpak-builder-lint org.flatpak.Builder repo repo

Following the above instructions, if you see appstream-screenshots-files-not-found-in-ostree in errors, you can ignore this.

Once this is done you can open the submission pull request!

Submission PR​

Flathub submissions are managed through pull requests on GitHub.

  1. Fork the Flathub repository on GitHub with "Copy the master branch only" unchecked.

  2. Clone the fork:

    git clone --branch=new-pr git@github.com:your_github_username/flathub.git && cd flathub

  3. Create a new branch with your app’s name:

    git checkout -b your_app_name

  4. Add the required files using git, commit them and push.

  5. Now open a pull request against the new-pr branch on GitHub. The title of the PR should be "Add org.example.MyAwesomeApp".

After submission​

Once your pull request has been submitted, it will be reviewed. Note that all reviewers are volunteers and have the right to reject an application if it does not meet all guidelines.

Once approved, the reviewers will merge it and a new repository will be created for your application.

You will receive an invitation to have write access for the repository. Please make sure to accept it before it expires.

Once you have access, please see the App Maintenance guide.

FAQ​

Someone else has put my app on Flathub—what do I do?​

Flathub is primarily intended as a service that is used by app developers to distribute their apps. However, third party submissions are allowed as long as the application's license and terms of use (if any) do not block it.

If an application that belongs to you is being distributed without your consent or involvement, please get in touch by opening an issue or contacting privately by email so that the next steps can be discussed.

There’s an app that I’d like to see on Flathub, but I’m not the developer​

If there’s an app that you'd like to be distributed on Flathub, the best first course of action is to approach the app’s developers and ask them to submit it. Please remain respectful, patient and courteous when making such requests.

You can also submit it yourself following the submission process outlined above, or start a topic on the Flathub forum to find interested volunteers.

How long does it take to get submissions reviewed and merged?​

There is no definite time limit as all reviewers are volunteers and are often busy with other Flathub- or infrastructure-related work.

Merges are also done in batches. So you might have to wait for a while.

How long does it take to get the build published after merge?​

Usually it should be published within 4-5 hours. Sometimes it might be delayed due to load. You can track the build by going to the Buildbot interface.

Once published it should show up on the website within a few hours.

I don't see any screenshots from the test builds-why?​

Screenshots don't work from any test builds. If this is a submission, it will work after the submission is merged and an official build is created and published.

I can't see the app in my authored apps on the developer portal-why?​

Once the app’s submission has been merged and the official build has been published, the website should show the app on your authored apps after a short time. You need to have write access to the Flathub app repository and log in to the website.

If it does not work, please press the "Refresh" button here and it should show up.

If it still does not work feel free to contact us.

Getting help​

Please don't hesitate to ask for help. General queries can be made on the Matrix channel and on Discourse. Technical queries or requests can be made through issues. Private matters can be discussed via email.