x.tui launcher

A terminal-based Android launcher that replaces your home screen with a fully functional command-line interface. Type commands, launch apps, manage files, and control your device -- all from a console prompt.

Contents

• About
• Features
• New Commands
• BusyBox Integration
• Build System
• Security Hardening
• Building from Source
• Open Source Libraries
• Related Documents
• Credits and Attribution
• Community
• License

About

x.tui launcher is a fork of the T-UI Console Launcher, originally created by Francesco Andreuzzi (fAndreuzzi), with additional contributions from the T-UI Expert fork maintained by v1nc.

This fork has been modernized and hardened for current Android versions, with new commands, a built-in BusyBox manager, theme presets, and security improvements following the OWASP MASVS standard.

On the very first install, if background transparency does not take effect immediately, type restart in the terminal and press enter.

Features

• Full terminal home screen -- replaces the default Android launcher with a CLI
• App launching -- type app names to open them instantly
• Built-in file manager -- navigate your filesystem with standard commands
• Theme presets -- switch between curated color schemes in one command
• BusyBox integration -- 300+ Linux utilities available via the built-in installer
• Notification reader -- view Android notifications directly in the console
• Notes system -- store and retrieve quick notes from the terminal
• Weather display -- real-time weather information in the status area
• Custom header -- display contents of a custom text file at the top of the screen
• Configurable status lines -- time, battery, RAM, storage, network, and more
• Shortcut suggestions -- interactive buttons for quick command access

New Commands

username

username [user] [device]

Instantly customize your terminal prompt. Changes both the username and device name displayed in the console and reloads the UI to apply.

theme -preset

theme -preset [name]

Rapidly switch between pre-configured themes. Available presets: blue, red, green, pink, bw, cyberpunk. Applying a preset automatically colors the suggestion bar and shortcut buttons to match.

bbman

bbman -install
bbman -remove

The BusyBox manager for installing, verifying, and removing Linux binaries. See the BusyBox Integration section for details.

BusyBox Integration

The launcher includes a built-in BusyBox manager to enable standard Linux commands directly in the terminal.

Installation

1. Type bbman -install in the terminal.
2. The launcher detects your CPU architecture, downloads the verified binary, and checks its SHA-256 hash.
3. Once finished, run any Linux command directly: ls, grep, awk, vi, ping, top, and more.

Removal

bbman -remove

Security

Binaries are sourced from the trusted EXALAB repository and verified against hardcoded SHA-256 hashes before installation. All downloads are performed over HTTPS.

Build System

Target SDK	API 35 (Android 15)
Min SDK	API 21 (Android 5.0)
Compile SDK	35
AGP	9.1.1
Gradle	9.3.1
Java	17
AndroidX	Fully migrated
Package	x.tui.launcher

Security Hardening

This project follows the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS).

Data Storage and Privacy (MASVS-STORAGE)

• Application data uses secure, app-private Scoped Storage
• android:allowBackup is disabled to prevent data extraction via ADB backups
• File sharing uses FileProvider for secure, permission-based access

Network Communication (MASVS-NETWORK)

• android:usesCleartextTraffic is disabled globally
• All network communications are forced over HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)
• Internal service endpoints have been upgraded to secure HTTPS endpoints

Platform Interaction (MASVS-PLATFORM)

• Custom permission x.tui.launcher.permission.RECEIVE_CMD with protectionLevel="signature" ensures only same-key-signed apps can send commands
• All PendingIntents use FLAG_IMMUTABLE to prevent intent redirection attacks
• All Broadcast Receivers are registered with appropriate export flags

Code Quality (MASVS-CODE)

• Release builds have R8/ProGuard enabled for minification and obfuscation
• Foreground services comply with Android 14 strict service type requirements

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• JDK 21 (Eclipse Adoptium or equivalent)
• Android SDK with build-tools for API 35

Debug Build

chmod +x gradlew
./gradlew assembleFdroidDebug

Output: app/build/outputs/apk/fdroid/debug/app-fdroid-debug.apk

Installing via ADB

adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/fdroid/debug/app-fdroid-debug.apk

For more detailed build and deployment instructions, see docs/BUILDING.md.

Open Source Libraries

Library	Purpose
CompareString2	Fuzzy string matching for app and command suggestions
OkHttp	HTTP client for network requests
HTML Cleaner	HTML parsing and sanitization
JsonPath	JSON data extraction
jsoup	HTML document processing

Related Documents

• Building and Deployment
• Commands Reference
• Security Details
• Changelog
• License

Credits and Attribution

Contributor	Role	Link
Francesco Andreuzzi (fAndreuzzi)	Original author of T-UI Console Launcher	github.com/fAndreuzzi
v1nc	Author of T-UI Expert fork with extended features	github.com/v1nc
X	Current maintainer -- modernization, security hardening, new commands	github.com/xscriptor

This project would not exist without the original work of fAndreuzzi, who designed the core architecture and concept of a fully terminal-based Android launcher. The v1nc fork introduced additional features and integrations that inspired several enhancements in this version.

Community

• Reddit - r/tui_launcher
• Telegram Group

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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