Running Native glibc (Debian) Binaries on Android 15 Without PRoot
Running Native glibc (Debian) Binaries on Android 15 Without PRoot
>TL;DR: Android 15 broke PRoot with stricter seccomp filters. After ~10 hours of debugging, I found a working solution using patchelf + LD_PRELOAD= to run native Linux (Debian/glibc) binaries directly on Termux!
What will you achieve?
- Run GCC, Python, Bun, Git and 300+ more Debian packages natively
- Compile code directly on your Android phone
- Use Linux development tools without cloud dependencies
- Get a true Linux experience on mobile
The Problem
Android 15 significantly tightened its seccomp security filters. Running any Debian/glibc binary via proot-distro now fails with:
Bad system call (SIGSYS)
set_robust_list: Function not implemented
This isn't a configuration issue. The kernel literally blocks the syscalls that PRoot needs to emulate a Linux environment.
The Solution — Three Tiers
| Tier | Method | Root? | Native | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LD_PRELOAD= + direct binary | No | 5/5 | Simple binaries |
| 2 | su -c wrapper with env vars | Yes | 4/5 | Complex binaries |
| 3 | Smart APT wrapper | Yes | 3/5 | Package management |
Tier 1 — Most Native (No Root)
LD_PRELOAD= /path/to/glibc-binary "$@"
- True native execution
- The ELF binary loads glibc directly
- LD_PRELOAD= prevents Termux from injecting its Bionic lib
Tier 2 — Production Stable (Root Required)
su -c "LD_PRELOAD= LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$GLIBC/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu:$GLIBC/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu $GLIBC/usr/bin/binary \"$@\""
- More compatible for complex binaries
- Handles deep transitive dependencies
Tier 3 — "Just Works" (Smart APT)
Transparent apt install that tries Termux repos first, falls back to Debian, and auto-patches new binaries.
Root Cause — Why PRoot Fails
Problem 1: Seccomp Blocking
Android 15 seccomp blocks set_robust_list called by glibc at startup → SIGSYS
Problem 2: Termux LD_PRELOAD Conflict
Termux injects libtermux-exec-ld-preload.so into every process. This Bionic library looks for libc.so → which doesn't exist in glibc → crash.
Problem 3: Root-Created Symlink Permissions
Symlinks created by apt inside chroot (running as root) inherit security attributes that make them inaccessible to the Termux user UID.
Device Information
- Device: Samsung Galaxy S10e (SM-G970F) - Exynos 9820
- Android: 15
- ROM: ExtremeROM Nexus by ExtremeXT
- Root: KernelSU
- Terminal: Termux (F-Droid)
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have:
- Rooted device with KernelSU or Magisk
- Termux from F-Droid (NOT Play Store)
- patchelf installed: pkg install patchelf
Why F-Droid?
- More permissive update cycle
- Full access to proot-distro
- Better compatibility with custom ROMs
Installation Guide
Step 1: Install Debian rootfs
pkg install proot-distro rsync -y
proot-distro install debian
Then inside proot-distro:
apt-get update && apt-get install -y gcc g++ make python3 bun curl unzip zip ca-certificates
Step 2: Extract rootfs to native location
mkdir -p ~/glibc-root
rsync -a $PREFIX/var/lib/proot-distro/installed-rootfs/debian/ ~/glibc-root/
Critical: Fix Symlinks
Root-created symlinks inherit security context that blocks Termux UID access. Run this Python script:
#!/usr/bin/env python3
import os, subprocess
rootfs = os.path.expanduser("~/glibc-root")
for dirpath, dirs, files in os.walk(rootfs):
for name in files:
path = os.path.join(dirpath, name)
if os.path.islink(path):
target = None
try:
target = os.readlink(path)
except:
result = subprocess.run(
["su", "-c", f"readlink {path}"],
capture_output=True, text=True
)
target = result.stdout.strip()
if target:
try:
os.unlink(path)
except:
subprocess.run(["su", "-c", f"rm -f {path}"], capture_output=True)
os.symlink(target, path)
print("Symlinks repaired.")
