BookFlow

Project Overview

BookFlow is a cross-platform desktop reader that combines local book reading with online reading through legado book sources in one app. It is built with Tauri 2, with Rust handling parsing, search, and storage while the front end handles the interface. Beyond reading, it offers TTS narration and full-text search backed by an inverted index, and remembers your bookshelf, bookmarks, annotations, and reading progress.

Local books and web sources in one place, with listening and search alongside.

Key Features

• Multi-format local reading: supports EPUB, PDF, Markdown, and TXT with automatic encoding detection
• Online source reading: compatible with legado source rules for one-click searching across the web
• TTS narration: native speech synthesis on all three platforms with multiple sleep timers
• Full-text search: inverted-index search makes bookshelf content searchable in milliseconds
• Bookshelf and annotations: bookshelf management, bookmarks, annotations, and reading progress memory
• Night mode: light and dark themes that can follow the system
• Content purification: removes ad and script nodes and applies a source's built-in replacement rules
• Search enhancements: sort and filter by title and source, with quick re-search from history

Target Audience

• People who read on a computer
• Readers using the legado source ecosystem
• Users who want to read and listen at the same time
• Those who want a cross-platform, large-screen reading experience

Quick Start

1. Download the installer for your platform from Releases and install it
2. Open the app and import local EPUB, PDF, or TXT books
3. For online content, import book sources from a file or URL on the sources page
4. Search by title on the discover page and open a book to read online
5. Start narration while reading, or use full-text search to locate content

Core Advantages

• Local plus online: local books and source content managed together
• Fast search: the inverted index makes the bookshelf searchable in seconds
• Easy listening: native speech with sleep timers suits bedtime listening
• Cross-platform: installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
OS	Windows 10/11, macOS, Linux
Architecture	x64 and Apple Silicon
Narration	Linux requires espeak

Notes

• Online reading needs a network connection, and sources depend on site structure
• Only a common subset of legado rules is implemented, so some advanced rules may not work
• Desktop installers are unsigned, so the system may prompt on first launch