Flutter Permission Validator πŸ”

License: MIT Dart SDK Flutter

A powerful CLI tool that analyzes your Flutter project to detect unused permissions in AndroidManifest.xml and Info.plist. Stop asking for permissions you don't use and avoid App Store rejections!

🎯 Why Use This?

Mobile app stores have become increasingly strict about permission declarations:

  • Avoid App Store Rejections: Apple and Google routinely reject apps that declare permissions they don't actually use. This is one of the most common reasons for app rejection.
  • Privacy Compliance: Modern privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, App Store guidelines) require data minimization - only collecting data you actually need.
  • Better User Trust: Users are more likely to trust apps that request fewer permissions. Excessive permissions can lead to bad reviews and low install rates.
  • Reduce App Bloat: Clean up your manifest files and reduce technical debt.
  • CI/CD Integration: Catch permission issues before they reach production with automated checks.

πŸš€ Installation

This makes the perm_check command available system-wide:

# Activate the package globally
dart pub global activate flutter_permission_validator

# Verify installation
perm_check --help

Note: Make sure your PATH is set up correctly for global Dart tools:

  • macOS/Linux: Add ~/.pub-cache/bin to your PATH
  • Windows: Add %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pub\Cache\bin to your PATH

Option 2: Use Locally in a Project

Add to your pubspec.yaml:

dev_dependencies:
  flutter_permission_validator: ^0.2.0

Then run:

dart pub get

πŸ“– Usage

Basic Usage

# Navigate to your Flutter project
cd my_flutter_app

# Run the validator (analyzes current directory)
perm_check

# Or specify a path
perm_check /path/to/flutter/project

# If using local installation
dart run flutter_permission_validator
dart run flutter_permission_validator /path/to/project

What Gets Analyzed

The tool scans:

  1. Android Permissions: android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

    • Detects <uses-permission> tags
    • Identifies 60+ Android permission types

  2. iOS Permissions: ios/Runner/Info.plist

    • Detects NS*UsageDescription keys
    • Identifies 35+ iOS permission types

  3. Web Permissions: No manifest file needed

    • Detects browser permission usage in code
    • Identifies 6 Web permission types

  4. Dart Code: All files in lib/ directory

    • API calls related to permissions
    • Plugin imports and usage
    • Package dependencies in pubspec.yaml

Exit Codes

  • 0: No issues found (all permissions are properly used)
  • 1: Issues found (unused or missing permissions detected)

This makes it perfect for CI/CD pipelines - the build will fail if permission issues are detected.

πŸ“Š Output Example

πŸ” Flutter Permission Validator
πŸ“ Project: /Users/dev/my_app

πŸ“± Analyzing Flutter permissions...

βœ… Android: 5 permissions declared
   πŸ“„ /Users/dev/my_app/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

βœ… iOS: 3 permissions declared
   πŸ“„ /Users/dev/my_app/ios/Runner/Info.plist

πŸ” Scanning 42 Dart files...
βœ… Code scan: 2 Android permissions potentially used
βœ… Code scan: 2 iOS permissions potentially used


============================================================
πŸ“Š PERMISSION ANALYSIS RESULTS
============================================================

πŸ“± Android - Unused permissions:
  ❌ android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
  ❌ android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO
  ❌ android.permission.READ_CONTACTS

πŸ“± iOS - Unused permissions:
  ❌ NSMicrophoneUsageDescription

============================================================

Clean, simple output - Only shows unused permissions that can be safely removed from your manifests.

πŸ”¬ How It Works

The analysis process involves four main steps:

  1. Parse Manifest Files

    • Locates AndroidManifest.xml in standard Flutter Android paths
    • Locates Info.plist in standard Flutter iOS paths
    • Extracts all declared permissions

  2. Scan Dart Code

    • Recursively scans all .dart files in lib/
    • Searches for permission-related patterns using regex
    • Identifies API calls, imports, and class usages

  3. Analyze Dependencies

    • Reads pubspec.yaml for package dependencies
    • Maps common packages to their required permissions
    • Example: geolocator package β†’ location permissions

