Flutter plugin breaks during precache
Metadata
Current evaluation
Fixed by merged PR canonical/snapcraft#5264 (commit acf0ce744), correcting Flutter precache Git branch references. Released in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1.
Resolution: closed resolved
Reason: PR #5264 merged commit acf0ce744 with Flutter's workaround for the missing origin/master reference. Maintainers confirmed the fix shipped in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
No scores available.
Issue body
### Bug Description
Currently, the Flutter plugin installs Flutter using an undocumented git-based method, which breaks due to what appear to be some internal forks to `git` in Flutter:
```
:: + flutter precache --linux
:: Woah! You appear to be trying to run flutter as root.
:: We strongly recommend running the flutter tool without superuser privileges.
:: /
:: π
:: fatal: Not a valid object name origin/master
```
(note the last line especially)
The issue here is that we clone with `-b stable`, which means only the `stable` branch is present locally. Cloning the `master` branch instead gets us further, but still fails due to what appears to be the Flutter repository using a placeholder "0.0.0" version in that branch.
However, there _is_ a Flutter snap, which does not appear to have any of these troubles.
We could, alternatively, rename the local remote `stable` to `master` as a workaround.
### To Reproduce
Attempt to build anything with the Flutter plugin
### Environment
Any version of Snapcraft
### snapcraft.yaml
```yaml
name: flutter-hello
version: "1.0"
summary: simple flutter application
description: build a flutter application using core22
base: core22
confinement: strict
apps:
flutter-hello:
command: "flutter_hello"
extensions: [gnome]
parts:
hello:
source: .
plugin: flutter
```
### Relevant log output
```shell
:: + flutter precache --linux
:: Woah! You appear to be trying to run flutter as root.
:: We strongly recommend running the flutter tool without superuser privileges.
:: /
:: π
:: fatal: Not a valid object name origin/master
```
### Additional context
_No response_
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | β | closed resolved | Fixed by merged PR canonical/snapcraft#5264 (commit acf0ce744), correcting Flutter precache Git branch references. Released in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | β | closed resolved | Fixed the precache Git branch-reference failure by applying Flutterβs suggested workaround in canonical/snapcraft#5264; released in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | β | β | Fixed in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1. The Flutter plugin precache failure caused by git branch reference errors was resolved. Users not using the plugin must apply a manual workaround or wait for an upstream Flutter release. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | β | β | Fixed in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1. Maintainers patched the Flutter plugin to resolve the git branch precache failure. Projects using custom flutter-git parts must apply the same workaround or await an upstream Flutter release. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 | β | β | Fixed in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1. The Flutter plugin precache git branch error was resolved by updating the installation method. Users bypassing the plugin must apply a manual workaround or wait for an upstream Flutter release. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Likely Fixed By:
canonical/snapcraft#5264
(confidence 100%)
Merged corrective change for the Flutter plugin's Git errors.
-
Related To:
flutter#163198
(confidence 98%)
Upstream Flutter issue identified as the cause of the precache failure.
-
Related To:
flutter#163308
(confidence 95%)
Upstream discussion containing the workaround adopted by Snapcraft.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5267 fix: correct git errors in flutter plugin | snapcraft | merged | Merged #5267, cherry-picking #5264 into the 8.6 branch to fix Flutter precache git errors; released in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1. | |
| #5264 fix: correct git errors in flutter plugin | snapcraft | merged | Merged #5264 fixed Flutter plugin Git errors using Flutter's suggested workaround, closing #5258; released in Snapcraft 8.6.3 and 8.7.1. |