Common Workflows

Quick guides for typical FVM tasks. Each workflow shows the essential commands to accomplish specific goals.

Setting up a new project

Configure a Flutter project to use a specific SDK version.

# Navigate to project
cd myproject
 
# Set Flutter version
fvm use 3.19.0
 
# Or use latest stable
fvm use stable --pin

Result: Creates .fvm directory and .fvmrc configuration file.

Switching between versions

Change SDK versions for different projects or testing.

# Check current version
fvm list
 
# Switch to different version
fvm use 3.16.0
 
# Force switch without validation
fvm use 3.16.0 --force

Working with multiple flavors

Manage different SDK versions for development, staging, and production.

# Set development version
fvm use 3.19.0 --flavor development
 
# Set production version
fvm use 3.16.0 --flavor production
 
# Use flavor-specific version
fvm flavor development build apk

Testing with different versions

Run tests across multiple Flutter SDK versions.

# Test with current project version
fvm flutter test
 
# Test with specific version
fvm spawn 3.19.0 test
 
# Test with another version
fvm spawn 3.16.0 test

CI/CD integration

Set up FVM in continuous integration pipelines.

# Install FVM
dart pub global activate fvm
 
# Install project SDK version
fvm install
 
# Run Flutter commands
fvm flutter build apk --release

Managing custom forks

Use company or personal Flutter forks.

# Add fork
fvm fork add company https://github.com/company/flutter.git
 
# Install from fork
fvm install company/stable
 
# Use fork version
fvm use company/3.19.0

Global version setup

Configure a system-wide default Flutter version.

# Set global version
fvm global 3.19.0
 
# Add to PATH (one-time setup)
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.fvm/bin"
 
# Use global version
flutter doctor

Cleaning up old versions

Remove unused SDK versions to free disk space.

# List installed versions
fvm list
 
# Remove specific version
fvm remove 3.10.0
 
# Remove all versions
fvm remove --all

Monorepo setup

Configure FVM for projects with multiple Flutter apps.

# Root configuration
cd monorepo
fvm use 3.19.0
 
# App-specific versions
cd apps/mobile
fvm use 3.16.0
 
# Package uses root version
cd packages/shared
# Inherits from root

Offline installation

Install Flutter SDK from local cache or network share.

# Configure custom cache path
fvm config --cache-path /shared/flutter-cache
 
# Disable git cache for offline use
fvm config --no-use-git-cache
 
# Install from local cache
fvm install 3.19.0

Troubleshooting

Common solutions for FVM issues.

# Check environment
fvm doctor
 
# Verify project setup
cd myproject
fvm doctor
 
# Force reinstall
fvm remove 3.19.0
fvm install 3.19.0 --setup
 
# Reset global config
fvm global --unlink

IDE configuration

VS Code

FVM automatically configures VS Code settings. To manually configure:

Run fvm use <version> in project
Restart VS Code or reload window
Verify SDK path in settings

Android Studio / IntelliJ

Open Project Structure (Cmd/Ctrl + ;)
Set Flutter SDK path to: .fvm/flutter_sdk
Apply and restart IDE

Best practices

Version selection

Use specific versions for production apps
Pin channels for active development
Document version requirements in README

Team collaboration

# Add to .gitignore
.fvm/flutter_sdk
 
# Commit these files
.fvmrc
.fvm/fvm_config.json

Performance tips

Enable git cache for faster installs
Use --skip-setup when switching versions frequently
Run fvm install in CI before build steps

Quick Reference Commands Reference