Flutterware — Flutter builds entirely on Android

Warning

Flutterware is an experimental prototype, not a production-ready IDE. The host app packages compiler launchers as APK native libraries and currently targets Android API 36. Do not use its generated debug signing key for production applications.

Verdict: technically feasible on ARM64 Android, but not with the unmodified official Flutter Linux archive.

A complete local APK pipeline has three practical forms:

1. A Bionic-native Termux toolchain with Android-built Dart, Flutter host tools, gen_snapshot, and Android build tools. This is the most capable current route and can produce debug, profile, and release ARM64 APKs.
2. A glibc Linux userspace under proot, combined with Android-compatible build tools. This accepts more stock Linux binaries but is slower and still needs non-stock ARM64 Android build tools.
3. A dedicated Android IDE app that packages every executable in its APK's native-library area and treats the downloaded SDK/framework/cache as data. This is productizable, but Android's W^X rules prevent a modern app from simply downloading executables into files/ and invoking them.

The detailed findings, architecture, complete binary matrix, resource budget, and evidence classification are in the feasibility report.

The product prototype lives in apps/fluttware_flutter. See the roadmap for planned milestones and contributing guide for the branch and pull-request workflow. Bundled compilers, SDK files, and their licensing provenance are described in the third-party component notice.

After cloning, fetch the pinned Android ARM64 toolchain release before building the host application:

tools/fetch_toolchains.sh

License

Flutterware's original source and documentation are licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Bundled third-party components remain under their respective upstream licenses.

Proof of concept

• poc/termux/probe.sh exercises Dart, Flutter, pub, APK builds, explicit re-signing/verification, cache reuse, and optional installation on a real Android/Termux device. Every command receives its own raw log.
• poc/android-runner is a native Android app that tests process execution, environment configuration, working directories, pipe capture, cancellation, a native Android Dart SDK, a patched Flutter CLI, project creation, online/offline Pub resolution, OpenJDK 21, online/offline Gradle 9.1 execution, and a Sketchware-style direct AAPT2/javac/D8/sign/install pipeline. Version 0.17 also compiles a real Flutter debug kernel, packages the ARM64 engine/embedding, signs the APK, and launches Flutter without using Gradle for the generated project.
• evidence/host contains the Linux x64 control run made in this workspace. It proves the test sequence, not Android compatibility.
• evidence/device contains the physical ARM64 Android 16 results for native process execution, Dart 3.12.2, Flutter 3.44.8, Pub, OpenJDK 21, Gradle research, and the direct no-Gradle APK build/install/run.

The current standalone runner APK is poc/android-runner/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk. It has been installed and exercised on a Samsung SM-A356E. Version 0.17 builds, signs, installs, and launches a real Flutter debug APK locally without Gradle. The generated application cold-launched and rendered Hello World!; the exact device log is 05_direct_flutter_debug_apk.log. Profile/release AOT and general plugin support remain future work.

Run the Android probe

Install or provide an Android/Bionic-compatible toolchain first. The report explains why copying the stock Linux SDK is insufficient. Then, in Termux:

cd /path/to/fluttware
source poc/termux/env.sh
poc/termux/probe.sh

To ask Android's package installer to install the produced APK:

poc/termux/probe.sh --install

Installation is intentionally opt-in and remains user-confirmed. To re-sign an APK explicitly:

poc/termux/resign_apk.sh input.apk output.apk

The keystore password defaults to the conventional local-development value android. Set FLUTTWARE_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD before invoking the script for a non-test key; never use this generated key as an unattended production secret.

Evidence status

The proof app was tested through ADB on a physical ARM64 Android 16 device. Evidence in the report is classified as:

• upstream: supported by source code or official documentation;
• independent: reported by a named open-source project with its exact build;
• device-tested: executed by this repository's standalone app on the named physical device;
• pending: a later build-pipeline stage that has not yet run on the device.

Nothing from the Linux host control run is presented as an Android result. Device-side Java, Gradle-runtime, direct APK build, signing, installation, and launch claims are backed by separate physical-device logs.