Termux

• Install
• Upgrade
• Known Issues
  • Search doesn't work
  • Backspace doesn't work

Termux is a terminal application and Linux environment that you can also use to run code-server from your Android phone.

Install

1. Install Termux from F-Droid.
2. Make sure it's up-to-date: apt update && apt upgrade
3. Install required packages: apt install build-essential python git nodejs yarn
4. Install code-server: yarn global add code-server
5. Run code-server: code-server and navigate to localhost:8080 in your browser

Upgrade

To upgrade run: yarn global upgrade code-server --latest

Known Issues

The following details known issues and suggested workarounds for using code-server with Termux.

Search doesn't work

There is a known issue with search not working on Android because it's missing bin/rg (context). To fix this:

1. Install ripgrep with pkg

   pkg install ripgrep
   

2. Make a soft link using ln -s

   # run this command inside the code-server directory
   ln -s $PREFIX/bin/rg ./lib/vscode/node_modules/vscode-ripgrep/bin/rg
   

Backspace doesn't work

When using Android's on-screen keyboard, the backspace key doesn't work properly. This is a known upstream issue:

• Issues with backspace in Codespaces on Android (Surface Duo)
• Support mobile platforms

There are two workarounds.

Option 1: Modify keyboard dispatch settings

1. Open the Command Palette
2. Search for Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)
3. Add "keyboard.dispatch": "keyCode"

The backspace button should work at this point.

Thanks to @Nefomemes for the suggestion!

Option 2: Use a Bluetooth keyboard.