PaperTerm

PaperTerm is an open-source SSH terminal for Android devices with e-paper displays, including the Onyx Boox range. It is designed for users who need to connect to remote systems while working with screens that redraw slowly and may show ghosting. PaperTerm uses the Termux terminal engine with a pure-Java SSH client, but it does not provide a local shell or local code execution.

The interface uses a dark-on-white ANSI palette to keep terminal programs such as nvim, less, and top readable on e-paper. It avoids forcing application-level refresh calls, allowing the device’s own display handling to manage redraws without introducing unnecessary keyboard flashing. Volume keys and on-screen triangles can turn pages, while Auto, Page-keys, and Wheel modes adjust how page turning works with editors and terminal multiplexers. A customizable extra-keys row supports comma-separated keys, semicolon-separated rows, and KEY=label entries for assigning labels or icons. Other text in that configuration is entered literally, allowing symbols or words to be placed on keys.

PaperTerm supports password and key authentication, a shared key store, known_hosts verification, keepalive, and reconnection after an unexpected disconnect. It also supports clipboard operations, including OSC 52, and can inject environment settings for individual hosts so remote shells can use light themes. Korean and CJK input is handled by sending composed syllables as they are finalized, while Latin text is sent immediately, with an option to show Jamo during composition. The app includes four bundled monospace fonts, defaults to CJK-capable typography, permits font import, and supports pinch-to-zoom sizing.

As an Android application in the Developer Tools category, PaperTerm is suited to remote terminal work rather than local Android command execution. It is licensed under the GPLv3, making its open-source status part of how the software is provided. MirrorNest mirrors the official Android build directly on its own storage and scans it for malware before publishing.