This guide shows how to install the lightweight screenshot tool Flameshot on RHEL or CentOS using Snapcraft, bypassing traditional repositories. It walks through enabling EPEL, installing snapd, starting its socket, and optionally creating a symlink for classic snaps. After that you can install Flameshot with the --classic flag to grant full desktop access, launch it, and configure hotkeys for quick screenshots. The article also covers common troubleshooting tips and gives a real‑world example of a CentOS 7 user who benefited from using Flameshot instead of GNOME Screenshot.

Install Flameshot on RHEL/CentOS with Snapcraft – Quick Screenshot Tool in Minutes

If you’re still clinging to the stock screenshot utility that ships with CentOS, you might be missing out on a handful of features: instant image editing, built‑in copy‑to‑clipboard, and an attractive UI. This guide shows how to pull Flameshot into RHEL or CentOS using Snapcraft in under ten minutes.

Why Snap?

Flameshot is distributed as a snap because the package contains all its dependencies, so you don’t have to hunt for libraries that might not exist in RHEL’s default repos. Snaps also get updated automatically, saving you from manual upgrades.

Prerequisites

You’ll need root access on a machine running RHEL 8, CentOS 8, or any newer derivative that uses dnf. Older 7.x releases can also work if you enable EPEL first.

Step 1: Enable EPEL and Install snapd

sudo dnf install -y epel-release          # Add the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux repo
sudo dnf install -y snapd                 # Pull in the Snap daemon

The EPEL repo is where snapd lives on RHEL/CentOS, so without it you’ll hit “No such package” errors. Installing snapd gives you the snap command and all the plumbing needed for snaps.

Step 2: Start the Snap Socket

sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket   # Make sure the snap daemon starts at boot

The socket is a lightweight wrapper that lets user‑space apps talk to snapd. If you skip this, snap commands will complain “Failed to connect to bus: No such file or directory.”

Step 3 (Optional): Legacy Path for Classic Snaps

sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap       # Create a symlink so older tools find snaps

Classic snaps need a /snap mount point. Most modern distros set this up automatically, but CentOS sometimes doesn’t. The symlink is one‑liner and harmless.

Step 4: Install Flameshot

sudo snap install --classic flameshot      # Classic confinement gives it full access to your desktop

The --classic flag removes the strict sandbox that would otherwise block Flameshot from accessing your screen. Without it, you’d get “Access denied” when trying to capture anything.

Running Flameshot for the First Time

flameshot gui          # Launch the graphical UI

On first run, the tool will create a .config directory in your home folder and set up default hotkeys. By default, pressing PrtSc will open the toolbar. You can change this later in Settings => Keyboard Shortcuts.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Snap command not found – double‑check that snapd.socket is active: systemctl status snapd.socket. If it shows “inactive”, run the enable command again.
• Flameshot fails to capture – make sure you’re using a session that supports X11 or Wayland properly; some minimal desktop installs hide the compositor needed for screen grabs.

Real‑world Scenario

I once had a friend on CentOS 7 who was stuck with gnome-screenshot. He needed an image editor on top of the capture tool, but every time he tried installing GIMP it pulled in dozens of libraries that were either missing or incompatible. After we set up snapd and installed Flameshot via Snapcraft, he could take a screenshot, annotate it instantly, and copy it to the clipboard with one click—no more juggling separate apps.

If you’re tired of clunky screenshot workflows on RHEL/CentOS, give Flameshot a whirl. It’s fast, lightweight, and keeps all its dependencies bundled so you can focus on snapping instead of solving dependency hell.