How to inspect app storage in the Flutter debug panel

Docs/Tutorials/app_debugger_storage

Pro Reference for app_debugger_storage: every variable, option and package it generates. Command: archipelago generate app_debugger_storage

Generate the storage inspector for app_debugger, read the breakdown on Android and iOS, export it as JSON, and strip it from production flavors.

What you'll learn

• Generating the storage inspector sub-brick for app_debugger
• Reading the storage breakdown on Android and iOS
• Exporting the breakdown as JSON
• Stripping the inspector from production-flavor builds

Prerequisites

• app_debugger already installed (see App Debugger Setup)

Step 1: Generate the Brick

archipelago generate app_debugger_storage

The brick has no variables.

Step 2: Understand the Generated Packages

features/app_debugger_storage/
├── app_debugger_storage_api/     # StorageInspectorSDK and models
├── app_debugger_storage/         # Debug implementation and Storage tab
│   ├── android/                  # Kotlin StorageAnalyzer
│   ├── ios/                      # Sandbox-limited stub
│   └── lib/src/
└── app_debugger_storage_noop/    # Production-flavor stub

The debug package depends on share_plus and path_provider. The noop and API packages do not. You do not edit AndroidManifest.xml. share_plus registers its own FileProvider, and the manifest merger combines it.

Step 3: Check build_prepare

The brick adds the swap entry to build_prepare.yaml for you:

build_prepare:
  mappings:
    - debug: app_debugger_storage
      release: app_debugger_storage_noop

The generated Fastfile runs dart run monorepo_toolkit build-prepare --flavor <flavor> before every build. Internal flavors keep the inspector, also in release mode. The production flavor gets the noop.

Step 4: Check the Wiring

The hook adds GetIt.I<StorageInspectorSDK>(); at the archipelago:debug_panel_pages marker in app_debugger's lib/src/di/debug_tools.dart. The SDK is an eager singleton, so the Storage tab appears before the first frame.

Step 5: Verify in an Internal Flavor

Run the app and open the debug panel. Select the Storage tab.

Android

The tab groups storage into four buckets: app bundle, internal data, cache and other. Each bucket lists one level of children:

Source	Description
APK	The installed APK
filesDir	App files
Databases	SQLite databases
shared_prefs	SharedPreferences files
Code cache	Compiled code cache
Internal and external cache	Cache directories
External files and OBB	External storage

iOS

The iOS sandbox limits what the app can read. The tab shows only the app bundle size. A note in the panel explains this.

Step 6: Export the Breakdown

Use the export action to write the breakdown as JSON and open the share sheet. From code:

final sdk = getIt<StorageInspectorSDK>();
final breakdown = await sdk.captureBreakdown();
final path = await sdk.exportAsJson();

Send the file to your computer to compare builds or share a bug report.

Next Steps

• Set up App Debugger if you have not already
• Size Analyzer to track binary size over time