Dependency_sorter

Sort your pubspec dependencies alphabetically!

Fixes what the sort_pub_dependencies lint reports — which has no dart fix support (see dart-lang/sdk#47958). A tiny, dependency-light CLI that reorders dependencies, dev_dependencies and dependency_overrides while preserving comments, blank lines and formatting.

Install

Use as a dev dependency (recommended):

dev_dependencies:
  dependency_sorter: ^0.2.0

dart pub get
dart run dependency_sorter

Or activate globally:

dart pub global activate dependency_sorter
dependency_sorter

Usage

Fix the pubspec in place (default):

dart run dependency_sorter

Check without writing (for CI) — exits non-zero when sorting is needed:

dart run dependency_sorter --check

Preview the pending changes without writing — exits non-zero when sorting is needed:

dart run dependency_sorter --diff

Point at a specific file or directory:

dart run dependency_sorter --path packages/my_app
dart run dependency_sorter packages/my_app/pubspec.yaml

Full options:

dart run dependency_sorter --help

Flag	Description
--path, -p	Pubspec file or directory (default: .)
--check, -c	Report only; exit 1 when sorting is needed
--diff	Show a unified diff of pending changes; never writes, exit 1 when sorting is needed
--[no-]sort-dependencies	Toggle the dependencies section
--[no-]sort-dev-dependencies	Toggle the dev_dependencies section
--[no-]sort-dependency-overrides	Toggle the dependency_overrides section
--version, -v	Print the version
--help, -h	Show usage

Configuration

All three sections are sorted by default. Disable any of them per project with a dependency_sorter key in your pubspec (no effect on pub get):

dependency_sorter:
  sort_dependencies: true
  sort_dev_dependencies: true
  sort_dependency_overrides: false

CLI flags take precedence over this config.

Behavior Notes

• Comment-preserving: leading comments move with their entry, inline comments stay on their line, blank lines and CRLF/line endings are kept byte-for-byte.
• Sorting is case-sensitive code-unit order (Args before args), matching the lint.
• Already-sorted or unparseable sections (flow maps, odd indentation) are left untouched; sorting is idempotent.
• Exit codes: 0 success, 1 unsorted in --check/--diff mode, 2 usage or I/O errors.

Troubleshooting

Blank Lines Stay Where They Are

Blank-line separators are positional: entries reorder around them instead of dragging them along. For example, the blank line separating dev_dependencies from flutter: stays at the end of the section:

# Before
dev_dependencies:
  flutter_test:
    sdk: flutter
  sample_tool:
    git: https://example.com/sample_tool.git

flutter:
  uses-material-design: true

# After
dev_dependencies:
  sample_tool:
    git: https://example.com/sample_tool.git
  flutter_test:
    sdk: flutter

flutter:
  uses-material-design: true

Sections Left Untouched

A section is skipped (never partially rewritten) when it isn't a plain indented map — for example inline flow maps or mixed indentation:

dependencies: {yaml: any, args: any} # left as-is; expand it to sort it

Use --diff to preview exactly what would change before fixing.