Resolve Flutter Doctor Dart Path Warning on macOS

Problem Statement

When running flutter doctor on macOS after Flutter installation, you may encounter this warning:

! Warning: `dart` on your path resolves to
/usr/local/Cellar/dart/2.19.1/libexec/bin/dart, which is not inside your
current Flutter SDK checkout at /Users/[user]/development/flutter.
Consider adding /Users/[user]/development/flutter/bin to the front of your path.

This warning occurs because:

1. Conflicting Dart installations: You have a separate Dart SDK installed (e.g., via Homebrew) alongside Flutter's bundled Dart SDK
2. Incorrect PATH order: Your system's PATH prioritizes the standalone Dart installation over Flutter's version
3. Case sensitivity issues: macOS paths are case-sensitive (e.g., Users vs users)
4. Outdated configurations: PATH variables may reference older Flutter installations

Recommended Solutions

1. Uninstall Standalone Dart SDK (Preferred Method)

IMPORTANT

Flutter includes a compatible Dart SDK - separate installations cause conflicts

# Uninstall Dart SDK via Homebrew
brew uninstall dart
brew uninstall dart-sdk  # For older installations

After uninstalling:

flutter doctor -v  # Verify warnings are resolved

2. Correct Your PATH Configuration

If you need multiple Dart versions, adjust your PATH:

1. Open your shell configuration file:

nano ~/.zshrc  # Default for macOS Catalina+
# or
nano ~/.bash_profile  # Older macOS versions

2. Add the Flutter path before other Dart paths:

export PATH="/Users/yourname/development/flutter/bin:$PATH"

3. Case sensitivity check - ensure path case matches your actual directory:

- export PATH="/users/name/flutter/bin:$PATH"
+ export PATH="/Users/name/flutter/bin:$PATH"

4. Apply changes:

source ~/.zshrc  # or source ~/.bash_profile

3. Resolve Directory Name Mismatches

Rename directories to exactly match your PATH configuration:

# Original (causes conflict)
/Users/name/Development/flutter

# Fixes case sensitivity issues
mv ~/Development/flutter ~/development/flutter

Verification and Common Cases

Confirm correct configuration:

which flutter  # Should show your Flutter path
which dart     # Should point INSIDE Flutter directory

Case	Solution
Installed via Homebrew	brew uninstall dart
PATH incorrectly ordered	Update .zshrc/.bash_profile
Directory case mismatch	Rename directories or correct PATH
Windows PATH conflicts	Remove standalone Dart from environment variables

PRO TIP

After making changes, restart your terminal or run source ~/.zshrc before checking flutter doctor