[Bug] Open folder does not work unless a file from that folder is already open

[micahchoo]

Description

Open folder does not work unless a file from that folder is already open

Environment

• OS: [e.g., Windows 11, Ubuntu 22.04, macOS 14] Ubuntu 25.1
• Ferrite version: [e.g., 0.1.0] - 0.2.6
• Rust version: [run rustc --version] -1.93.1
• Installation method: [pre-built binary / built from source]- flatpak

[OlaProeis]

@micahchoo

Weird.

I will look into fixing this on the 0.2.7 release, should be released this week

Initial Analysis: This could be related to Flatpak's sandboxing permissions. When opening a folder through the file dialog, Flatpak may need additional filesystem permissions to access the selected directory. If a file from that folder is already open, Flatpak may have already been granted access to that specific path, which is why it works in that scenario.

Questions to help narrow this down:

1. Does this happen with all folders, or only specific locations (e.g., home directory vs. external drives)?
2. If you run Ferrite from the terminal (outside Flatpak), does the issue still occur?
3. Are there any error messages in the terminal when trying to open a folder?

Potential Fixes for v0.2.7:

• Add better error handling and user feedback when folder access is denied
• Ensure proper path canonicalization on Linux systems
• Add a fallback to request portal-based file access for Flatpak compatibility

In the meantime, you can grant Ferrite broader filesystem access via Flatpak:

flatpak override --user --filesystem=host com.ferrite.app

[OlaProeis]

@micahchoo

Fix (coming in v0.2.7):

• All file dialogs now fall back to $HOME when no recent directory is available, ensuring the xdg-desktop-portal always has a navigable starting point
• Added Flatpak environment detection (FLATPAK_ID) with targeted debug logging
• Added user-friendly error messages when folder access fails in the sandbox (instead of silent failure)

No Flatpak manifest/permission changes needed — rfd (our file dialog library) already uses xdg-desktop-portal by default on Linux, so the portal-based folder selection was already in place. The issue was purely about the missing starting directory.

Also correcting my earlier workaround — the correct override command would be:

flatpak override --user --filesystem=host io.github.olaproeis.Ferrite>
But this shouldn't be needed after v0.2.7.

Could you test this when 0.2.7 drops? Particularly interested in:

1. Fresh launch → Open Folder (no files previously opened)
2. Whether it works on both GNOME and other DEs