git-annex is available for Android inside Termux. This includes the git-annex assistant, for easy syncing between your Android and other devices. You do not need to root your Android to use git-annex.

Installation

First, install Termux. This is an Android app that can run some Linux software in a terminal, including git-annex.

git-annex is not currently part of the Termux distribution, but it's easy to install it. Paste these commands into Termux:

pkg install wget
wget https://git-annex.branchable.com/install/Android/git-annex-install
source git-annex-install

Starting git-annex

To start git-annex, just run "git annex webapp" inside Termux. A browser window will open with the git-annex interface.

Closing and reopening the webapp

The webapp does not need to be left open after you've set up your repository. As long as Termux is left open, git-annex will remain running and sync your files.

Starting at power on

If you install the Termux:Boot app, git-annex will automatically be automatically started when your Android device powers on. It will run in the background in whatever repositories you have set up in the webapp.
(Or have listed in (or listed in ~/.config/git-annex/autostart)

Using the command line

If you prefer to use git-annex at the command line, you can do so inside Termux. Here we'll make a repository for photos:

    cd ~/storage/dcim
    git init
    git annex init

You can go on to set up a ssh remote pointing to a server, and sync your files to and from it.

And so on. Most ways you would use git-annex on a Linux system work fairly well in the Termux environment.

Known limitations

• Direct mode

  git-annex will probably default to direct mode due to the limitations of Android's /sdcard. You can get around this using v6 unlocked repositories, or by putting the git-annex repository on a better filesystem on the Android device, such as your termux home directory.

Upgrading

To upgrade to a new git-annex release, just run git-annex-install again.