I tried using the Flatpak version of Bitwig Studio on CachyOS, but the CLAP plugin Satordist2 would not load its interface. Bitwig's metadata reported that the plugin required GLIBC_2.43, while the Flatpak environment only provided an older glibc, even though my host system had glibc 2.44 installed. I also enabled broad filesystem access in Flatseal, but that did not change which libraries the plugin used. Installing Bitwig through the AUR fixed the problem, although I would prefer to keep using the officially supported Flatpak. What is the proper way to handle plugins that require newer system libraries inside a Flatpak, and is using the AUR package a reasonable solution for a DAW?
1 Answer
The filesystem permissions are not the issue here. Flatpaks use their own runtime, including their own glibc, so granting access to host files does not make the application use the host system libraries. Replacing libraries inside the Flatpak is generally unsafe and unsupported. The usual solution is to build the plugin against the runtime environment used by the Flatpak, or obtain a version of the plugin compatible with that runtime. If a proprietary plugin is only distributed as a precompiled binary, the Flatpak may simply be incompatible with it, making the native package a practical workaround.
That approach is not always possible. I have seen the same problem with another precompiled plugin, Soundshed Guitar, which cannot be rebuilt locally. In cases like that, using the native or AUR Bitwig package may be the more realistic option rather than repeatedly trying to override the Flatpak runtime.