fdroidcl

F-Droid desktop client.

go get -u mvdan.cc/fdroidcl/cmd/fdroidcl

While the Android client integrates with the system with regular update checks and notifications, this is a simple command line client that talks to connected devices via ADB.

Quickstart

Download the index:

fdroidcl update

Show all available apps:

fdroidcl search

Install an app:

fdroidcl install org.adaway

Commands

update                Update the index
search <regexp...>    Search available apps
show <appid...>       Show detailed info about an app
devices               List connected devices
download <appid...>   Download an app
install <appid...>    Install or upgrade app
uninstall <appid...>  Uninstall an app
defaults              Reset to the default settings

A specific version of an app can be selected by following the appid with an colon (:) and the version code of the app to select.

Config

You can configure what repositories to use in the config.json file. On Linux, you will likely find it at ~/.config/fdroidcl/config.json.

You can run fdroidcl defaults to create the config with the default settings.

Advantages over the Android client

• Command line interface
• Batch install/update/remove apps without root nor system privileges
• No need to install a client on the device

What it will never do

• Run as a daemon, e.g. periodic index updates
• Act as an F-Droid server
• Swap apps with devices

Caveats

• Index verification relies on HTTPS (not the JAR signature)
• The tool can only interact with one device at a time
• Hardware compatibility of packages is not checked