repository·master·Indexed 23 days ago
https://github.com/termux/termux-taskerA plugin that allows Android automation apps like Tasker to execute commands and scripts within the Termux environment. Includes guides on installation via F-Droid and GitHub, granting necessary permissions (com.termux.permission.RUN_COMMAND and Draw Over Apps), configuring the ~/.termux/tasker/ directory, and managing executable paths, arguments, and stdin. Details the use of output variables such as %stdout, %stderr, and %result, as well as foreground versus background execution and error handling patterns.
When configuring the Executable or Working Directory fields in the Termux:Tasker plugin, you can use the following shortcuts:
$PREFIX/: The Termux prefix directory (/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/).~/: The Termux home directory (/data/data/com.termux/files/home/).If your scripts are located in ~/.termux/tasker/, you can simply provide the filename in the Executable field without a full path.
When using Termux:Tasker, you must adhere to two primary data size limits to avoid exceptions or data loss:
Command/Argument Limit: The total size of the command string and its arguments is limited by the Android ARG_MAX (typically ~128KB). After shell environment overhead, a safe limit is roughly 120KB. Exceeding this results in an Argument list too long error.
true | xargs --show-limits.Intent Data Limit (Result Size): Data exchanged via Android Intents (like %stdout and %stderr) has a practical limit. While Android 7+ might support more, Termux:Tasker sets a safe limit of 100KB and will truncate any data exceeding this.
Recommendation: Keep arguments under 120KB and results under 100KB. For larger data exchanges, use physical files instead of command output.
Termux:Tasker populates several local variables after a plugin action.
Background Commands return:
%stdout: Standard output.%stderr: Standard error.%result: The exit code of the command.%err: Set if an error occurred.%errmsg: A descriptive error message.Foreground Commands return:
%err: Set if an error occurred.%errmsg: A descriptive error message.%stdout, %stderr, and %result are NOT returned for foreground sessions.Best Practice: Variable Clearing
If you are running multiple plugin actions within a single Task, or using Local Variable Passthrough, you must clear the previous state to avoid false positives. Use the Variable Clear action on %command_failed, %errmsg, %stdout, %stderr, and %result before each new plugin call.
When executing plugin actions, the following variables are used to capture results:
%stdout: Standard output from the command.%stderr: Standard error from the command.%result: The exit code of the command.%err: Set if the plugin action itself fails.%errmsg: Error message describing the failure.%command_failed: A boolean-style indicator set if the action failed (detected if %err or %errmsg are set, or if %result is non-zero).bash -c) do not return %stdout, %stderr, or %result. They primarily use %err and %errmsg for failure reporting.If you are running multiple plugin actions within a single Task, or using Local Variable Passthrough, you must clear existing result variables before each new action to prevent data from a previous run (especially a failed one) from interfering with the current one. Use the Variable Clear action on:
%command_failed (mandatory)%errmsg (optional)%stdout (optional)%stderr (optional)%result (optional)The Execute in a terminal session toggle changes how the command is executed and how results are returned:
>= 0.6.0, results are returned in %stdout and %result.%stdout contains the full session transcript (including stdout, stderr, and PS1 prefixes).< 0.6.0, results are not returned to Tasker.%stdout, %stderr, and %result.The Arguments field defines arguments passed to the executable. For version >= 0.5, arguments are parsed using shell-like rules (via ArgumentTokenizer).
, \t, \n) unless enclosed in single (') or double (") quotes.\ inside double quotes.' create literal strings. To include a single quote inside a single-quoted argument, you must escape it by replacing ' with '\''.Tasker Tip: To escape single quotes in Tasker, use the Variable Search Replace action on your %argument variable:
''\'' (Note: In Tasker's UI, you may need to use \'' to ensure the backslash is handled correctly).Termux:Tasker handles permissions differently based on the file location:
~/.termux/tasker/: Execute permissions are automatically set when the plugin action runs.~/.termux/tasker/: You must manually set read and execute permissions. Use the following command in a Termux terminal session before running the plugin action:chmod 700 "/path/to/executable"You can store scripts in ~/.termux/tasker/ to run them via the plugin without needing to use absolute paths or enabling allow-external-apps.
To set this up, run the following commands in a non-root Termux session to create the directory with the required 0700 permissions:
mkdir -p /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker
chmod 700 -R /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termuxNote: The tasker directory must have read permission for the plugin to find scripts, and the scripts themselves must have executable permissions.
The Basic Templates require specific test scripts to be present in ~/.termux/tasker/.
Run these commands in a non-root Termux shell to download the Bash and Python test scripts directly to the required directory:
curl -L 'https://github.com/termux/termux-tasker/raw/master/templates/scripts/termux_tasker_basic_bash_test' -o "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_bash_test"
curl -L 'https://github.com/termux/termux-tasker/raw/master/templates/scripts/termux_tasker_basic_python_test' -o "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_python_test"Alternatively, download them to your Download folder and move them using cat or a SAF-compatible file browser.
Ensure the scripts are executable:
chmod 700 "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_bash_test"
chmod 700 "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_python_test"curl -L 'https://github.com/termux/termux-tasker/raw/master/templates/scripts/termux_tasker_basic_bash_test' -o "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_bash_test"
curl -L 'https://github.com/termux/termux-tasker/raw/master/templates/scripts/termux_tasker_basic_python_test' -o "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_python_test"
chmod 700 "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_bash_test"
chmod 700 "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_python_test"To successfully run commands via the Termux:Tasker plugin, ensure the following requirements are met:
>= 0.5 is required.com.termux.permission.RUN_COMMAND permission.>= 10, Termux must be granted Draw Over Apps permission. This allows foreground commands to execute automatically without requiring the user to manually tap a notification in the status bar.~/.termux/tasker/ (e.g., ~/.termux/tasker/termux_tasker_basic_bash_test).~/.termux/tasker/ directory (such as $PREFIX/bin/bash), you must set allow-external-apps = true in your ~/.termux/termux.properties file.When running plugin actions, the availability of output variables depends on your timeout and toggle settings:
timeout > 0 AND Wait for result for commands is ENABLED:%stdout: Standard output.%stderr: Standard error (only for background commands).%result: The command result.%err and %errmsg: Set if the action fails (e.g., executable not found, permission issues, or timeout).timeout > 0 AND Wait for result for commands is DISABLED:%stdout, %stderr, and %result will not be returned.%err and %errmsg may be set on failure.10s. If running long background commands, increase this or set to Never (slider to the extreme right).timeout 0: Do not use 0 even for foreground sessions. Using 0 prevents the plugin from returning error information in %err and %errmsg, meaning you won't know if a command failed.>= 0.5, %errmsg, %stdout, %stderr, and %result are automatically cleared before each run if timeout > 0. For older versions, manually clear them using a Tasker Variable Clear action with pattern matching: %errmsg/%stdout/%stderr/%result.%stdout and %stderr to a combined max of 100KB (from the start). %errmsg is truncated from the end to a max of 25KB.Because Tasker sets and clears %err for each action, the variable is only available in the next action. To reliably check for errors, follow this pattern:
Variable Clear action for a custom variable (e.g., %command_failed) before the plugin action.Variable Set action:%command_failed%err %errmsgIf %err Set OR If %errmsg Set.If %command_failed Set to trigger error handling (e.g., Flash a message or exit the task).It is also recommended to check %result and %stderr for logical command failures.