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This guide covers running the PicoClaw terminal binary on an ARM64 Android phone with Termux. Use the APK from picoclaw.io if you want the Android app experience; use Termux when you want a lightweight command-line install on an older or resource-constrained device.
- ARM64 Android device. Run
uname -min Termux and use this guide when it printsaarch64. - Termux installed from Termux GitHub Releases or F-Droid.
- Network access for downloading the release and calling your LLM provider.
- An API key for at least one configured model provider.
Open Termux and install the packages used by the release archive and chroot wrapper:
pkg update
pkg install -y wget tar prootDownload and unpack the ARM64 Linux release:
mkdir -p ~/picoclaw
cd ~/picoclaw
wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/latest/download/picoclaw_Linux_arm64.tar.gz
tar xzf picoclaw_Linux_arm64.tar.gz
chmod +x ./picoclawStart first-run setup through termux-chroot, which gives the Linux binary a more standard filesystem layout than a raw Android userspace:
termux-chroot ./picoclaw onboardEdit the generated config and add at least one model provider API key:
vim ~/.picoclaw/config.jsonThe default workspace is ~/.picoclaw/workspace. If you want PicoClaw to read or write Android shared storage, run termux-setup-storage first and then point the workspace or any file paths at the mounted storage directory.
See Configuration Guide and Providers & Model Configuration for the available config fields and provider examples.
Use one-shot agent mode to confirm the installation:
termux-chroot ./picoclaw agent -m "Hello from Termux"For long-running use, start the gateway:
termux-chroot ./picoclaw gatewayKeep the Termux session open while PicoClaw is running. Android battery optimization can stop background work, so disable battery optimization for Termux if you expect PicoClaw to keep running after the screen locks.
Your config and workspace live under ~/.picoclaw, so updating the binary does not remove them:
cd ~/picoclaw
rm -f picoclaw_Linux_arm64.tar.gz
wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/latest/download/picoclaw_Linux_arm64.tar.gz
tar xzf picoclaw_Linux_arm64.tar.gz
chmod +x ./picoclaw
termux-chroot ./picoclaw version| Symptom | Check |
|---|---|
permission denied |
Run chmod +x ./picoclaw after unpacking the archive. |
not found after running ./picoclaw |
Confirm uname -m prints aarch64 and that you downloaded picoclaw_Linux_arm64.tar.gz. |
| Files or paths behave differently than Linux | Run PicoClaw through termux-chroot instead of calling the binary directly. |
| Provider requests fail | Check the API key and network access in ~/.picoclaw/config.json. |
| PicoClaw stops when the phone sleeps | Disable Android battery optimization for Termux and keep a foreground Termux session active. |