Grimoire

Cross-platform desktop eBook library manager. The window is a native GPUI app. The catalog is a local SQLite database with a Calibre-style layout on disk, plus USB/MTP sync for Kindles and other eReaders.

Features

• Create or open a library folder with metadata.db and book files on disk
• Import EPUB, PDF, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, and comics (CBZ/CBR), including by dropping files or folders on the library window
• Extract metadata on import: title, authors, tags, series, description, identifiers, and cover (EPUB, PDF, MOBI/AZW3)
• Fill missing metadata and cover art from Open Library (manual fetch, plus auto after sparse imports)
• Read EPUB, PDF, TXT, DRM-free MOBI, and comics (CBZ/CBR) in their own window with saved progress (MOBI is converted to EPUB for display)
• Reader controls for EPUB and TXT: font (publisher default, serif, sans, or OpenDyslexic), text size, and text colors (Native, Black and white, Inverted, Paper)
• Comic reader zoom, plus single-page or two-page layout
• AZW3: import and Kindle send (Amazon store AZW3 is usually DRM-protected and is not opened in-app)
• Convert formats in-app: EPUB → MOBI/AZW3, TXT → EPUB (no Calibre)
• Search (FTS5), filter by status, format, genre, and author, edit metadata, delete books
• Light, dark, or follow-system appearance
• Detect connected Kindles and other eReaders over USB/MTP or mounted volumes, with a chime on connect and disconnect
• Convert EPUB to MOBI or AZW3 natively for Kindle USB send (no Calibre required)
• Record transfer history per device

Requirements

• Rust toolchain

Develop

cargo run --manifest-path app/Cargo.toml --bin Grimoire

Build

cargo build --manifest-path app/Cargo.toml --release --bin Grimoire

Or use the Makefile:

make build          # release binary for this machine
make build-mac      # macOS disk image (loads .env for Apple signing if present)
make build-windows  # Windows x64 (Windows host)
make build-linux    # Linux x64 tarball, deb, and rpm (Linux host)

For a signed and notarized local macOS build, copy .env.example to .env, fill in the Apple values, then run make build-mac. See that file for variable notes.

Run make help for the full target list. Disk images and Linux packages land in dist/. The release binary is under app/target/release/.

Test

make test
cargo test --manifest-path app/Cargo.toml

The tests cover the catalog, conversion, Kindle detection, and the GPUI theme and reader-font choices.

Release pipeline (GitHub Actions)

Every pull request runs the test suite. When a PR is merged, or when you run the workflow manually (Actions → CI and Release → Run workflow), Actions also:

1. Runs tests again
2. Bumps the version from the PR title (or the manual bump choice):
   • Title starts with MAJOR → major bump (1.2.3 → 2.0.0)
   • Title starts with MINOR → minor bump (1.2.3 → 1.3.0)
   • Title starts with PATCH, or anything else → patch bump (1.2.3 → 1.2.4)
3. Creates a draft vX.Y.Z GitHub Release (notes from commit subjects since the previous tag)
4. Builds release binaries for macOS (arm64 + x64 disk images, signed and notarized), Linux x64 (tar.gz, deb, and rpm), and Windows x64, then attaches them to that draft
5. Publishes the release (immutable releases lock assets only after publish)

Example titles: MINOR add dark mode default, MAJOR redesign library schema, add filter sidebar (patch).

Manual runs: pick patch, minor, or major in the workflow form.

Release token (required)

main requires PRs, so the default GITHUB_TOKEN cannot push the version bump. Create a PAT for a repo admin and store it as the Actions secret RELEASE_GITHUB_TOKEN:

1. GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
2. Classic: enable the repo scope. Fine-grained: this repository, Contents Read and write
3. Repo → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret → name RELEASE_GITHUB_TOKEN

Repo Settings → Actions → General → Workflow permissions should still allow Read and write for PR checks and other jobs.

macOS signing and notarization (required for release builds)

macOS release jobs sign with a Developer ID Application certificate and notarize via the App Store Connect API. Add these Actions secrets:

Secret	Value
APPLE_CERTIFICATE	Base64-encoded .p12 (openssl base64 -A -in cert.p12 -out cert-base64.txt)
APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD	Password used when exporting the .p12
APPLE_API_KEY	App Store Connect API Key ID
APPLE_API_ISSUER	App Store Connect Issuer ID
APPLE_API_KEY_CONTENTS	Full contents of the downloaded .p8 private key

CI reads the signing identity from APPLE_CERTIFICATE, so do not set APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY in Actions (a mismatch fails the build). For local Keychain signing, set APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY in .env instead.

