[Upstream #235] jcode fails to execute in Termux due to missing dynamic linker and LD_PRELOAD conflict

[quangdang46]

Mirrored from upstream 1jehuang/jcode — Issue #235 by @luciusrockwing
Original state: open
Created: 2026-05-21T02:02:11Z · Updated: 2026-05-21T02:02:11Z
This issue is an auto-mirrored copy. Comments and edits here are local to quangdang46/jcode — do not expect them to propagate upstream.

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jcode fails to execute in Termux due to missing dynamic linker and LD_PRELOAD conflict

Problem

After installing jcode via the official install script, running jcode resulted in:

bash: /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.local/bin/jcode: cannot execute: required file not found

Investigation showed the binary is a dynamically linked ELF expecting the interpreter /lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1, which does not exist in Termux. Additionally, Termux preloads libtermux-exec-ld-preload.so via LD_PRELOAD, which is incompatible with the glibc libc used by the binary, causing:

/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.jcode/builds/versions/0.12.3/jcode: /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/glibc/lib/libc.so.6: version `LIBC' not found (required by /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib/libtermux-exec-ld-preload.so)

Solution

Two steps were required:

1. Patch the interpreter

Use patchelf to change the ELF interpreter to the glibc dynamic linker that does exist in the Termux glibc installation:

patchelf --set-interpreter /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/glibc/lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1     ~/.local/bin/jcode

(Replace ~/.local/bin/jcode with the actual path if different; you can find it with which jcode.)

2. Avoid the conflicting LD_PRELOAD

Run jcode with an empty LD_PRELOAD environment variable to prevent loading the Termux-specific preload library:

LD_PRELOAD= jcode

Making it permanent

To avoid typing LD_PRELOAD= each time, add an alias to your shell startup file (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):

alias jcode='LD_PRELOAD= jcode'

Then reload the configuration:

source ~/.bashrc   # or source ~/.zshrc

Now you can simply run:

jcode

Verification

After applying the fix, jcode should start and display the telemetry notice followed by a provider login prompt:

  jcode collects anonymous usage statistics (install count, version, OS,
  session activity, tool counts, and crash/exit reasons). No code, filenames,
  prompts, or personal data is sent.
  To opt out: export JCODE_NO_TELEMETRY=1
  Details: https://github.com/1jehuang/jcode/blob/master/TELEMETRY.md
No credentials found. Let's log in!
Choose a provider:
...

Notes

• If you reinstall or update jcode, repeat the patchelf step on the new binary.
• The alias will continue to work after re‑patching.

[quangdang46]

Mirrored upstream Termux-specific failure ("missing dynamic linker / LD_PRELOAD conflict"). Termux is not a supported target for the fork; fixing this would require adding glibc-stub layering and dropping LD_PRELOAD in the launcher, both of which are out of scope. Closing as not planned.

[quangdang46]

Termux is not a supported target for this fork — fixing this would require shipping a Termux-flavored build (glibc-stubs against bionic, no-LD_PRELOAD launcher) which is a separate distribution effort. The user's own workaround (patchelf interpreter + unset LD_PRELOAD wrapper) is the right shape; we can capture it as a docs note if useful, but the binary itself can't be made Termux-native here. Closing as not planned.