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festivity-lettuce

Member

Registered: 2025-10-12

Posts: 1

Flatpak application permissions to trash directory

I installed an application via flatpak (Obsidian) and used flatseal to limit the filesystem permissions to a single directory in my home directory. However, I've noticed that when I delete notes from Obsidian, they are sent to my system trash directory. I wrongly assumed that it wouldn't have access to write there given the filesystem permissions.

I tried to find information about how those permissions work in Linux, and I found this, which was some interesting reading: https://specifications.freedesktop.org/ … ec/latest/. But it's not quite what I'm after. I'm looking for something that relates specifically to how flatpak deals with filesystem permissions. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction? Thanks

kuna

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2021-12-18

Posts: 3

Re: Flatpak application permissions to trash directory

I am also curious about this, but for the opposite reason. I have an app which "trashes" files, but they end up in:

~/.var/app/${APP_NAME}/.Trash-${UID}

Have you found a solution?

seth

Member

From: Don't DM me only for attention

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 73,424

Re: Flatpak application permissions to trash directory

The trash is designed to avoid crossing FS (because that's expensive) so I'd expect any kind of client (in doubt via xdg-desktop-portal) to trash ~/foo/bar to $XDG_DATA_HOME/Trash and files that exist within the flatschpak mount to use that as $topdir for $topdir/.Trash

iow: it's not *how* you trash files but *what* files you trash.

Edit, ceterum censeo: flatschpak is NOT a sandbox!
It's not designed nor capable nor officially meant to be and abusing it as such will leave you vulnerable!

Last edited by seth (2026-01-22 13:57:58)

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