flatpak-launcher 🚀
A compact, keyboard-driven terminal user interface for browsing and launching your installed Flatpak apps. No dependencies, no bloat, just pure Bash.
Features
- Search-as-you-type — Filter apps instantly by typing
- Compact interface — Shows 8 apps at a time with scrolling
- Arrow key navigation — Up/down to select, Enter to launch
- ESC to quit or clear the current search
- Zero dependencies — Works on any system with Bash and Flatpak
- Universal ASCII borders — Renders correctly in any terminal
Usage
./flatpak-tui.sh
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Type | Filter apps by name |
| ↑ / ↓ | Navigate through results |
| Enter | Launch selected app |
| Backspace | Delete last character from search |
| ESC | Quit (or clear search if empty) |
How it works
The script uses flatpak list --app --columns=application to fetch installed app IDs, then extracts a readable name from the last segment of each ID (e.g. org.gimp.GIMP → GIMP). This avoids the common pitfall of flatpak list --columns=name returning developer names instead of app names.
Requirements
- Bash 4.0+
- Flatpak installed and configured
- At least one Flatpak application installed