FAQ

What is Papyrium?

A desktop app for organizing, reading, and annotating your ebook collection. You bring the files (PDFs, EPUBs, and FB2s) and Papyrium gives you a library to manage them, built-in readers to read them in, and tools to highlight and take notes as you go. By default, everything stays on your device.

What makes Papyrium different?

A few things you'll feel quickly:

• Import directly or connect folders — your choice. You can import books directly, the way you're used to. You can also point Papyrium at folders where you already keep books — like Documents, an external drive, a NAS, or even another app's library folder — and it indexes them in place without moving anything. Your existing organization stays intact. Most people end up mixing both.
• Smart collections that stay current. Rule-based collections update themselves as you read. For example: everything tagged "reference", everything rated four stars or higher, or everything you've finished this year. The rule builder is functional, though still being refined.
• Built-in readers with real annotations. PDF, EPUB, and FB2 books open inside the app with color highlights, notes attached to highlights, freeform per-page notes, and inline markup for PDFs (text, pen and marker drawing, arrows). Everything is browsable in one Notes sidebar.
• Local-first. Your books and your highlights live on your disk — no account, works offline. Anything that syncs or goes online is optional and off until you turn it on.

Do I need an account to use it?

No. There's no signup, no login, and nothing to verify. Download the app, open it, and start adding books. If optional cloud or AI features arrive later, those may need an account — the core library and reading experience won't.

What file formats are supported?

PDF, EPUB, and FB2. Other ebook formats — MOBI and AZW (Kindle), CBR and CBZ (comics and manga), DJVU — and document formats like DOCX, RTF, or TXT aren't picked up when you import or scan a folder. Format support may expand based on what users ask for most.

Does it handle audiobooks?

No. Papyrium is for ebooks. Audiobook support isn't currently planned.

What library features aren't there yet?

A few organizational features people sometimes expect are still missing. Books can be browsed in grid or table view today; there's no single-line list view yet. Bulk moves between folders aren't in the library UI yet — folder management happens in Finder for now — though file moves across connected locations are possible through the MCP agent. Creating or renaming folders from inside the app also isn't there yet. And there are no library-wide reading statistics. Per-book progress is tracked, but you won't find streaks, charts, or pages-read totals.

What reading features aren't there yet?

Both readers handle highlights, notes, bookmarks, and reading progress; the PDF reader adds in-document search and freeform markup (text, pen and marker drawing, arrows). A few things aren't there yet: in-document search for EPUB and FB2 (it works for PDFs only today), text-to-speech and read-aloud (not currently planned), and deeper EPUB typography controls — the EPUB reader uses a paginated two-page layout with adjustable font size, but custom fonts, line height, and per-book themes aren't exposed yet.

Can I connect an existing library folder?

Yes. Connect the folder and Papyrium will index supported book files in place. Tags and collections from another catalog are not imported automatically.

Can I use my Calibre library?

There's no direct import from Calibre yet. You can connect the folder where Calibre keeps your books, and Papyrium will catalog the PDF, EPUB, and FB2 files in it. Tags, ratings, and other data stored only in Calibre's database won't carry over. If you keep using Calibre, leave moving and deleting those files to it.

Can I export highlights to Obsidian or Markdown?

Not today. There is no public release date for Markdown export.

Are there AI features?

Papyrium includes a local MCP server that lets an external client such as Claude Code or Codex query the catalog, highlights, and notes. It is read-only by default. Editing and deletion require separate opt-ins, writes are recorded in the activity log, and destructive actions default to a dry run. Data that the connected client sends to its model is governed by that client and its AI provider.

Can I connect Papyrium to Claude or an AI agent?

Yes. Enable the MCP server in Settings → MCP, and an MCP-capable client such as Claude Code, Codex, or Claude Desktop can connect over a local endpoint. The agent can search catalog data and annotations, browse categories and tags, and — with write access enabled — fill in metadata, categorize books, and manage collections. The catalog remains on your Mac; the client controls what it sends to its model. See the MCP guide for setup instructions.

