Flatpak Update Notifications - Monitor Linux Flatpak Application Updates

Update-Watcher’s Flatpak checker monitors installed Flatpak applications for available updates across all configured remotes (e.g., Flathub). Flatpak is a universal Linux packaging format used for desktop applications and is available on most Linux distributions.

The setup wizard auto-detects Flatpak and offers to enable this checker on systems where the flatpak command is available.

Prerequisites

A Linux system with Flatpak installed and configured.
At least one Flatpak remote (e.g., Flathub) configured.
At least one Flatpak application installed.

Adding via CLI

Add a Flatpak watcher:

Terminal

update-watcher watch flatpak

The Flatpak checker has no additional configuration flags.

Configuration Reference

The Flatpak checker has no checker-specific options.

Option	Type	Default	Description
(none)	–	–	The Flatpak checker requires no additional configuration.

YAML Configuration Example

Basic Flatpak configuration:

config.yaml

watchers:
  - type: flatpak

Combined with system package manager and Snap for full Linux desktop coverage:

config.yaml

watchers:
  - type: apt
    hide_phased: true
  - type: snap
  - type: flatpak

How It Works

The Flatpak checker runs a single command:

Output

flatpak remote-ls --updates

This queries all configured Flatpak remotes for updates to installed applications and runtimes. It does not download or install any updates – it only lists what is available.

The checker parses the output to extract the application name, current version, and available version for each outdated Flatpak.

Tips

💡

Multiple Remotes: If you have multiple Flatpak remotes configured (e.g., Flathub and a corporate remote), the checker queries all of them. Updates from all remotes are included in the results.

Runtimes and Applications: The checker reports updates for both Flatpak applications and the underlying runtimes. Runtime updates (e.g., org.freedesktop.Platform) are important for security, as they provide the shared libraries used by Flatpak applications.

Desktop Workstations: Flatpak is primarily used on desktop Linux workstations. If you manage a fleet of Linux desktops and want to track update compliance, combining this checker with a notification channel like Email or Slack provides centralized visibility.

Server Environments: Flatpak is uncommon on servers. If you are monitoring a server, the system package manager checkers (APT, DNF, Pacman, etc.) are more relevant.

Send Flatpak update notifications to Slack, Discord, Email, Telegram, or any of the other 16 supported notification channels.

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