# Preparing the Flutter App

For WebdriverIO and Appium to inspect and interact with internal elements inside the Flutter canvas, the application must expose a communication channel. This is achieved by enabling Flutter's test extension in the application's source code.

Sharing with Development Teams

Automation engineers (QAs) often do not have direct access to the Flutter app codebase. If you do not maintain the app code yourself, share this page with your development team so they can add the `flutter_driver` extension and provide a test build (`.apk`, `.app`, or `.ipa`).

Legacy Extension

Flutter's recommended testing path for newer apps is the `integration_test` package. However, the Appium Flutter Driver integrates with the legacy `flutter_driver` extension, which is why this guide uses `enableFlutterDriverExtension()`.

### Configuring `pubspec.yaml`[​](#configuring-pubspecyaml "Direct link to configuring-pubspecyaml")

Add `flutter_driver` under `dev_dependencies` in your Flutter project's `pubspec.yaml` file:

```
dev_dependencies:
  flutter_test:
    sdk: flutter
  flutter_driver:
    sdk: flutter
```

Fetch the dependencies:

```
flutter pub get
```

### Enabling the Extension in `main.dart`[​](#enabling-the-extension-in-maindart "Direct link to enabling-the-extension-in-maindart")

To start the instrumentation server that responds to commands from WebdriverIO, invoke `enableFlutterDriverExtension()` before `runApp`:

```
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter_driver/driver_extension.dart';

void main() {
  // Enable the Flutter driver extension before starting the app
  enableFlutterDriverExtension();

  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(title: const Text('E2E Testing Flutter')),
        body: const Center(child: Text('Application ready for automation!')),
      ),
    );
  }
}
```

Best Practice: Separate Test Entry Point

To prevent test instrumentation code from entering production builds, create a separate entry point file (such as `lib/main_e2e.dart`) that enables the extension and calls the main app. This keeps production builds clean and secure:

```
import 'package:flutter_driver/driver_extension.dart';
import 'main.dart' as app;

void main() {
  enableFlutterDriverExtension();
  app.main();
}
```

### Official Reference Documentation[​](#official-reference-documentation "Direct link to Official Reference Documentation")

To learn more about component exposure mechanics and `enableFlutterDriverExtension()`, refer to the official [Flutter API Reference](https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/flutter_driver_extension/enableFlutterDriverExtension.html) and Flutter's [Integration Testing Guide](https://docs.flutter.dev/testing/integration-tests).