flutter_alone 4.0.1

A robust Flutter plugin designed to ensure only a single instance of your desktop application runs at a time, offering customizable messages, cross-user detection, and enhanced window management for W [...]

Flutter Alone

A Flutter plugin that ensures only a single instance of your desktop application runs at a time. When a duplicate is launched, it automatically focuses the original window and shows an alert message.

Platform Support

Windows	macOS	Linux (X11)	Linux (Wayland)
✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Partial

• Windows: Detects duplicates using system-level Mutex with cross-user support
• macOS: Detects duplicates using advisory file locks (flock)
• Linux (X11): Full support — duplicate detection via flock and window activation via _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW
• Linux (Wayland): Partial support — duplicate detection works reliably, but window activation is best-effort only. Wayland does not provide an API for cross-process window raising by design. The plugin falls back to xdotool via XWayland; if xdotool is unavailable or the app is a native Wayland client, only the alert dialog is shown (no window activation).

Installation

dependencies:
  flutter_alone: ^4.0.1

flutter pub get

Quick Start

import 'dart:io';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter_alone/flutter_alone.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  FlutterAloneConfig? config;

  if (Platform.isWindows) {
    config = FlutterAloneConfig.forWindows(
      windowsConfig: const DefaultWindowsMutexConfig(
        packageId: 'com.example.myapp',
        appName: 'My App',
      ),
      messageConfig: const EnMessageConfig(),
    );
  } else if (Platform.isMacOS) {
    config = FlutterAloneConfig.forMacOS(
      macOSConfig: MacOSConfig(lockFileName: 'my_app.lock'),
      messageConfig: const EnMessageConfig(),
    );
  } else if (Platform.isLinux) {
    config = FlutterAloneConfig.forLinux(
      linuxConfig: LinuxConfig(lockFileName: 'my_app.lock'),
      messageConfig: const EnMessageConfig(),
    );
  }

  if (config != null && !await FlutterAlone.instance.checkAndRun(config: config)) {
    exit(0); // Another instance is already running
  }

  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatefulWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});
  @override
  State<MyApp> createState() => _MyAppState();
}

class _MyAppState extends State<MyApp> {
  @override
  void dispose() {
    FlutterAlone.instance.dispose(); // Always release resources
    super.dispose();
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return const MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(body: Center(child: Text('Hello, World!'))),
    );
  }
}

API

FlutterAlone.instance

Method	Return	Description
checkAndRun(config:)	Future<bool>	Checks for a duplicate instance. Returns true if the app can start, false if another instance is already running.
dispose()	Future<void>	Releases mutex/lock file resources. Must be called when the app exits.

FlutterAloneConfig

Use platform-specific factory constructors to create the configuration.

// Windows
FlutterAloneConfig.forWindows(
  windowsConfig: ...,        // required - Mutex settings
  messageConfig: ...,        // required - Alert message settings
  windowConfig: ...,         // optional - Window identification
  duplicateCheckConfig: ..., // optional - Debug mode behavior
)

// macOS
FlutterAloneConfig.forMacOS(
  macOSConfig: ...,          // required - Lock file settings
  messageConfig: ...,        // required - Alert message settings
  windowConfig: ...,         // optional - Window identification
  duplicateCheckConfig: ..., // optional - Debug mode behavior
)

// Linux
FlutterAloneConfig.forLinux(
  linuxConfig: ...,          // required - Lock file settings
  messageConfig: ...,        // required - Alert message settings
  windowConfig: ...,         // optional - Window identification
  duplicateCheckConfig: ..., // optional - Debug mode behavior
)

---

Configuration Options

Windows Mutex Config

Configures the system mutex name used for duplicate detection.

DefaultWindowsMutexConfig

Auto-generates a mutex name from your package ID and app name.

const DefaultWindowsMutexConfig(
  packageId: 'com.example.myapp',  // required
  appName: 'My App',               // required
  mutexSuffix: 'prod',             // optional
)
// Generated mutex name: "Global\com.example.myapp_My App_prod"

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
packageId	String	Yes	-	Package identifier (e.g., com.example.myapp)
appName	String	Yes	-	Application name
mutexSuffix	String?	No	null	Suffix appended to the mutex name. Useful for distinguishing environments (e.g., dev/prod)

CustomWindowsMutexConfig

Specify the mutex name directly.

