How to package a plugin that will work on AppImage

Special actions need to be taken in order for binary plug-ins work on the Linux AppImage version of GIMP. Specifically, they should be statically linked. This is due to AppImage sandboxing of dependencies, for example. From start, they needs:

compatible distro for building
modern build files
clear install instructions

Ensuring the right build distribution

Since the .AppImage is generated from a choosen distribution and version, binary plug-ins should be built accordingly to ensure the right symbols.

The devel-docs/os-support.txt file on GIMP source is the reference but you may need to double-check the https://gimp.org/downloads page to safe.

Configuring your build files

The plug-in executable that you will create isn’t a dynamically linked one but an statically linked executable. So, at configure, if you use meson, you can set:

meson setup my_builddir -Ddefault_library=static

babl, GEGL and GIMP should still be linked dynamically, since the AppImage take care of these for you at runtime by preloading their symbols (and because your plugin license may not be compatible with babl/GEGL/GIMP GPLv3). For example:

meson.build

babl = dependency('babl-0.1', static: false)
gegl = dependency('gegl-0.4', static: false)
gimp = dependency('gimp-3.0', static: false)

executable('my_pluginexecutable', 
           'main.c', 
           dependencies: [ babl, gegl, gimp ])

We listed babl and gegl on the code snippet above just for clarity. As told on our plugin tutorial, you just need to (dynamically) link at least to libgimp (provided by gimp dependency).

Instructing plug-in users

The only thing a user needs to do is to copy the statically linked plug-in to the GIMP config dir.

Do not tell the end users to break the sandboxing with --appimage-extract debug option to install your plug-in.

If you can’t make a statically linked executable, you will need to instruct users that your plug-in only works on the “Supported OS” indicated on GIMP download page mentioned before.

Last updated on April 10, 2026

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