sudo Install Docs

March 6, 2025 · View on GitHub

The sudo install instructions are available below. For build instructions, check build docs.

Contents

 

Install Dependencies

Using sudo in Termux shells only has the following dependencies.

  • Termux app version: minimum >= 0.100, recommended >= 0.119.0.
  • bash version: >= 4.1.
  • A su binary that supports the -c, --shell, --preserve-environment and --mount-master options. Magisk and SuperSU are recommended and their su binaries support the required options. Note that the limited su provided by Android debug builds for adb root does not support these options. Check su search paths for more info.

However, to use sudo with Termux:Tasker plugin app and RUN_COMMAND Intent requires the following app versions to be installed. Check Passing Arguments section and Termux:Tasker Setup Instructions section for details.

 

Install Sources

sudo can be installed from the following sources.

The Termux Packages Repository is the recommended way to install sudo.

The Termux app version >= v0.119.0 exports path environment variables like $TERMUX_ROOTFS, $TERMUX_HOME and $TERMUX_PREFIX under the TERMUX_ env root scope ($TERMUX_ENV__S_ROOT). sudo version >= 1.0.0 uses these dynamic paths instead of relying on hardcoded com.termux paths, which will not work if Termux is built for a different rootfs or for a fork. In future, multiple rootfs support may be added in Termux app as well. The hardcoded com.termux paths refers to /data/data/com.termux/* paths for the upstream Termux app with the com.termux app package name.

  • If running in Termux app version < 0.119.0 where environment variables are not exported:
  • If running in Termux app version >= 0.119.0 where environment variables are exported:

Hence, if sudo is not built with the Termux Packages Build Infrastructure, then it will not work in Termux app forks that have not merged the changes done in Termux app version >= 0.119.0 for exporting path environment variables into their own apps.

Termux variables are set in the sudo_set_termux_env_variables function of the sudo script, which internally calls the termux_gtsev_bash__get_termux_scoped_env_variable() function that is used by the termux-get-termux-scoped-env-variable.bash util provided by the termux-core package. The @*@ placeholders (like @TERMUX__ROOTFS@) in the sudo_set_termux_env_variables function exist so that they are replaced during build time by the Termux build infrastructure through the Makefile. Check termux-get-termux-scoped-env-variable usage docs for more info.

 

 

Termux Packages Repository

To install sudo package from the main channel of the Termux packages repository, run the following commands.

pkg install sudo

 

 

GitHub

The sudo file should be installed in termux bin directory ${TERMUX__PREFIX:-$PREFIX}/bin. It should have Termux app (u<userid>_a<appid>) user (like u0_a100) uid:gid ownership and have executable (700/rwx------) permission before it can be executed.

 

Basic

The Basic way is the recommended way to install sudo from GitHub, especially if you have limited understanding of shell commands.

curl will automatically be installed to download sudo.

Download sudo from the latest GitHub Releases and convert it into an executable. Copy all the commands and run them together in the shell.

pkg install curl && \
install_dir="${TERMUX__PREFIX:-$PREFIX}/bin" && \
mkdir -p "$install_dir" && \
rm -f "$install_dir/sudo" && \
curl -L 'https://github.com/agnostic-apollo/sudo/releases/latest/download/sudo' -o "$install_dir/sudo"
owner="$(stat -c "%u" "$install_dir")" && chown "$owner:$owner" "$install_dir/sudo" && \
chmod 700 "$install_dir/sudo" && \
termux-fix-shebang "$install_dir/sudo"

 

Advance

  1. Set install directory path and create it and delete any existing sudo file.
install_dir="${TERMUX__PREFIX:-$PREFIX}/bin" && \
mkdir -p "$install_dir" && \
rm -f "$install_dir/sudo"

  1. Download the sudo file. If using curl, then it must be installed to download sudo. Run pkg install curl to install curl.

    • Using curl from GitHub Releases with a non-root shell.

      • Latest release:

        curl -L 'https://github.com/agnostic-apollo/sudo/releases/latest/download/sudo' -o "$install_dir/sudo"

      • Specific release:

        curl -L 'https://github.com/agnostic-apollo/sudo/releases/download/v0.1.0/sudo' -o "$install_dir/sudo"

    • Manually from GitHub Releases listed under the Assets dropdown menu to the android download directory and then copy it to install directory using cat command or a root file browser. Termux app must have storage permission if running cat command.

      cat "/storage/emulated/0/Download/sudo" > "$install_dir/sudo"

    • Using curl from master branch (may be unstable) with a non-root shell.

      curl -L 'https://github.com/agnostic-apollo/sudo/raw/master/sudo' -o "$install_dir/sudo"

  2. Set Termux app (u<userid>_a<appid>) user ownership and executable (700/rwx------) permission.

    • If you used curl or cat to copy the file, then use a non-root shell to set ownership and permissions with chown and chmod commands respectively:

      owner="$(stat -c "%u" "$install_dir")" && chown "$owner:$owner" "$install_dir/sudo" && chmod 700 "$install_dir/sudo";

    • If you used a root file browser to copy the file, then use su to start a root shell to set ownership, permissions and SeLinux context (1, 2) for Termux user with chown, chmod and restorecon commands respectively:

      owner="$(stat -c "%u" "$install_dir")" && su -c "chown \"$owner:$owner\" \"$install_dir/sudo\" && chmod 700 \"$install_dir/sudo\" && restorecon \"$install_dir/sudo\"";

  3. Replace #!/usr/bin/bash shebang in sudo script with path to bash under the current Termux rootfs bin path by running termux-fix-shebang on it so that sudo works properly even if libtermux-exec.so is not set in $LD_PRELOAD. Check termux-exec Linux vs Termux bin paths and termux-tasker Termux Environment docs for more info.

    termux-fix-shebang "$install_dir/sudo"