Flatpak Auto Update (Universal RPM Edition)

Flatpak Auto Update is a robust system utility for Fedora and RPM-based Linux distributions that orchestrates Flatpak package updates with atomic-like safety using Snapper snapshots and provides intelligent, dynamic email reporting.

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📖 Project Architecture & Vision

This framework is designed to solve the "update-and-forget" challenge for Flatpak-heavy environments by bridging the gap between containerized application management and system-level recovery.

The "Safety-First" Engineering Pillars:

• Intelligent State Detection: Implements Universal Compatibility via real-time probe of the host filesystem. If Snapper or Btrfs is unavailable, the engine self-reconfigures into a "Safe-Update" mode to ensure 100% uptime regardless of hardware abstraction.
• Zero-Waste Logic: To preserve SSD endurance, the tool executes a dry-run analysis. If no updates are pending, the script terminates before a single disk write or snapshot is generated.
• Dynamic Notification Engine: The engine parses the transaction buffer to provide high-signal subject lines (e.g., [hostname] 5 new upgrades installed), allowing for rapid fleet monitoring.

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🚀 Overview

This utility ensures your Flatpak environment remains current without manual overhead. By leveraging Btrfs snapshots, it creates a reliable "time machine" for your applications.

Key Features

• Atomic-like Safety: Automatically pairs Snapper pre and post snapshots for every update session.
• Universal Logic: Gracefully degrades on non-Btrfs systems (XFS, EXT4, LVM).
• Smart Notifications: Dynamic subject lines based on actual package modification counts.
• Developer Tooling: Includes build-rpm.sh for rapid RPM generation and testing.

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🛠 Technical Logic Flow (v1.0.3)

1. Safety Check: Verifies Snapper configuration. Disables snapshots if requirements aren't met.
2. Zero-Impact Check: Executes flatpak update --dry-run.
3. Pre-Update State: Generates a Snapper pre snapshot (if supported).
4. Automated Execution: Applies updates in non-interactive mode (-y).
5. Change Analysis: Calculates exactly how many packages were modified.
6. Conditional Finalization: Links post snapshot on success or purges orphans on failure.

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📥 Installation

For Users

Install the latest stable RPM package:

sudo dnf install flatpak-auto-update-1.0.3-1.*.noarch.rpm

For Developers (Build from Source)

Use the build helper in the project root:

chmod +x build-rpm.sh
./build-rpm.sh --install --clean

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⚙️ Usage

Check the Schedule

systemctl list-timers flatpak-auto-update.timer

Manual Trigger

sudo systemctl start flatpak-auto-update.service

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🔧 Configuration

Settings are managed in /etc/flatpak-auto-update/env.conf.

# --- Core Identification ---
EMAIL_FROM="bot@$(hostname)"
EMAIL_TO="admin@example.com"

# --- Feature Toggles ---
ENABLE_EMAIL=yes
ENABLE_SNAPSHOTS=yes  # Set to "no" to force-disable snapshots

# --- Notification Customization ---
EMAIL_FROM_DISPLAY="Fedora Bot"
EMAIL_SUBJECT_SUCCESS="[$(hostname)] flatpak-auto-update: \$UPDATE_COUNT new upgrades have been installed."

# --- Advanced Provider Settings ---
SNAPPER_CONFIG="root"

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📋 Dependencies & Compatibility

• flatpak: Application management.
• snapper: Snapshot orchestration (Optional).
• mailx/s-nail: SMTP delivery.
• systemd: Scheduling and logging.

Compatible with Fedora, RHEL, and modern RPM-based distributions.

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License: GPL-3.0-or-later Maintained by fedoraBee - 2026