Install and first launch

Get the app

Horus is being added to F-Droid, a free app store for open-source Android apps. The submission is in review. Once it's published you'll install and update Horus from F-Droid like any other app. This page will link to it.

Until then, the only way to get Horus is to build it from the source code. That needs Android developer tools on a computer. If that isn't something you've done before, it's easier to wait for the F-Droid release.

First launch

Setup takes a couple of minutes, mostly waiting for a download. Stay on Wi-Fi if you can.

1. Allow two permissions

   Horus asks for notifications and unrestricted battery use. Both keep your sessions working while the screen is off or you're in another app. Tap ALLOW next to each.

   You can skip them and change them later in Android's settings. Without them, Android may pause your agents in the background. Why this matters.

2. Create a password

   Pick a password of at least 4 characters. It locks Horus on this phone. You'll also use it to pair a computer with the horus CLI.

   While you type, Horus is already downloading and checking Alpine Linux. The button says PREPARING… until that finishes, then CONTINUE →.

3. You're on the home screen

   From here you can:

   • Open a session: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, or Bare terminal.
   • Log in to GitHub to clone your repositories.
   • Browse your files.
   • Check storage, memory, network and battery at a glance.

What gets downloaded

• On first launch: a small Alpine Linux system (about the size of a few photos). Horus checks it against a known fingerprint before using it.
• When you first need them: common tools like git, curl, python3 and Node.js.
• The first time you open each agent: that agent, from its maker. You'll see it install in the terminal.

Next: start your first coding agent.