  4. Compare and Report

    • Matches declared permissions against detected usage
    • Identifies unused permissions (declared but not used)
    • Identifies missing permissions (used but not declared)
    • Generates detailed report with actionable recommendations

🎨 Features

Comprehensive Permission Detection

Feature Android iOS Web
Camera βœ… CAMERA βœ… NSCameraUsageDescription βœ… camera
Location βœ… ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION βœ… NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription βœ… geolocation
Microphone βœ… RECORD_AUDIO βœ… NSMicrophoneUsageDescription βœ… microphone
Storage βœ… READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, READ_MEDIA_* βœ… NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription βœ… storage
Contacts βœ… READ_CONTACTS, WRITE_CONTACTS βœ… NSContactsUsageDescription N/A
Calendar βœ… READ_CALENDAR, WRITE_CALENDAR βœ… NSCalendarsUsageDescription N/A
Bluetooth βœ… BLUETOOTH_SCAN, BLUETOOTH_CONNECT βœ… NSBluetoothAlwaysUsageDescription N/A
Notifications βœ… POST_NOTIFICATIONS βœ… N/A (system) βœ… notifications
Phone/SMS βœ… READ_PHONE_STATE, SEND_SMS βœ… N/A (sandboxed) N/A
Health/Fitness βœ… BODY_SENSORS βœ… NSHealthShareUsageDescription N/A
Face ID N/A βœ… NSFaceIDUsageDescription N/A
Siri N/A βœ… NSSiriUsageDescription N/A
Tracking N/A βœ… NSUserTrackingUsageDescription N/A

Smart Package Detection

The tool automatically detects permissions required by popular Flutter packages:

  • geolocator β†’ Location permissions
  • camera β†’ Camera permissions
  • image_picker β†’ Camera/Photo Library permissions
  • flutter_contacts β†’ Contacts permissions
  • flutter_sound β†’ Audio recording permissions
  • flutter_blue / flutter_reactive_ble β†’ Bluetooth permissions
  • flutter_local_notifications β†’ Notification permissions
  • shared_preferences β†’ No permissions needed
  • device_info_plus β†’ Device info permissions
  • connectivity_plus β†’ Network state permissions
  • path_provider β†’ Storage access permissions
  • And 60+ more packages...

πŸ“¦ Supported Permission Patterns

The tool uses sophisticated pattern matching to detect permission usage in your code:

Android Permissions (60+)

Camera & Media

  • CAMERA - CameraController, ImagePicker, takePicture(), pickImage()

Location

  • ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION - Geolocator, getCurrentPosition(), getLocation()

Storage

  • READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE - FilePicker, Directory, File, path_provider
  • READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, READ_MEDIA_VIDEO, READ_MEDIA_AUDIO - PhotoManager, image_picker
  • MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE - File system management

Microphone & Audio

  • RECORD_AUDIO - AudioRecorder, record(), flutter_sound, audioplayers

Contacts & Accounts

  • READ_CONTACTS, WRITE_CONTACTS - Contacts, flutter_contacts
  • GET_ACCOUNTS - google_sign_in, firebase_auth

Phone & SMS

  • READ_PHONE_STATE, READ_PHONE_NUMBERS, CALL_PHONE - device_info_plus, url_launcher
  • READ_CALL_LOG, ANSWER_PHONE_CALLS - Phone call management
  • SEND_SMS, READ_SMS, RECEIVE_SMS, RECEIVE_MMS - SMS handling

Calendar

  • READ_CALENDAR, WRITE_CALENDAR - Calendar, table_calendar

Bluetooth

  • BLUETOOTH, BLUETOOTH_ADMIN, BLUETOOTH_SCAN - flutter_blue, flutter_reactive_ble
  • BLUETOOTH_CONNECT, BLUETOOTH_ADVERTISE - BLE operations

WiFi & Network

  • ACCESS_WIFI_STATE, CHANGE_WIFI_STATE - wifi_iot, network_info_plus
  • NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES - Nearby devices API
  • INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE - HTTP requests, connectivity checks

Sensors & Body

  • BODY_SENSORS, USE_SENSORS - Sensors, health, fitness, pedometer
  • ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION - Activity detection, step counting