CustomWindowsMutexConfig(
  customMutexName: 'MyUniqueAppMutex',  // required
)
// Automatically prefixed with "Global\" if not already present

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
customMutexName	String	Yes	-	Custom mutex name. Global\ prefix is added automatically if missing

---

macOS Lock File Config

MacOSConfig

MacOSConfig(
  lockFileName: 'my_app.lock',  // optional
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
lockFileName	String	No	'.lockfile'	Name of the lock file created in the system temp directory. Must be unique per app to avoid collisions

---

Linux Lock File Config

LinuxConfig

LinuxConfig(
  lockFileName: 'my_app.lock',  // optional
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
lockFileName	String	No	'.lockfile'	Name of the lock file created in /tmp. Must be unique per app to avoid collisions

Note: On Wayland sessions, window activation of the existing instance requires xdotool (run via XWayland). Native Wayland does not permit cross-process window raising, so on pure Wayland setups only the alert dialog will be shown when a duplicate is detected.

---

Message Config

Configures the alert message shown when a duplicate instance is detected.

EnMessageConfig - English (built-in)

const EnMessageConfig(
  showMessageBox: true,  // optional
)

KoMessageConfig - Korean (built-in)

const KoMessageConfig(
  showMessageBox: true,  // optional
)

CustomMessageConfig - Custom message

const CustomMessageConfig(
  customTitle: 'Notice',                                  // required
  customMessage: 'The application is already running.',   // required
  showMessageBox: true,                                   // optional
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
customTitle	String	Yes	-	Title of the alert dialog
customMessage	String	Yes	-	Body text of the alert dialog
showMessageBox	bool	No	true	Set to false to silently exit without showing a message box

---

Window Config

WindowConfig

const WindowConfig(
  windowTitle: 'My Application',  // optional
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
windowTitle	String?	No	null	Window title used to locate the original window. Essential for system tray apps where the window may not be immediately visible

---

Duplicate Check Config

DuplicateCheckConfig

const DuplicateCheckConfig(
  enableInDebugMode: true,  // optional
)

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
enableInDebugMode	bool	No	false	When true, performs the duplicate check even in debug mode. By default, the check is skipped in debug mode for a smoother development workflow

---

Advanced Example

A full-featured example using all available options, ideal for system tray applications.

final config = FlutterAloneConfig.forWindows(
  windowsConfig: CustomWindowsMutexConfig(
    customMutexName: 'MyProductionAppMutex',
  ),
  windowConfig: const WindowConfig(
    windowTitle: 'My Application',  // Needed to find the window when minimized to tray
  ),
  duplicateCheckConfig: const DuplicateCheckConfig(
    enableInDebugMode: true,  // Test duplicate detection during development
  ),
  messageConfig: const CustomMessageConfig(
    customTitle: 'Application Notice',
    customMessage: 'Another instance is already running. Check the system tray.',
    showMessageBox: true,
  ),
);

if (!await FlutterAlone.instance.checkAndRun(config: config)) {
  exit(0);
}

Platform-Specific Setup

Some platforms require additional native-side setup. See the Platform Setup Guide for details.

• Windows: Resolving FindWindow() API conflicts when using the window_manager package
• macOS: Handling app reactivation when the dock icon is clicked (critical for system tray apps)

FAQ

Q: Why do I need a different native window title when using window_manager?

A: The Windows FindWindow() API requires a unique native window title to locate the original window. The user only sees the final title set by window_manager.

Q: What if I don't use window_manager?

A: No additional platform setup is needed. The plugin works out of the box.

Q: The duplicate check doesn't work in debug mode.

A: By default, the check is skipped in debug mode. Set DuplicateCheckConfig(enableInDebugMode: true) to enable it.

Q: Two different apps using flutter_alone conflict with each other.

A: Both MacOSConfig and LinuxConfig default to .lockfile. Use a unique lockFileName per app (e.g., 'com.example.myapp.lock').

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request or create an issue.