# flatpak spawn

flatpak spawn

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flatpak-spawn

Run commands in a sandbox

                    flatpak-spawn
                    OPTION
                    COMMAND
                    ARGUMENT

## Description

Unlike other flatpak commands, `flatpak-spawn` is available to applications inside the sandbox. It runs COMMAND outside the sandbox: either in another sandbox, or on the host.

When called without `--host`, `flatpak-spawn` uses the Flatpak portal to create a copy of the sandbox it was called from, optionally using tighter permissions and optionally the latest version of the app and runtime (see `--latest-version`).

## Options

The following options are understood:

`-h`

`--help`

- Show help options and exit.

`-v`

`--verbose`

- Print debug information

`--forward-fd=FD`

- Forward a file descriptor

`--clear-env`

- Run with a clean environment

`--watch-bus`

- Make the spawned command exit when `flatpak-spawn` itself exits; notably, this occurs when its connection to the session bus is closed.

`--env=VAR=VALUE`

- Set an environment variable

`--latest-version`

- Use the latest version of the refs that are used to set up the sandbox

`--no-network`

- Run without network access

`--sandbox`

- Run fully sandboxed. See the documentation for the `--sandbox` option in

  flatpak-run

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  See the `--sandbox-expose` and `--sandbox-expose-ro` options for selective file access.

`--sandbox-expose=NAME`

- Expose read-write access to a file in the sandbox.

  Note that absolute paths or subdirectories are not allowed. The files must be in the `sandbox` subdirectory of the instance directory (i.e. `~/.var/app/$APP_ID/sandbox`).

  This option is useful in combination with `--sandbox` (otherwise the instance directory is accessible anyway).

`--sandbox-expose-ro=NAME`

- Expose readonly access to a file in the sandbox.

  Note that absolute paths or subdirectories are not allowed. The files must be in the `sandbox` subdirectory of the instance directory (i.e. `~/.var/app/$APP_ID/sandbox`).

  This option is useful in combination with `--sandbox` (otherwise the instance directory is accessible anyway).

`--host`

- Run the command unsandboxed on the host. This requires access to the org.freedesktop.Flatpak D-Bus interface.

`--directory=DIR`

- The working directory in which to run the command.

  Note that the given directory must exist in the sandbox or, when used in conjunction with `--host`, on the host.

## Examples

`$ flatpak-spawn ls /var/run`

## See also

flatpak

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