Create the Developer ID certificate and the App Store Connect API key in Apple Developer and App Store Connect. Signed and notarized DMGs open normally; drag Grimoire into Applications.

Downloads

Published releases include:

• macOS: signed and notarized disk images for Apple Silicon (macos_arm64) and Intel (macos_x64). Open the DMG and drag Grimoire into Applications. macOS 12 or later.
• Windows: a zip of Grimoire.exe. Unpack it and run the app. Choose the library folder in Settings. Grimoire writes %APPDATA%\grimoire\config.json and keeps that library path on later launches.
• Linux: x86-64 .deb, .rpm, and tar.gz (linux_x64). Install with sudo apt install ./Grimoire_*_linux_x64.deb, sudo dnf install ./Grimoire_*_linux_x64.rpm, or sudo zypper install ./Grimoire_*_linux_x64.rpm. Grimoire shows up in the application menu. The command is grimoire. The tar.gz is the binary on its own: unpack it and run ./Grimoire. Builds need glibc 2.35 or newer (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 36, and later). Packages install the Wayland, libxkbcommon, fontconfig, and Vulkan loader dependencies. The tar.gz needs those libraries on the system already.

Library layout

When you choose a library folder, Grimoire writes:

MyLibrary/
  metadata.db
  Author Name/
    Book Title/
      Book Title - Author Name.epub
      cover.jpg

App preferences (saved library path) live in the OS config directory under grimoire/config.json. Set the path in Settings; Grimoire opens that library automatically on startup.

Open Library metadata

Grimoire can look up missing fields and cover art via Open Library.

• Prefer ISBN when present; otherwise title + author
• Only fills empty values (Unknown authors, blank tags/notes/ISBN, missing cover)
• Trigger from the book page (Fetch from Open Library), the library context menu (Fetch metadata), or automatically after import when cover/author looks incomplete
• Use Choose cover on the book page to pick among Open Library edition covers

No API key is required.

Compatible eReaders

Grimoire detects these families over USB MTP or mounted volumes:

Family	Preferred formats	USB send
Kindle (Paperwhite, Colorsoft, Oasis, Scribe, and similar)	AZW3, MOBI, PDF	Yes (MTP)
Kobo	EPUB, KEPUB, PDF	Detection only
PocketBook	EPUB, PDF, FB2	Detection only
reMarkable	PDF, EPUB	Detection only
BOOX / Onyx	EPUB, PDF	Detection only
Tolino	EPUB, PDF	Detection only
Nook	EPUB, PDF	Detection only

Other USB devices that identify as an eReader or ebook device may appear as a generic eReader (EPUB, PDF). USB send is Kindle MTP only today. From Devices you can still browse and remove books on connected readers.

Kindle USB / MTP notes

2024 Kindles (Paperwhite, Colorsoft, and similar) use MTP. Grimoire uses mtp-rs for transfers.

Device detection

The Devices page checks for connected readers every few seconds. A notice appears when a reader connects or disconnects, and a short chime plays. Detection covers USB MTP devices and mounted volumes (Kobo, Kindle, reMarkable, and volume names that match known brands).

Device library

From Devices, open View books on a connected reader. Grimoire scans the device for ebook files (EPUB, PDF, AZW3, MOBI, and similar) and shows them in a grid or list. You can multi-select and remove books from the device. The view preference is remembered.

Format selection

1. Prefer an existing AZW3, then MOBI, then PDF
2. If the book is EPUB-only, convert natively to dual-format MOBI (via kindling-mobi) and store it in the library
3. Upload into the device documents folder

Raw EPUB copied over USB often does not appear in the Kindle library. Native conversion handles that path for USB send.

macOS

macOS may lock the Kindle with ptpcamerad or Android File Transfer. If Grimoire cannot open the device:

1. Quit Android File Transfer
2. Run pkill -9 ptpcamerad (or disable it via launchctl if you accept Photos.app side effects)
3. Retry from Devices or the book detail page

Linux

You may need udev rules so your user can access USB MTP devices without root. See the mtp-rs README for a sample rule.

Windows

Kindles usually appear through the Windows Portable Devices stack with no extra drivers.

Project layout

• app/ - Rust app (GPUI window, SQLite catalog, import, conversion, MTP)
• app/migrations/ - SQL schema migrations
• static/ - in-app icon artwork

License

Mozilla Public License 2.0