Inspector shows "Disconnected" after system sleep with no reconnect option, unlike Network tab which has offline/reconnect support

[khusantoy]

Description

When the host machine goes to sleep while a Flutter debug session is running,
the DevTools Inspector panel becomes permanently disconnected and shows
"Run a new debug session to reconnect." — requiring a full app restart.

In contrast, the Network tab handles this gracefully:

• Shows the same "Disconnected" state
• Offers a "Review recent data (offline)" button
• Reconnects automatically or with a simple tab close/reopen

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start a Flutter debug session
2. Open DevTools → Inspector
3. Let the machine go to sleep (or manually suspend)
4. Wake the machine
5. Observe Inspector is stuck in "Disconnected" state

Expected Behavior

Inspector should either:

• Option A: Auto-reconnect when the VM Service becomes available again
• Option B: Show a "Reconnect" or "Refresh" button (similar to how
  Network tab handles disconnection)

Actual Behavior

Inspector shows "Disconnected - Run a new debug session to reconnect."
No reconnect/refresh option is available. A full app restart is required.

Workaround

For Network tab: close and reopen the tab in DevTools → reconnects fine
For Inspector: must stop and re-run the entire debug session

Proposal

Add a Reconnect / Refresh button to the Inspector's disconnected state,
consistent with the Network tab's offline handling UX.

Environment

[✓] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.41.4, on macOS 26.3 25D125 darwin-arm64, locale en-UZ)
[✓] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices (Android SDK version 36.1.0)
[✓] Xcode - develop for iOS and macOS (Xcode 26.3)
[✓] Chrome - develop for the web
[✓] Connected device (3 available)
! Error: Browsing on the local area network for I.S.K.A.N.D.A.R. Ensure the device is unlocked and
attached with a cable or associated with the same local area network as this Mac.
The device must be opted into Developer Mode to connect wirelessly. (code -27)
[✓] Network resources

• No issues found!

[elliette]

Hi @khusantoy - thanks for filing an issue!

For context here, only a few DevTools screens support "offline mode" (which allows you to export/import data from your debug session to view in DevTools). The Network panel offers that functionality, but the Inspector (as you noted) does not and we have no plans of adding it at the moment.

However, I'm curious about your report that the Network panel "Reconnects automatically or with a simple tab close/reopen". What tab are you referring to here? Do you mean a DevTools tab in your IDE, or are you using DevTools in the browser in which case you mean closing the DevTools browser tab and then re-opening it? If you could provide a screenshot or gif that would be helpful.

Thank you!

[khusantoy]

After I put the mac to sleep, I restarted the network and it started working again. However, the Inspector still doesn’t work. To make it work, I have to run the app again.