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To test a Flatpak app you built, install it for your user, launch it with flatpak run <application-id>, and check its important behavior. To test a shareable .flatpak file, create a bundle from an exported repository, install that file, and launch the app again. These are separate checks: creating a bundle does not prove the app works, and a single-file bundle does not include its dependencies or AppStream data.

Build and install the app from its manifest

Start with the project’s Flatpak manifest and a build directory. The Flatpak tutorial demonstrates this command for its sample app; replace the sample paths, manifest, and remote with values that fit your project:

flatpak-builder --force-clean --user --install-deps-from=flathub --repo=repo --install builddir org.flatpak.Hello.yml

flatpak-builder obtains and verifies sources, builds the manifest’s modules, applies the declared sandbox permissions, and exports the result. In this example, --user installs for the current user, --repo exports build output to a repository, and --install installs the app. The manifest filename and application ID shown are tutorial examples, not universal values. See the Flatpak first-build tutorial and build overview.

Launch the installed build and check its behavior

Use the application ID from your manifest to start the installed app:

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flatpak run <application-id>

Confirm it starts, then exercise the functions that matter for your app, including integrations it is expected to use in its intended environment. The tutorial’s sample command output only illustrates its Hello app; it is not evidence that another app has passed testing.

Run module tests if the manifest defines them

Flatpak Builder can run module tests when configured in the manifest. For a module, run-tests: true enables tests; test-rule selects a test target, test-commands adds commands, and test-args supplies sandbox arguments. Test arguments do not affect normal installation. Consult the Flatpak documentation on testing for the manifest options.

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Passing module tests does not establish that the app’s UI, permissions, packaging, or installation on another machine works. Check those separately by running the installed app and, if you intend to distribute a bundle, installing that bundle as described below.

Create a single-file bundle from the exported repository

When a downloadable file or one-off transfer is useful, create a bundle from the repository you exported during the build:

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flatpak build-bundle <repo-dir> <filename.flatpak> <application-id> [branch]

Replace each placeholder with the project’s repository directory, output filename, application ID, and—if needed—branch. You can optionally attach a runtime repository using --runtime-repo=<url>. The exact runtime, branch, and repository depend on the app. The single-file bundles documentation describes the command and its options.

Install and test the bundle itself

Install the resulting local file for the current user, then launch the app by its application ID:

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flatpak install --user <filename.flatpak>
flatpak run <application-id>

The Flatpak tutorial demonstrates flatpak install --user hello.flatpak for its sample. Installing and launching the bundle checks a different path from testing the build-directory output: it verifies that the exported file installs in your environment and that the installed app starts. When finished, remove the user installation with:

flatpak remove <application-id>

See the Flatpak command-line documentation for installation, launch, and removal commands.

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Know what the bundle does—and does not—contain

A single-file bundle omits dependencies and AppStream data. It is not necessarily a self-contained offline installer: if the recipient lacks a suitable runtime, installation may require a runtime source and network access. The Flatpak tutorial notes that a working connection is needed to install a runtime when one is missing. For offline distribution, the bundle documentation points to creating a USB installation as the preferred approach.

Choose a bundle or a repository for distribution

Distribution method Best fit Important consideration
Hosted repository Ongoing delivery when users need updates Repositories allow apps to be updated; the Flatpak documentation calls hosting one the preferred distribution route.
Single-file bundle A direct download, attachment, or one-off transfer when runtime and dependency availability are understood The bundle omits dependencies and AppStream data, so it may rely on separately available runtime content and network access.

Decide based on whether updates matter, whether dependencies will be available separately, whether recipients can connect to a runtime source, and whether you are delivering an ongoing feed or a one-time file. The Flatpak repository documentation explains the repository option. The official pages are rolling “latest” documentation rather than a version-pinned manual, so check the commands against your installed Flatpak and Flatpak Builder versions and your project’s manifest.

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