Notifications

  • POST_NOTIFICATIONS - flutter_local_notifications, awesome_notifications

Alarms & Background

  • SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM, USE_EXACT_ALARM - android_alarm_manager
  • RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED - Auto-start on boot
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_CAMERA, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MICROPHONE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_LOCATION - Background services

System & Hardware

  • VIBRATE - flutter_vibrate
  • FLASHLIGHT - torch_light
  • USE_BIOMETRIC, USE_FINGERPRINT - local_auth, biometric authentication
  • SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW - overlay_support, system overlays
  • REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES, REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES - Package installation
  • PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS - App usage tracking
  • PROCESS_OUTGOING_CALLS - Call monitoring
  • WRITE_SETTINGS - System settings

iOS Permissions (35+)

Camera & Photos

  • NSCameraUsageDescription - CameraController, ImagePicker
  • NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription - ImagePicker, PhotoManager
  • NSPhotoLibraryAddUsageDescription - Saving photos to library

Location

  • NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription - Geolocator, getCurrentPosition()
  • NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription - Background location
  • NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription - Always-on location

Audio & Speech

  • NSMicrophoneUsageDescription - AudioRecorder, record(), flutter_sound
  • NSSpeechRecognitionUsageDescription - Speech-to-text, voice recognition

Contacts & Calendar

  • NSContactsUsageDescription - Contacts, flutter_contacts
  • NSCalendarsUsageDescription - Calendar events, table_calendar
  • NSRemindersUsageDescription - Reminders access

Bluetooth

  • NSBluetoothAlwaysUsageDescription - flutter_blue, BLE operations
  • NSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription - Bluetooth peripheral mode

Biometrics

  • NSFaceIDUsageDescription - local_auth, Face ID, Touch ID

Health & Fitness

  • NSMotionUsageDescription - Sensors, pedometer, accelerometer, gyroscope
  • NSHealthShareUsageDescription - Health data, fitness tracking
  • NSHealthUpdateUsageDescription - Writing health data
  • NSHealthClinicalHealthRecordsShareUsageDescription - Clinical records

Home & Media

  • NSHomeKitUsageDescription - HomeKit integration
  • NSAppleMusicUsageDescription - Apple Music, audio playback

File Access

  • NSDocumentsFolderUsageDescription - Documents folder
  • NSDesktopFolderUsageDescription - Desktop folder
  • NSDownloadsFolderUsageDescription - Downloads folder

System Features

  • NSSiriUsageDescription - Siri integration
  • NSUserTrackingUsageDescription - App tracking transparency
  • NSFocusStatusUsageDescription - Focus status detection
  • NSCriticalAlertsUsageDescription - Critical alerts (bypass Do Not Disturb)
  • NSPaymentsUsageDescription - Apple Pay integration
  • NSKeyboardExtensionUsageDescription - Custom keyboard extensions

Web Permissions (6+)

Media

  • camera - CameraController, ImagePicker, getUserMedia()
  • microphone - AudioRecorder, record(), getUserMedia()

Location & Storage

  • geolocation - Geolocator, getCurrentPosition(), navigator.geolocation
  • storage - File system access, Quota API, IndexedDB
  • clipboard - Clipboard read/write, navigator.clipboard

System

  • notifications - Push notifications, Notification API
  • background-sync - Background synchronization, Service Workers

πŸ“„ License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

πŸ“š Additional Resources

πŸ†˜ Troubleshooting

"Command not found: perm_check"

Make sure you've added Dart's global bin directory to your PATH:

  • macOS/Linux: export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.pub-cache/bin"
  • Windows: Add %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pub\Cache\bin to PATH

False Positives

The tool uses pattern matching which may occasionally produce false positives:

  • Review detected permissions before removing
  • Check if dependencies require permissions indirectly
  • Test your app after removing permissions

Missing File Warnings

If you see warnings about missing manifest files:

  • Ensure you're running from a valid Flutter project directory
  • Check that android/ and ios/ folders exist
  • Verify AndroidManifest.xml and Info.plist are in standard locations

Made with ❀️ for the Flutter community

⬆ Back to top

Libraries

flutter_permission_validator