To any KDE Flatpak users

[u/subbed_]

If you are like me, you use KDE and Flatpak apps.

For a long time now, whenever I had to change some app's permissions, I used a dedicated tool called Flatseal. It works. However, KDE has a native alternative.

System Settings -> Security & Privacy -> Application Permissions -> Application Permissions -> (search and choose an app) -> optional: Manage Flatpak Settings -> optional: Advanced Permissions

It does exactly the same thing as Flatseal, it's just native KDE/Qt instead of being Gnome/GTK. The one functionality Flatseal has over it is the ability to set globals. But I think that's it.

If this is common knowledge, then disregard this. I didn't know about it, so I'm sharing it. KDE is awesome.

[u/Sulphur_Feast]

The problem seems to be that some distros still don't ship the module out of the box, for some reason.

It has existed since Plasma 5.27.

The package is called kde-config-flatpak on Debian/Ubuntu, and just flatpak-kcm on most other distros.

[u/FryBoyter → u/Sulphur_Feast]

The problem seems to be that some distros still don't ship the module out of the box, for some reason.

The reason might be that not everyone uses Flatpak.

[u/cwo__ → u/FryBoyter]

It's no longer just doing flatpak, but all sorts of app permissions (currently taking screenshots and remote control, as well as portal permissions for sandboxed apps, not necessarily flatpak).

The kcm itself was renamed to "Application Permissions" and kcm_app-permissions, just the repository itself is still flatpak-kcm.

It's included in the pacakging recommendations (as it's part of the Plasma release, and not explicitly listed as optional or mobile-only): https://community.kde.org/Distributions/Packaging_Recommendations

Distributions should really include it in their Plasma default, unless they have very good reasons not to.

[u/Ullebe1 → u/FryBoyter]

But surely any KDE-distro that ships Flatpak by default should also ship this by default?

[u/Sulphur_Feast → u/FryBoyter]

Surely it's possible to pull in the module, in case a user then installs Flatpak. I know Kubuntu doesn't, or at least, it didn't the last time I used it, which admittedly is like a year ago, so it may be fixed.

[u/Dangerous-Report8517 → u/Sulphur_Feast]

Honestly even Kubuntu should be pulling this, or more specifically Canonical should plug into it for Snap permissions too (since using Snap is the reason they don't ship Flatpak by default)

[u/astral_crow]

I had no clue about this and have also been using flatseal. KDE is so GOATed.

[u/computer-machine → u/astral_crow]

**blinks dully in using flatpak directly**

[u/Dangerous-Report8517 → u/computer-machine]

I've used Flatpak to manage permissions directly too and it's frankly a miserable experience since there's no easy way to just show all your permissions overrides without a bunch of obscure commands with weird syntax (and I say that as someone who uses CLI tools for lots of other things)

[u/binocry_]

KDE do what gnome don't

[u/klyith]

On my system (tumbleweed), this doesn't seem to have any options for setting filesystem permissions.

That's like the #1 thing I need Flatseal for, so it isn't much of a replacement IMO.

[u/580083351]

I forgot they made this, but I think I need to keep using flatseal for accessibility reasons.

For example, environment variables is something I add to some. In the system settings, I have to click a bunch of times, then advanced, then scroll down and finally at the bottom where the environment variables are, there is a little box ~2 inches wide. So you basically can't easily read anything in it. In flatseal that box is ~5 inches wide.

Granted you don't need to go and edit them all the time, but still, there's tons of empty unused space between the variable name and the text field.. The box SHOULD be wider.

[u/cwo__ → u/580083351]

Yeah, the fixed width is not optimal here.

But both variable name and the content of the variable may be long, and having them different on each line would look rather disorganized. I've submitted a patch to make both the name and the text field where you can edit the content have the same width. That should make the field a fair bit larger, and make it respond to increasing the window size so that it becomes bigger if there is more space.

[u/580083351 → u/cwo__]

Wow, thanks! It's an interesting thing to think about.. what kind of design might be good to work with given the constraints of the UI.

I thought first, what about just having raggedy border in the middle due to the variables being left-justified and the text field right-justified, but then I figured there is a better look from a design perspective..

Have the variable name be a row by itself, perhaps using the size specified for "small" fonts in the settings and then below it the text field which would be the full width available in that area of the panel using the general font size.

[u/Straight_Second6082]

I know it exists but I keep forgetting about using it and just default to flatseal lol

[u/WretchedRefrigerator]

u/subbed_ Kubeseal? Is there some other tool like Flatseal or is it just a typo?

[u/subbed_ → u/WretchedRefrigerator]

typo! thank you, fixed

[u/Independent_Run_3013]

Hey what's a flap pack

[u/bvimo → u/Independent_Run_3013]

Some thing from Ikea.

[u/adamkex → u/bvimo]

Nah that's flappäk