You might receive the Dependency not found error in Flatpak whenever an application that you are trying to run or install has a dependency that can’t be currently found on your Linux system. Ordinarily, Flatpak will automatically download all necessary dependencies when it installs an application, but this does not always work perfectly in practice. The fix for this error usually involves identifying the missing dependency, and then installing it.
In this tutorial, we will explore several causes of the Dependency not found error in Flatpak. Once your dependency issues are resolved, the impacted Flatpak apps should be able to install, update, and run without a hitch.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- How to check what Flatpak dependencies are installed
- How to install missing Flatpak dependency
- How to check Flatpak installation for errors
| Category | Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used |
|---|---|
| System | Any Linux distro |
| Software | Flatpak package manager |
| Other | Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command. |
| Conventions |
# – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user |
Resolving the Dependency not found error in Flatpak
Run through the step by step instructions below for help in resolving the
Dependency not found error in Flatpak. Since there could be multiple causes for the error, we will go through several troubleshooting methods. One of them should definitely work for you.
Keep in mind that if the
Dependency not found message is only occurring when trying to install a particular application, then it is likely that there is an issue with that specific software, such as the app developer not providing the correct dependencies or the dependencies are not available from the Flatpak remote you are downloading from. - First, check to see what apps and dependencies are installed already in Flatpak. This will tell you if you are missing the dependency which is required to install one of the Flatpak applications.
$ flatpak list
After identifying which one is missing, you can proceed to install it by typing:
$ sudo flatpak install [repo] [app id]
Replace [repo] with the name of your Flatpak remote, and [app id] with the ID of the dependency you wish to install.
- If you see that the dependency is already listed, then a likely cause for the error could be that an installed application, runtime, or dependency is due for an update. You can update all of your installed Flatpak applications with this command:
$ sudo flatpak update
- If the application dependency is still having trouble with being installed, check that your installed Flatpak version and runtimes have not been corrupted:
$ sudo flatpak repair
- If all else fails, check the application’s documentation for hints about dependencies. For example, an application installed from FlatHub will have a dedicated web page with documentation about the app and its prerequisites. If you find that a dependency is not being automatically installed, report it to the developer of the app to get a fix in the next update. Till then, you will need to manually install the dependency as shown above.
Closing Thoughts
In this tutorial, we saw how to troubleshoot the
Dependency not found error in Flatpak on a Linux system. Normally, updating all installed applications and runtimes will resolve the error automatically, and sometimes users my need to resort to repairing their Flatpak installation with the repair command. In rare cases, users will also have to manually install a required dependency, which you have now seen how to do.
