[firebase_crashlytics]: Auto-added "Crashlytics Upload Symbols" build phase fails Debug device builds (no dSYM), including flavored Debug-* configurations

[davidnwaneri]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues.

Which plugins are affected?

Crashlytics

Which platforms are affected?

iOS

Description

ios/crashlytics_add_upload_symbols (run from the podspec during pod install) adds a [firebase_crashlytics] Crashlytics Upload Symbols build phase to the Runner target with this script:

"$PODS_ROOT/FirebaseCrashlytics/upload-symbols" --flutter-project "$PROJECT_DIR/firebase_app_id_file.json"

It has no Debug skip. With the default Flutter iOS template, Debug uses DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT = dwarf, so no dSYM is produced. When running flutter run against a physical device, upload-symbols logs this about once per second for ~30 seconds:

upload-symbols[...] Unable to get file attributes for dSYM file at path ".../build/ios/Debug-staging-iphoneos/Runner.app.dSYM/Contents/Resources/DWARF"

and then exits non-zero, failing the build:

warning: DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT should be set to dwarf-with-dsym for all configurations. ...
Unable to process Runner.app.dSYM at path .../build/ios/Debug-staging-iphoneos/Runner.app.dSYM
Processing dSYMs...
Command PhaseScriptExecution failed with a nonzero exit code

A common workaround is to hand-add a guard to the phase:

if [ "$CONFIGURATION" = "Debug" ] || [ "$PLATFORM_NAME" = "iphonesimulator" ]; then
  exit 0
fi

This doesn't work for flavored apps. Flutter requires flavored build configurations to be named Debug-<flavor>, Release-<flavor>, etc., so $CONFIGURATION is e.g. Debug-staging and the guard never matches.

Proposed fix

Have crashlytics_add_upload_symbols generate a phase that skips all Debug configurations and simulator builds:

case "$CONFIGURATION" in
  Debug*) exit 0 ;;
esac
if [ "$PLATFORM_NAME" = "iphonesimulator" ]; then
  exit 0
fi
"$PODS_ROOT/FirebaseCrashlytics/upload-symbols" --flutter-project "$PROJECT_DIR/firebase_app_id_file.json"

Alternatively, warn and exit 0 when the dSYM is missing instead of failing the build.

Reproducing the issue

1. Create a Flutter app with a flavor, e.g. staging (build configurations Debug-staging, Release-staging, Profile-staging).
2. Add firebase_core and firebase_crashlytics, run flutterfire configure, then pod install so the upload-symbols phase is added.
3. Keep DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT = dwarf for Debug-staging (the template default for Debug).
4. flutter run --flavor staging -t lib/main_staging.dart -d <physical iOS device>
5. The build fails in the [firebase_crashlytics] Crashlytics Upload Symbols phase.

Expected: Debug builds skip symbol upload and the build succeeds.

Firebase Core version

4.9.0

Flutter Version

3.47.2 (stable, d3b14c8769)

Flutter dependencies

• firebase_core 4.9.0
• firebase_crashlytics 5.2.2 (reproduced). crashlytics_add_upload_symbols is byte-for-byte identical in 5.4.0 and on main, and the 5.4.0 podspec still invokes it.
• Firebase iOS SDK upload-symbols 3.21 (latest)
• Xcode 26.4.1 (17E202), macOS 26.5.1, iOS 26 device (wireless debugging)

Additional context and comments

Same symptom reported in #11934 (fails only on flutter run to device; closed with a pointer to the docs), #11547, #13428 and #12990. None of them addresses flavored Debug-* configurations or changes the generated script, which is unchanged on main (last modified in #17852).

[SelaseKay]

HI @davidnwaneri, thanks for the report. I'm looking into it.

[SelaseKay]

Hi @davidnwaneri, thanks again for the report. We reproduced this and have a fix up in #18723.
The generated Crashlytics Upload Symbols phase now skips Debug* configurations, including flavored ones such as Debug-staging, and simulator builds. If a build still has no dSYM, the script warns and continues instead of failing the build. Release and Profile builds that do produce a dSYM still upload symbols.
You can try it before release by pointing firebase_crashlytics at that branch. In your app's pubspec.yaml:

dependency_overrides:
  firebase_crashlytics:
    git:
      url: https://github.com/firebase/flutterfire.git
      ref: crashlytics_18722
      path: packages/firebase_crashlytics/firebase_crashlytics

Then run:

flutter pub get
cd ios && pod install && cd ..
flutter run --flavor staging -t lib/main_staging.dart -d <device>

pod install rewrites the stock one-line Run Script. If you already edited that phase by hand, delete it first so pod install can add the updated script. Please let us know whether the Debug device build succeeds.

[davidnwaneri]

@SelaseKay Confirmed on Flutter 3.47.2 with dependency_overrides pointing at ref: crashlytics_18722.

After removing our old Run Script and running flutter pub get + pod install, the generated [firebase_crashlytics] Crashlytics Upload Symbols phase includes the Debug* / simulator skips and the missing-dSYM warning path. flutter run --flavor staging -t lib/main_staging.dart on a physical iOS device (Debug-staging) succeeds — previously it failed after ~30s with upload-symbols / missing dSYM and PhaseScriptExecution failed with a nonzero exit code.

One integration note for this project: with Swift Package Manager enabled (Flutter 3.47 default), firebase_crashlytics is not installed as a CocoaPod, so this hook did not run until we set flutter: config: enable-swift-package-manager: false and re-ran pod install. With SPM off, the script installed via the podspec as expected. SPM-first apps may need a follow-up for the same Run Script without switching dependency mode.

Thanks for the fix in #18723 — works for our flavored Debug device case on the CocoaPods path.