Save and run: python3 fix_symlinks.py
Step 3: Fix the dynamic linker
GLIBC=~/glibc-root
LOADER=$GLIBC/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1
mkdir -p $GLIBC/lib64
ln -sf $LOADER $GLIBC/lib64/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1
ln -sf $LOADER $GLIBC/lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1
Step 4: Mass patchelf — make all binaries self-contained
GLIBC=~/glibc-root
LOADER=$GLIBC/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1
RPATH=$GLIBC/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu:$GLIBC/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu
for bin in $GLIBC/usr/bin/* $GLIBC/bin/*; do
if [[ -f "$bin" && -x "$bin" ]]; then
name=$(basename "$bin")-glibc
cp "$bin" $PREFIX/bin/$name
patchelf --set-interpreter $LOADER --set-rpath $RPATH $PREFIX/bin/$name 2>/dev/null || rm -f $PREFIX/bin/$name
fi
done
Step 5: Fix ownership
su -c "chown -R $(id -u):$(id -g) ~/glibc-root"
su -c "find ~/glibc-root -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;"
Step 6: Create the Smart APT wrapper
Create file ~/apt-debian:
#!/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/bash
# apt-debian v3 — installs from Debian and auto-patchelfs
GLIBC=~/glibc-root
LOADER=$GLIBC/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1
RPATH=$GLIBC/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu:$GLIBC/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu
case "$1" in
install)
shift
su -c "cp /system/etc/resolv.conf $GLIBC/etc/resolv.conf 2>/dev/null || echo 'nameserver 8.8.8.8' > $GLIBC/etc/resolv.conf"
su -c "chroot $GLIBC /usr/bin/apt-get install -y $*"
for bin in $GLIBC/usr/bin/* $GLIBC/bin/*; do
if [[ -f "$bin" && -x "$bin" ]]; then
name=$(basename $bin)-glibc
cp "$bin" $PREFIX/bin/$name
patchelf --set-interpreter $LOADER --set-rpath $RPATH $PREFIX/bin/$name 2>/dev/null
chmod +x $PREFIX/bin/$name
echo "Installed: $name"
fi
done
;;
update)
su -c "chroot $GLIBC /usr/bin/apt-get update"
;;
*)
echo "Usage: apt-debian {install|update} [packages]"
;;
esac
Then run:
chmod +x ~/apt-debian
mv ~/apt-debian $PREFIX/bin/apt-debian
Step 7: Add to PATH
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.glibc-bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
Testing
| Command | Expected |
|---|---|
| LD_PRELOAD= gcc-glibc --version | gcc (Debian 14.2.0-6) 14.2.0 |
| bun --version | 1.x.x |
| apt-debian install htop | Installs htop |
Quick tests:
LD_PRELOAD= gcc-glibc --version
bun --version
apt-debian install htop && htop
Known Limitations
- Requires Root — The su -c fallback needs KernelSU/Magisk root. Tier 1 works rootless but may fail on complex binaries.
- LD_PRELOAD= Must Be Set — Termux injects libtermux-exec-ld-preload.so which crashes glibc. Always run with LD_PRELOAD= if not using wrappers.
- Symlink Repair Is Mandatory — apt creates symlinks as root; they inherit security context that blocks Termux UID access.
Available Binaries
| Binary | Package |
|---|---|
| GCC 14 | gcc-glibc |
| Python 3.13 | python3.13-glibc |
| Bun | bun |
| Git | git-glibc |
| htop | htop-glibc |
300+ Debian aarch64 packages available via apt-debian install!
Summary
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Terminal | Termux |
| ROM | ExtremeROM Nexus - Android 15 |
| Root | KernelSU - Exynos 9820 |
| Distribution | Debian - glibc |
| Compatibility Layer | patchelf |
| Execution Method | LD_PRELOAD= bypass |
| Device | Samsung Galaxy S10e - ARM64 |
Developed entirely on Termux — Samsung Galaxy S10e · Exynos 9820 · Android 15 · ExtremeXT · KernelSU
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