[Feature request]: Autostart for Flatpaks

[Zinkelburger]

Version

• I'm using version 1.18.0

Existing requests

• I've checked Existing requests

Advanced Preferences

• I've checked Advanced Preferences

What operating system are you using?

Linux

Operating System Version

Fedora 42, Aurora

Problem description

Autostart doesn't work when its in a flatpak, especially on an immutable OS like Aurora.

This has been noted in #1517

Possible solution

I'd like to use Flatpak Portals to request the program starts at login

This is documented in Background Portals

I have an implementation with Claude. But to test it, I need to package it as a Flatpak, instead of just npm run dev

---

I have significant issues using the flatpak-builder command, trying to use the manifest at net.hovancik.Stretchly

1. Issue with generated-sources. So I copy package-lock.json from the main stretchly repo & rebuild generated sources with the flatpak-node-generator
2. Update manifest from node20 to node22 which Stretchly now uses
3. Esbuild binary error (no idea how to resolve, been trying to add things to the manifest but it doesn't help)
   Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat '/run/build/stretchly/flatpak-node/cache/esbuild/bin/esbuild-current'

Sorry if any of this was incorrect. I'd appreciate any help. Thanks for this program 🙂

Alternative solutions

I'm pretty sure the only way out of a Flatpak is with the portals

Additional information

No response

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct

[hovancik]

Hi @Zinkelburger and thanks for trying! TBH I am not familiar with how the flathub packaging works. Maybe @jwillikers will be able to help? I am not sure whether autostart should be implemented in Stretchly here, or in Flathub's repo or in both.

[jwillikers]

Oh yeah, I'd love to help get this working. @Zinkelburger I'd expect building 1.18.0 to fail, but not with the error you got there. It's currently blocked by electron-userland/electron-builder#9025. I'd build 1.17.0 for the Flatpak for now, otherwise you have to change the version of electron-builder. That error you hit is one I've definitely seen before. I wonder if that issue is from needing to switch /usr/lib/sdk/node20/bin / /usr/lib/sdk/node20 to match the node SDK extension version. If you want to fork https://github.com/flathub/net.hovancik.Stretchly/ with your changes, it'll be easier for me to help you out.

[hovancik]

@jwillikers I am planning to release 1.18.1, so I can downgrade builder. Do you know what version should I go with? Or try the one I used in 1.17?

[jwillikers]

@jwillikers I am planning to release 1.18.1, so I can downgrade builder. Do you know what version should I go with? Or try the one I used in 1.17?

I just verified that version 25.1.8 works!

There's no node22 extension for the 25.08 runtime, but only node24, so the runtime will stay at 24.08. Just an fyi, really. The 24.08 runtime is officially supported for another year.

[hovancik]

Let's hope it won't break something else :)

[hovancik]

#1654

[Zinkelburger]

Thank you guys so much for updating this code and the flatpak repo! I was able to build it locally

I added directions for a local to the README, not an important PR but I feel like its useful
flathub/net.hovancik.Stretchly#22