PocketDaemon GitHubarrow_outward

Root-native Android AI agent

PocketDaemon

It listens.

A voice-first agent that lives on a rooted Android phone. It answers and places calls, finds you on a map, searches the web, keeps its memory on the device, and never routes your commands through a chat-app bridge.

View on GitHubarrow_outward Install guide
Host
Rooted Android
Interface
Voice first
License
MIT, open source

One orb, seven states

You always know what it's doing.

Ready

A soft, breathing blob. The agent is idle, screening calls in the background, and one tap away.

  1. Ready: idle and screening calls, one tap away.
  2. Connecting: sparks spiral into the core while the realtime session opens.
  3. Listening (green): the edge crackles with your voice.
  4. Thinking (purple): a three-lobed form spins while tools run.
  5. Speaking (cyan): a radial equalizer blooms with the agent's voice.
  6. Muted: the orb draws in and goes still; the agent can still talk.
  7. On a call (amber): the agent is on the phone line for you.

Hands, not just a voice

Every tool it reaches for, you see it reach.

When the agent grabs your location, searches the web or dials a number, a tag bursts out of the orb and drifts away. The tools run mid-conversation, and slow ones don't block the talk.

my_location

Location

GPS fixes, Maps and navigation, shared with you and trusted callers only.

travel_explore

Search

Google Search grounding on Gemini, web and X search on xAI, and skills that fetch live data.

call

Phone

Dial contacts or numbers, send SMS and hang up, all from inside the conversation.

photo_camera

Camera

Show it something through the viewfinder while you keep talking, or let it take the photo.

event

Schedule

Timed tasks on exact alarms. It runs the prompt later and leaves you a note.

auto_awesome

Expert and Fable

Hands hard questions to a stronger model, or to Claude Fable with web research, and speaks the answer.

AI phone receptionist

It picks up. It knows who's calling.

Incoming calls route by number. Unknown callers reach a restricted agent that takes a message, runs skills or hangs up. Trusted contacts, each with a name, a relationship and a prompt, get an agent that can check memory, share your location and read notes.

  • bolt
    Barge-inThe caller talks, the agent stops and its playback is flushed.
  • mic
    Take overTake the call yourself at any point, with optional recording.
  • phone_in_talk
    Calls out for youAsk in chat. The agent dials, talks, hangs up and reports back.
  • notes
    Recordings, transcribedEvery recording gets a speaker-labelled transcript.

Local memory

It remembers. On the phone, in plain text.

After each session, facts are pulled from the transcript into MEMORY.md and compacted so the file stays small. SOUL.md sets who the agent is. Everything, from config to notes, logs, skills and recordings, is Markdown and JSON you can read.

/sdcard/PocketDaemon/ memory/skills/recordings/ photos/logs/pocketdaemon_config.json

Provider neutral

Choose a model for each job.

Realtime voice runs on Gemini Live or xAI. Chat, the expert advisor, scheduled tasks and memory extraction can each use Gemini, xAI or Claude. If a role's provider has no key, it falls back to one that does.

GeminixAIClaude

The moat

Root makes it a system app, not a guest.

A Magisk module installs PocketDaemon as a privileged system app. A boot script grants its runtime permissions. It registers as the in-call service and, if you want, as the assistant on a long press of the power button, with no prompts.

MODIFY_PHONE_STATE CONTROL_INCALL_EXPERIENCE CAPTURE_AUDIO_OUTPUT MANAGE_OWN_CALLS InCallService Assistant role
pocketdaemonctl

          

        

      


      
      

        

          
OpenClaw alternative

          
If OpenClaw is the agent on your computer, PocketDaemon is the agent in your pocket.

        

        

          

            OpenClaw-style setupPocketDaemon
          

          

            Agent host
            Mac, Windows, Linux, server or NAS.
            A rooted Android phone with Magisk privileges.
          

          

            Daily interface
            Message the agent through third-party chat apps.
            Talk to it directly, text in the app, or let it take your calls.
          

          

            Native tools
            Files, browser, shell, integrations and remote workflows.
            Calls, contacts, camera, location, notes, notifications, search grounding and phone tools.
          

          

            Security posture
            A powerful local agent reached through external chat channels.
            A dedicated phone, no chat bridge required, memory kept locally under /sdcard/PocketDaemon/.
          

          

            Hardware
            Often your main computer or an always-on server.
            A spare phone: cheap, battery-backed, portable and replaceable.
          

        

      


      
      

        

          
          shield
          

            
Security honesty

            
More capable also means more sensitive.

            

              PocketDaemon is research software for rooted Android devices, not a casual app-store
              assistant. Its strength comes from exactly the permissions that need care: call
              handling, recordings, location, contacts, API keys and local agent memory. The
              security model, privacy notes and threat model are all in the repository.
            

            

              Security policyarrow_outward
              Privacyarrow_outward
              Threat modelarrow_outward
            

          

        

      


      
      

        

          
Install path

          
Three steps from spare phone to daemon.

        

        
    
          
  1. 
            01
            
    Root a spare Android phone
    
            
    Use a device, and a jurisdiction, where privileged call handling and recording are lawful.
    
          
    2. 
          
  2. 
            02
            
    Build and package
    
            
    Build the APK with Flutter, then create the Magisk module with the repository script.
    
          
    3. 
          
  3. 
            03
            
    Set it up with pocketdaemonctl
    
            
    Run doctor, install, setup and verify over USB. The setup editor opens in your browser.
    
          
    4. 
        


        

          

            
          

          
Give your phone a daemon.

          

            
              Open the repositoryarrow_outward
            
            
              Read the install guide
            
          

        

      


      
      

        

          
Questions

          
For OpenClaw users weighing a phone agent.

        

        

          

            Does PocketDaemon replace OpenClaw?expand_more
            

              It serves the same wish for an agent that actually does things, but it lives
              somewhere else. PocketDaemon is built for Android-native voice, calls, local memory
              and privileged phone actions.
            

          

          

            Why is root important?expand_more
            

              Root and Magisk make PocketDaemon a privileged system app. It can then grant
              sensitive permissions, hook into telephony and enforce device settings without
              prompting you.
            

          

          

            Can it run without third-party messaging apps?expand_more
            

              Yes. The core experience is voice, calls and in-app chat. You don't need to expose
              the agent through Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp or an insecure HTTP endpoint to
              talk to it.
            

          

          

            Is it ready for everyday users?expand_more
            

              No. It is research software for rooted devices. Review it carefully before you
              install it, because call handling, recordings, location, contacts and stored memory
              are sensitive.