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Termux (Android) Setup

Atomic runs on Android via Termux, a terminal emulator and Linux environment for Android.

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Prerequisites

  1. Install Termux from GitHub or F-Droid (not Google Play, that version is deprecated)
  2. Install Termux:API from GitHub or F-Droid for clipboard and other device integrations

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Installation

# Update packages
pkg update && pkg upgrade

# Install dependencies
pkg install nodejs termux-api git

# Install Atomic with npm (included with Termux's nodejs package)
npm install -g @bastani/atomic

# If you have installed Bun separately in Termux, you can use Bun instead:
# bun install -g @bastani/atomic

# Create config directory
mkdir -p ~/.atomic/agent

# Run Atomic
atomic
Atomic does not require package install scripts. If you want to disable dependency lifecycle scripts during the Atomic install, you can add --ignore-scripts to the install command.

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Clipboard Support

Clipboard operations use termux-clipboard-set and termux-clipboard-get when running in Termux. The Termux:API app must be installed for these to work. Image clipboard is not supported on Termux (the ctrl+v image paste feature will not work).

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Example AGENTS.md for Termux

Create ~/.atomic/agent/AGENTS.md to help the agent understand the Termux environment: 
# Agent Environment: Termux on Android

## Location
- **OS**: Android (Termux terminal emulator)
- **Home**: `/data/data/com.termux/files/home`
- **Prefix**: `/data/data/com.termux/files/usr`
- **Shared storage**: `/storage/emulated/0` (Downloads, Documents, etc.)

## Opening URLs
```bash
termux-open-url "https://example.com"
```

## Opening Files
```bash
termux-open file.pdf          # Opens with default app
termux-open --chooser image.jpg      # Choose app
```

## Clipboard
```bash
termux-clipboard-set "text"   # Copy
termux-clipboard-get          # Paste
```

## Notifications
```bash
termux-notification -t "Title" -c "Content"
```

## Device Info
```bash
termux-battery-status         # Battery info
termux-wifi-connectioninfo    # WiFi info
termux-telephony-deviceinfo   # Device info
```

## Sharing
```bash
termux-share -a send file.txt # Share file
```

## Other Useful Commands
```bash
termux-toast "message"        # Quick toast popup
termux-vibrate                # Vibrate device
termux-tts-speak "hello"      # Text to speech
termux-camera-photo out.jpg   # Take photo
```

## Notes
- Termux:API app must be installed for `termux-*` commands
- Use `pkg install termux-api` for the command-line tools
- Storage permission needed for `/storage/emulated/0` access

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Limitations

  • No image clipboard: Termux clipboard API only supports text
  • No native binaries: Some optional native dependencies (like the clipboard module) are unavailable on Android ARM64 and are skipped during installation
  • Storage access: To access files in /storage/emulated/0 (Downloads, etc.), run termux-setup-storage once to grant permissions

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Troubleshooting

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Clipboard not working

Ensure both apps are installed:
  1. Termux (from GitHub or F-Droid)
  2. Termux:API (from GitHub or F-Droid)
Then install the CLI tools: 
pkg install termux-api

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Permission denied for shared storage

Run once to grant storage permissions: 
termux-setup-storage

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Package installation issues

Termux does not currently provide an official pkg install bun package. On a fresh Termux install, use npm from the nodejs package; use Bun only if you installed it separately for your device. If npm fails, try clearing the cache before retrying: 
npm cache clean --force
npm install -g @bastani/atomic