Important
ReadAny Shlai — Unofficial GPL-3.0-or-later fork maintained at cha1latte/ReadAny. The official project is codedogQBY/ReadAny. Shlai Android releases use a separate package and do not replace the official app.
Shlai Preview users: see the phone install and update guide.
Local-first AI e-book reader for desktop and mobile
"Why do I forget what I read? Why are my notes scattered? Why can I only search by keywords?"
ReadAny helps you ask questions about books, find ideas by meaning, and build a private reading knowledge base with RAG chat, semantic search, highlights, TTS, and WebDAV sync.
🚀 v2.0 Update: Mobile apps (iOS/Android) now available! See Mobile section below.
- Chat with your library - Ask questions about the current book or selected passages, with answers grounded in your reading context
- Find ideas semantically - Hybrid vector retrieval + BM25 search helps you find concepts even when the exact keyword is missing
- Keep knowledge private - Local embeddings and a local vector store keep your books, highlights, and notes offline-capable
- Use your preferred model - Connect OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Ollama, DeepSeek, or custom-compatible providers
| Problem | Traditional Readers | ReadAny |
|---|---|---|
| Search content | Keywords only | Semantic search that understands your intent |
| Ask questions | Find answers yourself | AI answers directly + locates sources |
| Take notes | Manual copy-paste | Select to highlight, one-click export |
| Knowledge management | Scattered notes | Unified management, multi-format export |
| Privacy | Upload to cloud | Local vector store, fully offline capable |
| Feature | ReadAny | Calibre | KOReader | Apple Books |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Chat | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Semantic Search (RAG) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Local Vector Store | ✅ | - | - | ❌ |
| TTS (Text-to-Speech) | ✅ | ❌ | Limited | Limited |
| Reading Stats | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Limited |
| WebDAV Sync | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Skills System | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Format Support | 10+ | 15+ | 10+ | 2 |
| Note Export | 5 formats | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Open Source | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
- Intelligent Chat - Ask questions about your books, AI knows your position, selected text, and highlights
- Semantic Search - Beyond keywords, vector retrieval + BM25 hybrid search
- Instant Translation - AI translation or DeepL, 19 languages supported
- Multiple AI Providers - OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Ollama, DeepSeek
- Skills System - Built-in skills (summarizer, concept explainer, character tracker, etc.) + create custom skills
- 5-Color Highlights - Yellow/Green/Blue/Pink/Purple, hover to preview notes
- Markdown Notes - Rich text editor with toolbar, WYSIWYG
- Multi-format Export - Markdown, HTML, JSON, Obsidian, Notion
- Multiple Engines - Edge TTS, Browser TTS, DashScope (通义千问)
- Voice Selection - 100+ voices in multiple languages
- Speed Control - Adjustable playback speed
- Background Playback - Listen while doing other things
- Reading Heatmap - Visualize your reading habits like GitHub contributions
- Trend Charts - Track daily/weekly/monthly reading time
- Streak Tracking - Longest consecutive reading days
- Book Statistics - Time spent per book, completion rate
- WebDAV Support - Sync your library, highlights, and notes across devices
- Auto Sync - Automatic background synchronization
- Conflict Resolution - Smart merge for concurrent edits
EPUB · PDF · MOBI · AZW · AZW3 · FB2 · FBZ · CBZ · TXT · UMD
TXT and UMD are imported by converting them to EPUB for reading, notes, search, and sync.
- 5 font themes (CJK optimized)
- Light/Dark mode
- Paginated/Continuous scroll
- Keyboard shortcuts
- English/Chinese interface
| Platform | Download |
|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | Download .dmg |
| macOS (Intel) | Download .dmg |
| Windows | Download .msi |
| Linux | Download .AppImage |
| iOS | Join TestFlight |
| Android | Download .apk |
brew tap codedogQBY/readany
brew install --cask readany- Import Books - Drag and drop files into library
- Start Reading - Double-click to open, immersive experience
- Configure AI (Optional) - Settings → AI → Enter API Key
ReadAny is now available on mobile devices!
Expo (React Native) Version:
# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/codedogQBY/ReadAny.git
cd ReadAny
pnpm install
# Install/run the development build on iOS
pnpm expo:ios
# Install/run the development build on iOS Simulator
pnpm expo:ios:simulator
# Install/run the development build on Android
# Start an Android emulator first, or connect a device.
pnpm expo:android
# Start Metro for the installed development build
pnpm expo:startMobile development uses an Expo development build with expo-dev-client, not
Expo Go. Expo Go cannot load ReadAny's native modules and app configuration. Use
pnpm expo:ios, pnpm expo:ios:simulator, or pnpm expo:android the first
time, or whenever native dependencies/configuration change, then use
pnpm expo:start for daily JS debugging in the installed ReadAny development
app.
For simulators, use pnpm expo:ios:simulator on iOS. For Android, start an
Android emulator first, then run pnpm expo:android.
Mobile app source lives in packages/app-expo.
| Provider | Get API Key |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | platform.openai.com |
| Anthropic Claude | console.anthropic.com |
| Google Gemini | aistudio.google.com |
| Ollama / DeepSeek | Local or custom endpoint |
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Desktop | Tauri 2 (Rust) |
| Mobile | Expo (React Native) + Tauri Mobile |
| Frontend | React 19 + TypeScript |
| Build | Vite 7 |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS 4 + Radix UI |
| State | Zustand |
| Database | SQLite |
| E-Book | foliate-js |
| AI/LLM | LangChain.js + LangGraph |
| Embeddings | Transformers.js |
# Clone
git clone https://github.com/codedogQBY/ReadAny.git
cd ReadAny
# Install
pnpm install
# Dev (Desktop)
pnpm tauri dev
# Dev (Mobile - Expo development build, not Expo Go)
# First install/run the native development build:
pnpm expo:ios
pnpm expo:ios:simulator
pnpm expo:android
# Then start Metro for the installed development app:
pnpm expo:start
# Build
pnpm tauri buildMobile development uses expo-dev-client, so Expo Go is not supported. Re-run
pnpm expo:ios, pnpm expo:ios:simulator, or pnpm expo:android after
changing native dependencies, app.config.js, permissions, schemes, or build
plugins.
Requirements: Node.js ≥18, pnpm ≥9, Rust (for Tauri), plus Xcode for iOS or Android Studio/SDK for Android mobile development.
- Mobile apps — iOS and Android versions available
- TTS (Text-to-Speech) — Edge TTS, multiple voices
- Reading Statistics — Heatmap, trends, streaks
- Skills System — Built-in + custom AI skills
- WebDAV Sync — Cross-device synchronization
- More AI models (Qwen, GLM, Llama)
- PDF reflow/re-render
- Plugin system
- Cloud sync (official service)
Contributions welcome! Bug reports, feature requests, pull requests all appreciated.
- Fork → 2. Branch → 3. PR
Please run pnpm lint before submitting to ensure code style consistency.
GPL-3.0-or-later © 2024 ReadAny Team
This project is open source under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later. You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code, but any derivative works must also be open source under the same license.
Note: While the source code is freely available, the official app store versions may be offered for a fee to support ongoing development and cover certificate costs. You can always build the app yourself at no cost.
- foliate-js - E-book rendering engine
- Tauri - Cross-platform desktop framework
- Expo - React Native development platform
- LangChain.js - AI orchestration framework
- Radix UI - Accessible UI components
- Lucide - Icon library
Thanks to linux.do — a vibrant Chinese tech community where you can learn about AI, development, and more.
Made with ❤️ by the ReadAny Team
If you find ReadAny helpful, consider buying me a coffee to support ongoing development!
