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Basic Commands

Commands Reference

Complete reference for FVM commands to manage Flutter SDK versions efficiently.

use

Sets a Flutter SDK version for the current project. Creates project configuration and ensures environment consistency.

fvm use [version] [options]

Arguments

  • version - Flutter SDK version, channel, or commit hash (optional)
    • If omitted, checks project configuration or prompts for selection
    • Examples: 3.19.0, stable, fa345b1

Options

  • -f, --force - Bypasses Flutter project validation checks
  • -p, --pin - Pins the latest release of a channel (not for master)
  • --flavor <name> - Sets version for a specific project flavor
  • -s, --skip-setup - Skips SDK setup after installation
  • --skip-pub-get - Skips dependency resolution after switching

Examples

# Set specific version
fvm use 3.19.0
 
# Pin latest stable release
fvm use stable --pin
 
# Set version for production flavor
fvm use 3.19.0 --flavor production
 
# Use a specific commit
fvm use fa345b1

What happens

  1. Downloads SDK if not cached
  2. Creates .fvm directory with SDK symlink
  3. Updates .fvmrc configuration
  4. Configures IDE settings (VS Code)
  5. Runs flutter pub get (unless skipped)

install

Downloads and caches a Flutter SDK version for future use.

fvm install [version] [options]

Arguments

  • version - Flutter SDK version to install (optional)
    • If omitted, installs version from project configuration

Options

  • -s, --setup - Runs Flutter setup after installation
  • --skip-pub-get - Skips dependency resolution

Aliases

  • fvm i - Short form

Examples

# Install specific version
fvm install 3.19.0
 
# Install with setup
fvm install 3.19.0 --setup
 
# Install from project config
fvm install

list

Displays all installed Flutter SDK versions.

fvm list

Aliases

  • fvm ls - Short form

Output

Shows all cached SDK versions with their installation paths.

releases

Shows available Flutter SDK releases for installation.

fvm releases [options]

Options

  • -c, --channel <name> - Filter by channel: stable, beta, dev, all (default: stable)

Examples

# Show stable releases
fvm releases
 
# Show beta channel releases
fvm releases --channel beta
 
# Show all releases
fvm releases --channel all

remove

Removes Flutter SDK versions from cache.

fvm remove [version] [options]

Arguments

  • version - SDK version to remove (prompts if omitted)

Options

  • -a, --all - Removes all cached versions

Examples

# Remove specific version
fvm remove 3.19.0
 
# Remove all versions
fvm remove --all

global

Sets a default Flutter SDK version for the system.

fvm global [version]

Arguments

  • version - SDK version to set as global

Options

  • -f, --force - Bypasses SDK validation
  • -u, --unlink - Removes global version setting

Examples

# Set global version
fvm global 3.19.0
 
# Remove global version
fvm global --unlink

spawn

Runs Flutter commands with a specific SDK version.

fvm spawn <version> <flutter_command> [args...]

Arguments

  • version - SDK version to use (required)
  • flutter_command - Flutter command to execute
  • args - Additional command arguments

Examples

# Build with specific version
fvm spawn 3.19.0 build apk
 
# Run tests with different version
fvm spawn 3.10.0 test

exec

Executes commands using the project's configured Flutter SDK.

fvm exec <command> [args...]

Arguments

  • command - Command to execute
  • args - Command arguments

Examples

# Run melos with project SDK
fvm exec melos bootstrap
 
# Execute custom script
fvm exec ./scripts/build.sh

flutter

Runs Flutter commands using the project's configured SDK.

fvm flutter <command> [args...]

Arguments

  • command - Flutter command to run
  • args - Command arguments

Examples

# Common Flutter commands
fvm flutter doctor
fvm flutter build apk
fvm flutter test
fvm flutter run

Note

Prevents flutter upgrade on release versions. Use channels for upgrades.

dart

Runs Dart commands using the project's configured SDK.

fvm dart <command> [args...]

Arguments

  • command - Dart command to run
  • args - Command arguments

Examples

# Common Dart commands
fvm dart pub get
fvm dart analyze
fvm dart format .
fvm dart run build_runner build

destroy

Removes the entire FVM cache and all installed versions.

fvm destroy

Warning

This action is irreversible and removes all cached Flutter SDKs.

flavor

Executes Flutter commands using a flavor-specific SDK version.

fvm flavor <flavor> <flutter_command> [args...]

Arguments

  • flavor - Project flavor name
  • flutter_command - Flutter command to execute
  • args - Command arguments

Examples

# Build with development flavor
fvm flavor development build apk
 
# Test with staging flavor
fvm flavor staging test

fork

Manages Flutter fork aliases for custom repositories.

Subcommands

fork add

Adds a fork alias for a custom Flutter repository.

fvm fork add <alias> <url>

Arguments:

  • alias - Short name for the fork
  • url - Git repository URL (must end with .git)

Example:

fvm fork add mycompany https://github.com/mycompany/flutter.git

fork remove

Removes a fork alias.

fvm fork remove <alias>

Example:

fvm fork remove mycompany

fork list

Shows all configured fork aliases.

fvm fork list

Using forks

After adding a fork, use it with any version:

# Install fork version
fvm install mycompany/stable
fvm install mycompany/3.19.0
 
# Use fork version
fvm use mycompany/stable

config

Manages global FVM settings.

fvm config [options]

Options

  • --cache-path <path> - Sets custom cache directory
  • --flutter-url <url> - Sets Flutter repository URL
  • --use-git-cache - Enables Git cache for faster installs (default: true)
  • --no-use-git-cache - Disables Git cache
  • --git-cache-path <path> - Sets Git cache directory
  • --update-check - Enables FVM update notifications (default: true)
  • --no-update-check - Disables update notifications

Examples

# View current configuration
fvm config
 
# Set custom cache location
fvm config --cache-path ~/custom/flutter/cache
 
# Disable update checks
fvm config --no-update-check
 
# Use custom Flutter repository
fvm config --flutter-url https://github.com/mycompany/flutter.git

doctor

Shows detailed FVM environment information and diagnostics.

fvm doctor

Output includes

  • Project configuration
  • IDE integration status
  • Environment details
  • Path validation
  • FVM version

Useful for troubleshooting configuration issues.

api

Provides JSON output for integration with other tools.

Common options

  • -c, --compress - Outputs compact JSON

Subcommands

api list

Returns cached Flutter versions as JSON.

fvm api list [options]

Options:

  • -s, --skip-size-calculation - Skips cache size calculation

api releases

Returns available Flutter releases as JSON.

fvm api releases [options]

Options:

  • --limit <number> - Limits results
  • --filter-channel <channel> - Filters by channel (stable, beta, dev)

api context

Returns FVM environment information as JSON.

fvm api context

api project

Returns project configuration as JSON.

fvm api project [options]

Options:

  • -p, --path <path> - Project directory path

Examples

# Get cached versions
fvm api list
 
# Get stable releases (limit 10)
fvm api releases --filter-channel stable --limit 10
 
# Get project info for specific path
fvm api project --path /projects/myapp
 
# Get compact JSON output
fvm api context --compress

Command routing

When using proxy commands (flutter, dart, exec), FVM searches for the SDK in this order:

  1. Project configuration
  2. Ancestor directory configuration
  3. Global FVM setting
  4. System PATH

This ensures the correct SDK version is always used.

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