Kobo devices run a very minimal version of Linux, unlike every other e-reader I own which run Android. The preinstalled firmware on modern Kobos gives neither access to a shell (command line) or the root file system. However, it does give access to a folder meant for sideloading firmware updates in case of spotty Internet... which gives us a way to sideload firmware mods and enable third-party programs.
This tutorial assumes you have access to a functional Golang installation.
Plug your Kobo into your computer and mount it. The following commands should be run relative to the mountpoint of your Kobo. For example, my computer mounts it at /media/lethe/KOBOeReader/.
Put the following into .kobo/Kobo/Kobo eReader.conf (yes, this filename contains a space) if it isn't already there:
[FeatureSettings] ExcludeSyncFolders=(\\.(?!kobo|adobe).+|([^.][^/]*/)+\\..+)
Then download the latest version of NickleMenu and place it into .kobo. DO NOT UNZIP/EXTRACT THE FILE. LEAVE IT AS IT IS.
Safely eject (unmount) your Kobo and wait for it to reboot. There should now be a new menu item on the bottom-right of your screen named "NickelMenu".
For more information, see this MobileRead Forums thread.
Download the latest KOReader release. You may have to click on "Show all 16 assets" to see the ZIP file for Kobo. Extract the ZIP file after you download it.
Plug your Kobo into your computer and mount it. Go to the .adds folder on your Kobo. Copy the koreader folder from the extracted ZIP file (the whole koreader folder, not just its contents) into .adds.
Then create a new file at .adds/nm/koreader with the following contents:
menu_item:main:KOReader:cmd_spawn:quiet:exec /mnt/onboard/.adds/koreader/koreader.sh
Safely eject (unmount) your Kobo. It should automatically restart. Now, when you go to NickelMenu, you should see a new entry for KOReader.
gemget and putting it on the Kobocd /tmp git clone https://github.com/makeworld-the-better-one/gemget/ cd gemget GOARCH=arm go build
Once compilation is finished, you should now have a file named gemget.
Plug your Kobo into your computer and mount it. In your file browser, go to .adds/koreader/plugins/terminal.koplugin/. Copy the gemget file into it.
gemget is now in your Kobo's $PATH. You can now eject (unmount) your Kobo. In KOReader, go to the Tools tab (the one with the tools), then "More tools", then "Terminal emulator". You can now use gemget to browse gemsites on your Kobo.
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