diff --git a/detectflatpak.patch b/detectflatpak.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bbf5de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/detectflatpak.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+diff --git a/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp b/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp
+index cb857fd3c7..47a012c4f0 100644
+--- a/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp
++++ b/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp
+@@ -306,19 +306,45 @@ void SetUserDirectory(std::string custom_path)
+       user_path = home_path + DOLPHIN_DATA_DIR DIR_SEP;
+     }
+ #else
+-    // We are on a non-Apple and non-Android POSIX system, there are 4 cases:
+-    // 1. GetExeDirectory()/portable.txt exists
++    // We are on a non-Apple and non-Android POSIX system, there are 5 cases:
++    // 1. Running inside flatpak sandbox
++    //    -> Use XDG basedir
++    // 2. GetExeDirectory()/portable.txt exists
+     //    -> Use GetExeDirectory()/User
+-    // 2. $DOLPHIN_EMU_USERPATH is set
++    // 3. $DOLPHIN_EMU_USERPATH is set
+     //    -> Use $DOLPHIN_EMU_USERPATH
+-    // 3. ~/.dolphin-emu directory exists
++    // 4. ~/.dolphin-emu directory exists
+     //    -> Use ~/.dolphin-emu
+-    // 4. Default
++    // 5. Default
+     //    -> Use XDG basedir, see
+     //    http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html
+     user_path = home_path + "." DOLPHIN_DATA_DIR DIR_SEP;
+     std::string exe_path = File::GetExeDirectory();
+-    if (File::Exists(exe_path + DIR_SEP "portable.txt"))
++    if (File::Exists(DIR_SEP ".flatpak-info"))
++    {
++      const char* data_home = getenv("XDG_DATA_HOME");
++      std::string data_path =
++          std::string(data_home && data_home[0] == '/' ? data_home :
++                                                         (home_path + ".local" DIR_SEP "share")) +
++          DIR_SEP DOLPHIN_DATA_DIR DIR_SEP;
++
++      const char* config_home = getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME");
++      std::string config_path =
++          std::string(config_home && config_home[0] == '/' ? config_home :
++                                                             (home_path + ".config")) +
++          DIR_SEP DOLPHIN_DATA_DIR DIR_SEP;
++
++      const char* cache_home = getenv("XDG_CACHE_HOME");
++      std::string cache_path =
++          std::string(cache_home && cache_home[0] == '/' ? cache_home : (home_path + ".cache")) +
++          DIR_SEP DOLPHIN_DATA_DIR DIR_SEP;
++
++      File::SetUserPath(D_USER_IDX, data_path);
++      File::SetUserPath(D_CONFIG_IDX, config_path);
++      File::SetUserPath(D_CACHE_IDX, cache_path);
++      return;
++    }
++    else if (File::Exists(exe_path + DIR_SEP "portable.txt"))
+     {
+       user_path = exe_path + DIR_SEP "User" DIR_SEP;
+     }
diff --git a/forcexdg.patch b/forcexdg.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 51ac030..0000000
--- a/forcexdg.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-diff --git a/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp b/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp
-index 2055c4d863..163a15f8a5 100644
---- a/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp
-+++ b/Source/Core/UICommon/UICommon.cpp
-@@ -273,28 +273,11 @@ void SetUserDirectory(const std::string& custom_path)
-       user_path = home_path + DOLPHIN_DATA_DIR DIR_SEP;
-     }
- #else
--    // We are on a non-Apple and non-Android POSIX system, there are 4 cases:
--    // 1. GetExeDirectory()/portable.txt exists
--    //    -> Use GetExeDirectory()/User
--    // 2. $DOLPHIN_EMU_USERPATH is set
--    //    -> Use $DOLPHIN_EMU_USERPATH
--    // 3. ~/.dolphin-emu directory exists
--    //    -> Use ~/.dolphin-emu
-     // 4. Default
-     //    -> Use XDG basedir, see
-     //    http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html
-     user_path = home_path + "." DOLPHIN_DATA_DIR DIR_SEP;
-     std::string exe_path = File::GetExeDirectory();
--    if (File::Exists(exe_path + DIR_SEP "portable.txt"))
--    {
--      user_path = exe_path + DIR_SEP "User" DIR_SEP;
--    }
--    else if (env_path)
--    {
--      user_path = env_path;
--    }
--    else if (!File::Exists(user_path))
--    {
-       const char* data_home = getenv("XDG_DATA_HOME");
-       std::string data_path =
-           std::string(data_home && data_home[0] == '/' ? data_home :
-@@ -316,11 +299,9 @@ void SetUserDirectory(const std::string& custom_path)
-       File::SetUserPath(D_CONFIG_IDX, config_path);
-       File::SetUserPath(D_CACHE_IDX, cache_path);
-       return;
--    }
- #endif
-   }
- #endif
--  File::SetUserPath(D_USER_IDX, std::move(user_path));
- }
-
- void SaveWiimoteSources()
diff --git a/org.DolphinEmu.dolphin-emu.yml b/org.DolphinEmu.dolphin-emu.yml
index 027b0b0..858f72f 100644
--- a/org.DolphinEmu.dolphin-emu.yml
+++ b/org.DolphinEmu.dolphin-emu.yml
@@ -112,11 +112,13 @@ modules:
       - type: git
         url: https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin.git
         commit: 8ecfa537a242de74d2e372e30d9d79b14584b2fb
+      # detects whether dolphin is running in a flatpak sandbox
+      # and makes it use xdg directories if it is.
       # prevents dolphin from attempting to write conf files
       # in non-writable paths, typically happens when a user
       # has leftover files from a previous non-flatpak install
       - type: patch
-        path: forcexdg.patch
+        path: detectflatpak.patch
       # version strings must match exactly for online multiplayer
       - type: patch
         path: nodirtyversion.patch