AI Reader is an AI-powered desktop application for reading and interacting with public-domain literature. Browse Project Gutenberg's vast catalog, download books locally, and enjoy a modern reading experience with AI-assisted analysis, text-to-speech narration, and an immersive 3D library interface.

DeepWiki

1. Download the latest macOS build from the GitHub Releases page.
2. Open the .dmg file and drag AI Reader into Applications.
3. Open Applications and launch AI Reader.
4. If macOS says it "can't be opened," right‑click AI Reader → Open → Open.
   If you don't see that, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
5. In the app, search for a book or pick a featured collection, download it, and start reading.
6. Optional: open Settings to configure your OpenAI API key (for AI Assistant) and ElevenLabs API key (for text-to-speech).

• Immersive 3D bookshelf visualization
• Drag-and-drop book organization
• Visual book covers rendered on 3D models
• Smooth animations and transitions

• Search Project Gutenberg (via Gutendex) with curated collections and categories
• Download queue with progress tracking
• Local library management with cover art and metadata
• Popularity sorting and filtering

• Paginated reader with single or two-column spreads
• Appearance controls for font family, size, line height, and margins
• Table of contents generated from document headings
• Reading progress saved per book
• Dark mode support

• Highlight passages with customizable colors
• Attach notes to highlights
• Browse all highlights with page references

• Chat about the current page or selected highlights
• One-click summaries in modern English
• Model selection from your OpenAI account
• Context-aware responses based on book content

• ElevenLabs integration for natural narration
• Voice selection and customization
• Playback controls with auto-advance

• Bun (v1.0+)
• Rust toolchain (for Tauri)
• OpenAI API key (optional, for AI features)
• ElevenLabs API key (optional, for TTS features)

git clone https://github.com/jadentripp/ai-reader.git
cd ai-reader
bun install

# Web-only dev server (browser preview)
bun run dev

# Full desktop app in dev mode (recommended)
bun run tauri dev

Note: The web preview mode uses CORS proxies and localStorage as fallbacks. For the full reading experience with real book downloads and offline access, use bun run tauri dev or download the production release.

# Build web assets
bun run build

# Build the desktop app
bun run tauri build

Configure your API keys in Settings within the app:

• OpenAI API Key: Enables the AI Assistant for chat, summaries, and analysis
• ElevenLabs API Key: Enables text-to-speech narration

• SQLite database: tmp/ai-reader.sqlite (development)
• Downloaded books: tmp/books/
• Run bun run db:reset to clear all local data

ai-reader/
├── src/                      # React frontend
│   ├── components/           # UI components
│   │   ├── library/          # Library & catalog UI
│   │   ├── reader/           # Reading experience
│   │   ├── three/            # 3D library components
│   │   └── ui/               # Shared UI primitives (Radix)
│   ├── routes/               # Page components
│   ├── lib/                  # Utilities, hooks, API clients
│   │   ├── reader/           # Reader logic & state
│   │   └── tauri/            # Tauri command wrappers
│   └── tests/                # Test suite
├── src-tauri/                # Tauri desktop shell (Rust)
│   ├── src/                  # Rust backend logic
│   └── capabilities/         # App permissions
├── conductor/                # Project specs & tracks
├── dev-server.ts             # Bun dev server config
├── build.ts                  # Bun build config
└── bunfig.toml               # Bun configuration

This project is built to read and explore works from Project Gutenberg, the digital library that makes tens of thousands of free eBooks available to the public.

MIT