How big a library can it handle?

Papyrium does not yet publish a supported library-size limit or performance guarantee.

Is Papyrium free right now?

Yes. The public alpha is free, with no time limits and no feature locks. You get the full app (library, readers, highlights, notes, everything we've shipped) at no cost while we're in alpha.

Will it stay free forever?

No. Papyrium will become a paid app after the alpha. The price and license terms will be announced before the paid version launches.

What is the founding discount?

When the paid version launches, people who joined during the alpha will get a meaningfully lower price than the regular launch price. The easiest way to be on the list is to subscribe to the newsletter on the homepage, which is where the founding offer will be sent.

Will I be forced to pay later if I'm using the alpha now?

No. Nothing in the alpha will stop working because a paid version came out. If you decide not to upgrade, you can keep using the version of Papyrium you have. The paid version will unlock future updates and any features that come after launch.

What if I skip the founding offer?

Then you'd buy at the regular price whenever you're ready. The founding offer is a thank-you for early users, not a punishment for late ones — but it will only be available for a limited window after launch.

Where do my books actually live?

Wherever you put them. Papyrium gives you two options. You can import a book into Papyrium's library folder, in which case the file is copied or moved into a location it manages. Or you can connect a folder you already use (like Documents, an external drive, or a NAS) and Papyrium will index the files in place without moving anything. Most people end up using a mix of both.

Where are my highlights and notes stored?

In a local database file inside your Papyrium library folder, on your machine. They're not stored inside the book files themselves, and they're not uploaded anywhere. Backing up your library folder backs up your annotations along with everything else.

Does Papyrium sync my books to the cloud?

No. Papyrium doesn't upload your book files, your notes, or any of your library data to a server. There's no cloud component today. If you need your library on another machine, you can put it on a shared drive or sync the folder yourself with whatever you already use.

What happens if I uninstall Papyrium?

Your book files stay where they are. Papyrium doesn't touch them on uninstall. The library database and any imported files inside Papyrium's library folder also stay on disk unless you delete that folder yourself. Reinstall the app, point it at the same folder, and you're back where you left off.

Can I move my library between Macs?

Yes. Copy your library folder to the other Mac (or put it on an external drive or a synced folder), and open it from Papyrium there. Notes, highlights, tags, and collections come with it. Connected folders that point to local paths may need to be reconnected if those paths differ on the new machine.

What do I need to run Papyrium?

macOS 12 or later. Papyrium is built for Apple Silicon (M1 and later). Intel Macs aren't supported in the current build.

Is there a Windows version?

Not yet. Windows is planned as a separate future launch, without a promised date.

What about Linux?

No Linux build today, and it isn't a near-term priority. We're not ruling it out forever, but it's after Windows in the queue and isn't something we're committing to.

Can I read on my iPad or phone?

Not from Papyrium today. There is no public launch date for a mobile or tablet version.

How do updates work?

Papyrium checks for new versions on startup and lets you know when one is available. The update downloads in the background; when it's ready, the app prompts you to restart to apply it. You can also check manually from the app menu, and you can turn off automatic checks in Settings if you'd rather pull updates on your own schedule.

How do I report a bug or send feedback?

Email feedback@papyriumlib.com or open a bug report or feature request on GitHub, or post in r/Papyrium. Including your macOS version, your Papyrium version (visible in the About menu), and a screenshot if you have one makes problems much faster to track down. Feature ideas and rough impressions are welcome too, as early feedback is how Papyrium gets better.

Where can I follow development?

The app tells you when an update is out, and every release is in the changelog. The newsletter on the homepage is for rare emails: the founding discount and major releases. For questions and discussion, there's r/Papyrium on Reddit.

Is there documentation?

The Getting Started guide walks you through the first ten minutes with the app: install, first run, adding books, and the basics of organizing a library. More guides will land here as the app grows.