KOReader & Tinkerer Workflows

KOReader is the gold standard FOSS e-reader app — it runs on jailbroken Kindles, officially on Kobos, on Boox / Bigme Android, and on desktop. It reads everything (EPUB / PDF / CBZ / DJVU / MOBI), syncs progress between devices, subscribes to OPDS catalogues as a first-class feature, exports highlights to Markdown / Joplin / Obsidian / Calibre, and is more configurable than any commercial reader. Pair with Calibre / DRM / format conversion, OPDS Protocol, and self-hosted libraries.

KOReader

• ★ ★ KOReader — AGPL; runs on Kindle (jailbreak required), Kobo (officially supported in the firmware menu since 2022), Onyx Boox, Bigme, ReMarkable (community port), Pocketbook, Linux / macOS / Windows desktop. The Swiss-army knife.
  • https://github.com/koreader/koreader
• Plugins: dictionary lookup (StarDict / Wiktionary), GoodReads / BookFusion sync, KOSync progress sync, statistics, calibre-companion, OPDS, ssh / sftp, terminal.
• Highlights export: HTML, Markdown, JSON, plain text, Joplin, MyClippings.txt (Kindle-format), Readwise (via plugin / community scripts).

Sync your reading position

• ★ KOSync — open-source sync server; tiny Lua / SQLite app; syncs reading position between KOReader installs.
  • https://github.com/koreader/koreader-sync-server
• Calibre Content Server progress sync — Calibre has a built-in OPDS + reading-position endpoint.

Jailbreaks / firmware

• MobileRead Forums — community for Kindle / Kobo jailbreaks; the canonical reference.
  • https://www.mobileread.com
• NiLuJe's tools (Kindle) — Kindle Touch / Paperwhite jailbreak utilities.
• NickelMenu (Kobo) — patch Kobo firmware to add KOReader / sideload menus.
  • https://github.com/pgaskin/NickelMenu
• KOReader for Kobo is now a one-line install via Kobo's firmware menu — no jailbreak.

Boox / Android e-reader sideloading

• ★ Boox runs full Android — install KOReader, Kindle, Kobo, Libby, Readwise Reader, Pocket, Hoopla side-by-side from Google Play.
• F-Droid — open-source Android store; KOReader / FBReader / Librera live here.
• Aurora Store — anonymous Play Store front-end if you don't want a Google account on your Boox.
• APKMirror — sideload APKs (signature-verified).

OPDS — the killer feature

KOReader is the most polished OPDS client in the FOSS world. Subscribe to:

• ★ ★ Standard Ebooks — https://standardebooks.org/opds — free polished public-domain classics; one subscription gives you a curated classics shelf forever.
• ★ ★ Project Gutenberg — full free public-domain catalogue.
• ★ ★ Your own Calibre Web Automated / Komga / Stump server — see Self-Host Libraries.
• Feedbooks public-domain, Smashwords, Internet Archive gateways — free.

See the dedicated OPDS Protocol page for the full landscape of OPDS servers and clients.

Calibre as a hub

• ★ ★ Calibre — see DRM & format conversion. Pair with KOReader via Calibre Companion / Wireless device API.
• ★ ★ Calibre Web Automated (CWA) — see self-host libraries; serves OPDS that KOReader can subscribe to; auto-import inbox folder.
• Calibre-Web — original; OPDS-capable.

Highlights → Obsidian / Logseq pipelines

• KOReader Markdown export → drop into Obsidian / Logseq vault.
• Obsidian KOReader plugin — auto-import highlights from a connected device.
• calibre2opds / calibre-web-companion — generate OPDS feeds.
• See highlight aggregators / Readwise for the polished commercial workflow.

Send-to-device automations

• Send to Kindle (Amazon) — free; email / web; accepts EPUB since 2022.
• calibre-web upload — drag-drop EPUBs; auto-converts; sends to Kindle or Kobo.
• Pushbullet / Syncthing — sync a ~/Books folder between desktop and device.
• ★ Syncthing — free OSS continuous file sync; the "automatically populate my Boox / rooted Kindle / Kobo" pattern.

Pick this if…

• Default FOSS reader app: KOReader.
• Subscribe to your self-host library / Standard Ebooks: KOReader's OPDS browser.
• Kobo owner who wants more: flash KOReader from the firmware menu.
• Boox / Bigme / Android e-reader owner: KOReader from F-Droid (or Play).
• Cross-device progress sync, self-hosted: KOSync.
• Kindle jailbreak community: MobileRead Forums.