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@flutteractionsbot flutteractionsbot commented Nov 14, 2025

This pull request is created by automatic cherry pick workflow
Please fill in the form below, and a flutter domain expert will evaluate this cherry pick request.

Issue Link:

What is the link to the issue this cherry-pick is addressing?

#178452

Changelog Description:

Explain this cherry pick in one line that is accessible to most Flutter developers. See best practices for examples

Flutter fails to build on iOS with error message: "Improperly formatted define flag" in add-to-app scenarios

Impact Description:

What is the impact (ex. visual jank on Samsung phones, app crash, cannot ship an iOS app)? Does it impact development (ex. flutter doctor crashes when Android Studio is installed), or the shipping production app (the app crashes on launch)

Impacts development: Add-to-app apps fails to build / xcode archive fails

Workaround:

Is there a workaround for this issue?

Yes, users can patch the flutter_tool code and apply the change locally.

Risk:

What is the risk level of this cherry-pick?

  • Low
  • Medium
  • High

Test Coverage:

Are you confident that your fix is well-tested by automated tests?

  • Yes
  • No

Validation Steps:

What are the steps to validate that this fix works?

The issue can be reproduced / verified by building flutter/samples@main/add_to_app/multiple_flutters.
Some users have reported that the fix worked for them

When building
https://github.com/flutter/samples/tree/main/add_to_app/multiple_flutters,
the `[CP-User] Run Flutter Build multiple_flutters_module Script` step
failed with:
```
Showing Recent Messages
[   +3 ms] Improperly formatted define flag: 
[        ] 
           #0      throwToolExit (package:flutter_tools/src/base/common.dart:34:3)
           flutter#1      AssembleCommand._parseDefines (package:flutter_tools/src/commands/assemble.dart:279:9)
```

the command was:
```
 /Users/<User>/flutter/bin/flutter --verbose assemble --no-version-check --output=/Users/<User>/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/MultipleFluttersIos-<Hash>/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/ -dTargetPlatform=ios -dTargetFile=lib/main.dart -dBuildMode=debug -dConfiguration=Debug -dIosArchs=arm64 -dSdkRoot=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneSimulator26.0.sdk -dSplitDebugInfo= -dTreeShakeIcons=false -dTrackWidgetCreation=true -dDartObfuscation=false -dAction=build -dFrontendServerStarterPath= --ExtraGenSnapshotOptions= --DartDefines= --ExtraFrontEndOptions= -dSrcRoot=/Users/<User>/flutter_debug/samples/add_to_app/multiple_flutters/multiple_flutters_ios -dTargetDeviceOSVersion=26.0 -dCodesignIdentity=- debug_ios_bundle_flutter_assets
```

the empty `--DartDefines=` comes from
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/68cddc9bf5c449d5a55fe48ebb9b446ef76ae6b0/packages/flutter_tools/bin/xcode_backend.dart#L660

This PR makes `_parseDefines` ignore these empty dart defines.

## Pre-launch Checklist

- [ ] I read the [Contributor Guide] and followed the process outlined
there for submitting PRs.
- [ ] I read the [Tree Hygiene] wiki page, which explains my
responsibilities.
- [ ] I read and followed the [Flutter Style Guide], including [Features
we expect every widget to implement].
- [ ] I signed the [CLA].
- [ ] I listed at least one issue that this PR fixes in the description
above.
- [ ] I updated/added relevant documentation (doc comments with `///`).
- [ ] I added new tests to check the change I am making, or this PR is
[test-exempt].
- [ ] I followed the [breaking change policy] and added [Data Driven
Fixes] where supported.
- [ ] All existing and new tests are passing.

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[Tree Hygiene]:
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[test-exempt]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#tests
[Flutter Style Guide]:
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[Features we expect every widget to implement]:
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[CLA]: https://cla.developers.google.com/
[flutter/tests]: https://github.com/flutter/tests
[breaking change policy]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#handling-breaking-changes
[Discord]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Chat.md
[Data Driven Fixes]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Data-driven-Fixes.md
@flutteractionsbot flutteractionsbot added the cp: review Cherry-picks in the review queue label Nov 14, 2025
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@vashworth please fill out the PR description above, afterwards the release team will review this request.

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This pull request was opened from and to a release candidate branch. This should only be done as part of the official Flutter release process. If you are attempting to make a regular contribution to the Flutter project, please close this PR and follow the instructions at Tree Hygiene for detailed instructions on contributing to Flutter.

Reviewers: Use caution before merging pull requests to release branches. Ensure the proper procedure has been followed.

@github-actions github-actions bot added the tool Affects the "flutter" command-line tool. See also t: labels. label Nov 14, 2025
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Code Review

This pull request modifies flutter assemble to allow empty --dart-define arguments. In packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/commands/assemble.dart and packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/runner/flutter_command.dart, logic is added to filter out empty define strings, preventing a crash. A new test is added in packages/flutter_tools/test/commands.shard/hermetic/assemble_test.dart to verify this behavior. A minor refactoring is also included in assemble.dart.

@reidbaker reidbaker added the autosubmit Merge PR when tree becomes green via auto submit App label Nov 17, 2025
@auto-submit auto-submit bot merged commit 95324c1 into flutter:flutter-3.38-candidate.0 Nov 17, 2025
146 checks passed
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Nov 19, 2025
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Nov 19, 2025
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Nov 20, 2025
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