yt-dlp is provided by the Flatpak runtime and cannot be…

Error message

yt-dlp is provided by the Flatpak runtime and cannot be updated from inside the app

What it means

`update_ytdlp` refuses to self-update when running inside a Flatpak sandbox. In Flatpak, yt-dlp comes from the runtime/extension, and replacing it from within the app would violate sandbox packaging, so the function returns this explanatory error and asks the user to update via Flatpak instead.

Solutions

Update yt-dlp through the Flatpak runtime/extension (e.g. `flatpak update`).
Update the app itself via `flatpak update <app-id>` so its yt-dlp dependency is refreshed.
Hide or disable the in-app update button when running under Flatpak.
If self-managing yt-dlp is required, install the non-Flatpak build of the app.

Example fix

// before
if is_flatpak() { update_ytdlp().await?; }
// after
if is_flatpak() { eprintln!("update yt-dlp via 'flatpak update'"); } else { update_ytdlp().await?; }

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if crate::core::dependencies::is_flatpak() {
    // skip in-app update; direct user to 'flatpak update'
} else {
    update_ytdlp().await?;
}

Type guard

fn can_self_update_ytdlp() -> bool {
    !crate::core::dependencies::is_flatpak()
}

Try / catch

match update_ytdlp().await {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("Flatpak runtime") => {
        // inform user to run 'flatpak update' instead
    }
    other => other?,
}

Prevention

Gate the update UI on is_flatpak().
Teach users that Flatpak installs are updated via flatpak.
Check for updates at the Flatpak level in app startup.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `update_ytdlp()` when `is_flatpak()` returns true, i.e. the app was installed as a Flatpak and the user (or UI) triggered the in-app update action.

Common situations: User clicks "Update yt-dlp" in a Flatpak install; an auto-update routine runs in a Flatpak environment; documentation mismatch where users expect in-app updates to work.

Understand the failure class

Background: UnsupportedOperationException and "is not supported" errors: when a library deliberately refuses a call — this error's family across 30 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of tonhowtf/omniget@8600b91f42 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cecf3d2d06cb6448. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src-tauri/omniget-core/src/core/ytdlp.rs:1780

    std::thread::Builder::new()
        .name("js-runtime-check".into())
        .spawn(|| {
            let rt = tokio::runtime::Builder::new_current_thread()
                .enable_all()
                .build()
                .expect("js-runtime runtime");
            rt.block_on(async {
                crate::core::dependencies::ensure_js_runtime().await;
            });
        })
        .ok();
    tracing::debug!("[perf] ensure_ytdlp took {:?}", _timer_start.elapsed());
    Ok(path)
}

pub async fn update_ytdlp() -> anyhow::Result<PathBuf> {
    if crate::core::dependencies::is_flatpak() {
        return Err(anyhow!(
            "yt-dlp is provided by the Flatpak runtime and cannot be updated from inside the app"
        ));
    }
    let path = download_ytdlp_binary().await?;
    reset_ytdlp_cache();
    Ok(path)
}

#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub enum YtdlpChannel {
    Stable,
    Nightly,
}

fn ytdlp_channel() -> YtdlpChannel {
    match std::env::var("OMNIGET_YTDLP_CHANNEL") {
        Ok(v) if v.trim().eq_ignore_ascii_case("nightly") => YtdlpChannel::Nightly,
        _ => YtdlpChannel::Stable,

View on GitHub (pinned to 8600b91f42)