Flutter 3.32.x (3.32.0 & 3.32.1) - Edge Debug Connection Failure & Hot Reload Issues #169840

Steps to reproduce

I am writing to provide further details regarding an issue I'm experiencing with Flutter versions 3.32.0 and 3.32.1, where they fail to establish a proper debug connection with Microsoft Edge. This failure prevents the use of essential development features like hot reload and hot restart when targeting the Edge browser.

Summary of the Issue:

• Affected Flutter Versions: 3.32.0 and 3.32.1 (Dart SDKs 3.8.0 and 3.8.1 respectively).
• Affected Browser: Microsoft Edge version 137.0.3296.52 (Official build, 64-bit).
• Symptoms:
  • When running flutter run -d edge, the terminal hangs on "Waiting for connection from debug service on Edge..."
  • Hot reload and hot restart are unavailable.
  • The Microsoft Edge developer console shows the following critical error:

    developer_patch.dart:96
    registerExtension() from dart:developer is only supported in build/run/test environments where the developer event method hooks have been set by package:dwds v11.1.0 or higher.
    _registerExtension@developer_patch.dart:96
    

• Issue confirmed on a brand new, clean Flutter project created with flutter create.

Key Troubleshooting Findings:

1. Chrome Works Correctly: The same Flutter versions (3.32.0 and 3.32.1) connect successfully and allow hot reload/restart when targeting Google Chrome (flutter run -d chrome).
2. Older Flutter Version Works with Edge: Downgrading my Flutter SDK to version 3.19.6 (with Dart SDK 3.3.4 and appropriate pubspec.yaml adjustments) resolves the issue. With Flutter 3.19.6, the debug service connects correctly to Microsoft Edge version 137.0.3296.52, and hot reload/restart function as expected.
3. Edge Browser Actions Taken: Resetting and repairing Microsoft Edge did not resolve the issue with Flutter 3.32.x.

This strongly suggests an incompatibility or regression in Flutter's web tooling (specifically related to dwds or its interaction with dart:developer extensions) when used with very recent versions of Microsoft Edge (like version 137.x) in Flutter versions 3.32.0 and 3.32.1.

The inability to use hot reload/restart on Edge significantly impacts my development workflow for web targets. Any assistance or guidance you can provide in investigating and resolving this would be greatly appreciated.

Expected results

1- When running flutter run -d edge with Flutter versions 3.32.0 or 3.32.1, the Flutter application should successfully launch and establish a connection with the debug service in Microsoft Edge (version 137.0.3296.52).

2- The terminal should display messages indicating a successful connection to the debug service (e.g., "This app is linked to the debug service: ws://...").

3- Hot reload (by pressing 'r' in the terminal or via IDE) and hot restart (by pressing 'R' or via IDE) should be available and function correctly, allowing for rapid development and UI updates within Microsoft Edge.

4- No errors related to dwds, developer_patch.dart, or registerExtension should appear in the Microsoft Edge developer console during the connection or while the application is running in debug mode.

5- The development experience and capabilities (specifically hot reload/restart and DevTools connection) on Microsoft Edge should be comparable to those on Google Chrome with the same Flutter versions.

Actual results

1- When using Flutter versions 3.32.0 or 3.32.1 with Microsoft Edge (version 137.0.3296.52), executing flutter run -d edge leads to a failure in establishing a debug connection.

2- The terminal output displays "Launching lib\main.dart on Edge in debug mode..." followed by "Waiting for connection from debug service on Edge..." and it remains stuck on this message indefinitely, without showing a successful connection.

3- As a result, hot reload (using 'r') and hot restart (using 'R') are unavailable and do not function when targeting Microsoft Edge.

4- The developer console in Microsoft Edge shows the following critical JavaScript error:
developer_patch.dart:96
registerExtension() from dart:developer is only supported in build/run/test environments where the developer event method hooks have been set by package:dwds v11.1.0 or higher.
_registerExtension@developer_patch.dart:96

5- This behavior is consistently reproducible, even with a brand new, unmodified Flutter project created using flutter create.

6- This issue effectively blocks development and debugging of Flutter web applications on Microsoft Edge when using Flutter versions 3.32.0 and 3.32.1.

Code sample

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      title: 'Flutter Demo',
      theme: ThemeData(
        colorScheme: ColorScheme.fromSeed(seedColor: Colors.deepPurple),
      ),
      home: const MyHomePage(title: 'Flutter Demo Home Page'),
    );
  }
}

class MyHomePage extends StatefulWidget {
  const MyHomePage({super.key, required this.title});

  final String title;

  @override
  State<MyHomePage> createState() => _MyHomePageState();
}

class _MyHomePageState extends State<MyHomePage> {
  int _counter = 0;

  void _incrementCounter() {
    setState(() {
      _counter++;
    });
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        backgroundColor: Theme.of(context).colorScheme.inversePrimary,
        title: Text(widget.title),
      ),
      body: Center(
        child: Column(
          mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
          children: <Widget>[
            const Text('You have pushed the button this many times:'),
            Text(
              '$_counter',
              style: Theme.of(context).textTheme.headlineMedium,
            ),
          ],
        ),
      ),
      floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
        onPressed: _incrementCounter,
        tooltip: 'Increment',
        child: const Icon(Icons.add),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Screenshots or Video

Logs

[Paste your logs here]

Flutter Doctor output

Doctor summary (to see all details, run flutter doctor -v):
[√] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.32.0, on Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.5413], locale en-US)
[√] Windows Version (11 Pro 64-bit, 23H2, 2009)
[√] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices (Android SDK version 36.0.0)
[√] Chrome - develop for the web
[!] Visual Studio - develop Windows apps (Visual Studio Build Tools 2019 16.11.38)
    X The current Visual Studio installation is incomplete.
      Please use Visual Studio Installer to complete the installation or reinstall Visual Studio.
[√] Android Studio (version 2024.3.2)
[√] IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition (version 2025.1)
[√] VS Code (version 1.100.2)
[√] Connected device (3 available)
[√] Network resources

! Doctor found issues in 1 category.