OpenCode binary fails to run natively on Termux / Android aarch64 (wrong interpreter + non‑PIE executable)

[ivannin]

Description

Environment

• Device: Android smartphone/tablet, HUAWEI PaperMate 11.5
• OS: Android (5.0+), HarmionyOS 4.2.0
• Terminal: Termux
• Arch: aarch64 (uname -m → aarch64)
• Install method: official install script (curl ... | sh, binary ends up in ~/.opencode/bin/opencode)

Summary

After installing OpenCode on Termux using the official script, the Linux/aarch64 opencode binary does not start as a native Android executable.

1. The binary requests a dynamic linker at /lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1, which does not exist on Android/Termux.
2. After manually changing the interpreter to the correct Android linker, the binary fails with Android 5.0 and later only support position-independent executables (-fPIE), which means it was not compiled as PIE and cannot be run on modern Android at all.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install Termux from F‑Droid / Play Store.
2. Update packages and install diagnostic tools:

   pkg update -y
   pkg install -y file binutils patchelf

3. Install OpenCode using the official method, for example:

   curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install.sh | sh

4. Try to run the binary:

   /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.opencode/bin/opencode

5. Observe the shell error:

   bash: /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.opencode/bin/opencode: cannot execute: required file not found

Diagnostics

1. Check the file type:

   file /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.opencode/bin/opencode

   The output shows a 64‑bit ELF for aarch64, with the program interpreter set to /lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1 (standard on many Linux distros, but not on Android/Termux).

2. On Termux/Android, /lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1 does not exist.
   To find the correct interpreter, I inspected a working Termux binary (bash):

   readelf -l "$(which bash)" | grep "Requesting program interpreter"

   This reports /system/bin/linker64 as the requested program interpreter.

3. I tried to “fix” the opencode binary by changing its interpreter:

   patchelf --set-interpreter /system/bin/linker64 \
     /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.opencode/bin/opencode

   This successfully changes the interpreter to the Android linker used by Termux.

4. Running opencode again:

   /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.opencode/bin/opencode

   Now I get a different error:

   "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.opencode/bin/opencode": error: Android 5.0 and later only support position-independent executables (-fPIE).
   

   This is the typical Android error when the ELF binary is not built as PIE. Since Android 5.0, only position‑independent executables (built with -fPIE / -pie) are allowed to run.

What I expected

I expected the official Linux/aarch64 OpenCode binary to either:

• run natively under Termux on Android (with a correct interpreter and PIE build), or
• clearly be documented as not supported for native Termux/Android, with guidance to use a different build or a proot‑based Linux environment instead.

What actually happens

• With the unmodified binary: bash: cannot execute: required file not found due to the non‑existent /lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1.
• After setting the interpreter to /system/bin/linker64: the binary exits with Android 5.0 and later only support position-independent executables (-fPIE) and cannot be started at all.
• This cannot be fixed on the user side by patching the existing ELF; it requires recompiling OpenCode with the correct flags and target.

Analysis / root cause

• The binary shipped by the installer appears to be a regular Linux ELF for aarch64 with glibc, requesting /lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1 as interpreter.
• Termux runs on Android, using /system/bin/linker64 and a different ABI, and Android ≥ 5.0 rejects non‑PIE executables.
• Even after manually fixing the interpreter path, the OpenCode binary still cannot run, because it does not satisfy Android’s requirement for position‑independent executables.

Why this deserves a dedicated fix

• There are already reports about OpenCode issues on Termux (usually when running inside a proot‑distro like Ubuntu/Debian, with freezes, TUI issues, crashes on the second run, etc.), but those are runtime problems inside a Linux userland.
• In this case, the problem is more fundamental: the official Linux/aarch64 binary is simply incompatible with the native Android ABI (wrong interpreter and non‑PIE), so it is impossible to run it directly in Termux without a full Linux environment in proot.

Suggested fix

1. Provide an official Android/Termux build for aarch64 that:

   • is built as PIE (-fPIE / -pie),
   • uses the correct interpreter for Android (for example /system/bin/linker64, depending on the target ABI),
   • is tested in a real Termux environment, not only on standard Linux.

2. Alternatively (until such a build exists), update the documentation and installer to:

   • explicitly state that the current Linux/aarch64 binary is not intended to run natively on Termux/Android,
   • recommend using OpenCode via a proot‑distro (Ubuntu/Debian) or a remote Linux server when working from Android.

Additional info

• I can attach exact outputs of file, readelf -l, and patchelf --print-interpreter if needed.
• I’m happy to test any experimental Android/Termux builds (aarch64) and provide feedback.

Plugins

No response

OpenCode version

No response

Steps to reproduce

No response

Screenshot and/or share link

No response

Operating System

No response

Terminal

No response

[github-actions]

This issue might be a duplicate of or closely related to existing issues. Please check:

• Termux support 🙏 #961: Termux support feature request
• YOLO script not helpful in Termux  #709: "bash: cannot execute: required file not found" error in Termux (same error message as OpenCode binary fails to run natively on Termux / Android aarch64 (wrong interpreter + non‑PIE executable) #10504)
• OpenCode crashes with "Aborted" on Termux/Debian on second attempt, [object ErrorEvent] #7472: OpenCode crashes with "Aborted" on Termux/Debian on second attempt
• [Regression] v1.1.21 OpenTUI fails to initialize in Termux/PRoot (ARM64): "Permission denied" on /proc/self/fd #8620: [Regression] v1.1.21 OpenTUI fails to initialize in Termux/PRoot (ARM64) - binary loading issues
• [Bug] Opencode crashes on second run in Termux/Proot distro #3143: OpenCode crashes on second run in Termux/Proot distro
• OpenCode freezes with black screen in Termux proot-distro Ubuntu, cannot exit with Ctrl+C #8959: OpenCode freezes with black screen in Termux proot-distro Ubuntu
• When installing OpenCode in Debian on Termux, the first launch succeeds but the second fails. #9223: Installation/runtime issues in Debian on Termux
• [Critical] CLI hangs on second run (Deadlock) on Linux ARM64 (Proot/Container environments) #7843: Critical deadlock on Linux ARM64 in containerized environments
• opencode crashes with Aborted (core dumped) on NVIDIA GH200 (ARM) #1657: OpenCode crashes on NVIDIA GH200 (ARM/aarch64)
• opencode crushes with Aborted on NVIDIA GH200 #8086: OpenCode crashes with Aborted on NVIDIA GH200 (aarch64)

This appears to be the root cause of several related issues in #7472, #3143, #7843, #8620, and others that manifest as crashes or hangs on ARM64/aarch64 systems and Termux environments.

Feel free to ignore if this addresses a unique aspect of the Termux/Android compatibility not covered by these issues.

[Nsomnia]

Just wanted to try some opencode on the go and indeed similar results on MediaTek device. Will try a npm/bun/pnpm install later