FlatFree

Our Manifesto

FlatFree was created because the dominant Flatpak repository, Flathub, has abandoned the principles of open source in favor of gatekeeping, moral policing, and anti-competitive guidelines. We believe that open source software should be open to everyone — including how it's made.

Why We Exist

In 2026, Flathub adopted a guideline that explicitly bans applications "generated predominantly by AI with minimal human involvement." This might sound reasonable at first, but it represents a dangerous shift in the open source ecosystem. It creates a system where:

• Developers are judged by their tools, not their results. The open source community has always celebrated innovation in how software is built. Now, some methods are deemed unacceptable.
• Transparency is punished. Developers who openly use AI are flagged, while those who hide it pass review. This actively encourages dishonesty.
• Newcomers are excluded. AI tools have lowered the barrier to entry for software development. Rather than welcoming these new contributors, Flathub slams the door.
• No clear standard exists. What counts as "minimal human involvement"? There is no objective metric. The rule is enforced by subjective judgment, which inevitably leads to bias.

What We Believe

FlatFree operates on a simple principle: if it compiles, if it runs, if it's free software — it belongs here.

We do not care how your code was written. We do not perform moral audits of your development process. Our acceptance criteria are objective and automated: valid manifest, clean malware scan, free software license. Pass those checks and you're in.

We believe that:

• All tools are valid. AI is a tool, just like a compiler, a debugger, or a text editor. Using a tool does not diminish the human effort behind a project.
• Free software is about freedom. The four essential freedoms (to use, study, share, and modify software) say nothing about how the software was created. They apply regardless of origin.
• Gatekeeping harms the community. Every developer who is turned away from Flathub is a potential contributor to the open source ecosystem. We want to keep that door open.
• Transparency should be rewarded. Developers who credit their tools should be praised, not punished. We want to create a culture where honesty is the norm.

Our Stance on AI

Let us be absolutely clear: FlatFree welcomes AI-assisted submissions. If you used an LLM to write your code, if you used Copilot, if you used any tool that helped you build software — you are welcome here.

We draw the line only where free software ends. If your application is proprietary, if it violates user freedom, if it cannot be built from source — then it does not belong here. But we will never reject your work based on how you created it.

This is not a radical position. This is the position open source has always held, before the gatekeepers decided they needed to control who gets to participate.

What FlatFree Is Not

FlatFree is not a fork of Flathub. We are not trying to compete with Flathub on volume or popularity. We are a sanctuary for applications that Flathub rejects. We are the alternative repository for developers who believe in free software without the moral policing.

We are not affiliated with Flathub, the Flatpak project, or any corporation. We are a community project, run by and for developers who believe in the original promise of open source.