Large Number of Driver Packages Updating Before Downloads - Can Unnecessary Packages Be Removed?

Hello everyone,

I’ve recently noticed that every time I download an application from Flathub using Flatpak, a substantial number of driver packages are updated before the application download begins.

Here is a typical example of what I’m encountering:

        ID                                                        Branch                  Op             Remote              Download
 1. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.default                       22.08                   u              flathub                41.4 MB / 143.1 MB
 2. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.default                       22.08-extra             u              flathub                21.5 MB / 143.1 MB
 3. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-515-65-01              1.4                     u              flathub               364.2 MB / 365.1 MB
 4. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-515-76                 1.4                     u              flathub               364.9 MB / 365.8 MB
 5. [|] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-520-56-06              1.4                     u              flathub                40.0 MB / 407.1 MB
 6. [ ] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-525-60-11              1.4                     u              flathub             < 414.8 MB
 7. [ ] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-525-85-05              1.4                     u              flathub             < 416.0 MB
 8. [ ] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-525-89-02              1.4                     u              flathub             < 415.0 MB
 9. [ ] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-530-41-03              1.4                     u              flathub             < 345.2 MB
10. [ ] org.gnome.Platform.Locale                                 44                      u              flathub             < 340.5 MB (partial)
11. [ ] org.gnome.Platform        

I understand the concept of sandboxed apps and the need for certain runtimes, but it seems like there are multiple versions of Nvidia driver packages updating each time. These additional updates make the entire process quite lengthy.

My question is, has anyone else encountered this process of updating a significant number of driver packages before an application download?

Additionally, is there a reliable method to remove unnecessary driver packages that are not needed for my system? I want to reduce the duration of these updates but want to make sure I don’t accidentally remove something crucial for the apps I’m using.

Any insights, experiences, or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

You can run flatpak uninstall --unused and flatpak uninstall --unused --user and see if that cleans it up. Otherwise you have stuff referencing those platforms.