bookhoard/docs/user/devices/koreader-setup.md

KOReader Device Setup Guide

This guide will help you set up KOReader on your e-reader device to sync with Bookhoard — reading position, bookmarks, highlights, notes, and even your ratings, reviews, and reading time. One scope note up front: this guide is about the Bookhoard sync plugin. Installing KOReader itself is a different project's documentation, covered below.

What is KOReader?

KOReader is an open-source e-reader application that supports a wide range of e-reader devices including:

• Kindle devices (Paperwhite, Oasis, Voyage, etc.)
• Kobo devices (Clara, Aura, Nia, etc.)
• PocketBook devices

It also runs on Android tablets and phones — though on Android the dedicated Bookhoard app is the better option.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• ✅ A Bookhoard instance running and accessible on your network
• ✅ A web browser logged in to your Bookhoard account (to enter the pairing code)
• ✅ KOReader installed and running on your e-reader (see next section)
• ✅ Your device connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Bookhoard instance

Installing KOReader

One honest note first: Bookhoard supports the Bookhoard sync plugin — not KOReader itself. Getting KOReader onto an e-reader usually involves device-specific steps (jailbreaks, alternative launchers, one-click packages) that vary by model and firmware. That's the KOReader project's domain, not ours — we can't tell you how to modify your particular device, and we won't pretend otherwise with half-remembered instructions.

The good news: KOReader documents this properly. Their installation guide routes you to model-specific steps for Android, Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook, reMarkable, and more:

→ KOReader installation guide

Once KOReader itself is installed and running, everything below applies, whatever device you're on.

Connecting KOReader to Bookhoard

Setup is done on the server: your e-reader shows a pairing code, and you type it into your own account's Devices page — no usernames, passwords, or tokens to type on the device.

Step 1: Install the Bookhoard Plugin

Installation is a git clone straight into your KOReader plugins/ folder — no download-and-copy step:

cd koreader/plugins        # .adds/koreader/plugins on Kobo
git clone https://git.linuxhg.com/Bookhoard/bookhoard.koplugin

Then restart KOReader.

Updating later is the same, smaller: in the bookhoard.koplugin folder, git pull, then restart KOReader.

Step 2: Point the Plugin at Your Server

1. Open KOReader, tap the wrench icon at the top (the tools menu)

2. Find and tap Bookhoard sync

3. Tap Server URL, enter your server address, then tap OK:

   http://YOUR_COMPUTER_IP:8765
   

   Use your server's LAN IP (or domain if you have one configured).

Step 3: Register the Device

1. In the same Bookhoard sync menu, tap Register device
2. Your e-reader displays a 6-digit pairing code
3. On your computer or phone, open Bookhoard — logged into your account — and go to the Devices page (sidebar navigation)
4. Type the code into the Pair a Device field and click Find device, then confirm on the card that appears

The code is the only way to claim the registration, and only someone holding the device can read it — so the device always lands in the account of the person who registered it. The plugin waits on the device and finishes by itself the moment you confirm. Once paired, its credentials are stored automatically, sync events are armed, and Bookhoard's OPDS catalog is added to your KOReader — no further configuration is needed.

Note: Pairing codes expire after 5 minutes. If yours expires ("Registration expired"), just tap Register device again for a fresh one. Dismissing the waiting dialog on the device cancels the attempt.

Auth Token (Advanced)

The Devices page shows each KOReader device's Auth Token. You normally never need it (the plugin receives it automatically during pairing), but it can be re-entered manually in the plugin settings if you're moving a setup between devices or debugging.

The Bookhoard sync menu

Everything the plugin can do lives in one place: wrench icon → Bookhoard sync. The menu changes shape depending on whether you are connected.

Before you're connected

• Server URL — your server's address
• Register device — starts the pairing flow above

Once connected — one-tap actions

Menu item	What it does
Push progress from this device	Force-push this device's position to the server
Pull progress from server	Force-pull the server's position onto this device
Sync rating, review & time now	Push your rating, review, and accumulated reading time for the current book immediately
Setup OPDS catalog	(Re-)adds Bookhoard's catalog to KOReader's OPDS list — normally done for you at approval
Device info	Shows this device's ID and the server it talks to
Disconnect	Forgets the device's credentials (after a confirmation)

Automatically push progress

This toggle is the on/off switch for background sync — it starts off, so after pairing, turn it on to get automatic syncing. With it on, progress pushes as you read and on close/suspend; the plugin may prompt about turning Wi-Fi on at those moments depending on your device.

Two related settings sit under it:

• Periodically sync every # pages — how many page turns between updates (default 50; set 0 to disable periodic updates)
• Sync mode — Immediate pushes right away, Checkpoint batches changes for slower connections or battery saving

Sync behavior — who wins when states differ

These two settings decide what the device does when its progress and the server's disagree, without you opening the Conflicts page:

• Sync to a newer state — the server has newer progress than this device (default Prompt: the device asks before adopting it; alternatives are Silently or Never)
• Sync to an older state — this device has newer progress than the server (default Never: the device never rolls itself back)

Set both to Silently for hands-off syncing, or leave the defaults if you want a say whenever progress would move.

What to sync

Seven toggles, all on by default, each controlling one kind of data:

• Reading progress
• Bookmarks
• Highlights
• Notes
• Ratings — your book ratings made in KOReader
• Book review — your review text
• Reading time — time-spent statistics

Turn off anything you'd rather keep local; the rest keeps flowing both ways.

What Syncs

Once connected and enabled, the following sync in both directions between KOReader and Bookhoard (web, Android, and other devices), each governed by its toggle above:

• Reading position — percentage, chapter, and EPUB CFI where available
• Bookmarks
• Highlights — including highlight colors, mapped between the web and KOReader palettes
• Notes — standalone and attached to highlights
• Ratings, review, and reading time — pushed to the server (push any time from the menu with Sync rating, review & time now)

Books are matched automatically using UUIDs, file hashes (SHA-256, format-aware so converted files still match), file aliases, and title/author fallback. If a book can't be matched, it shows up under the device's Unlinked Books in Bookhoard, where you can link it manually.

OPDS Wireless Book Delivery

At approval the plugin adds Bookhoard's OPDS catalog to KOReader (and Setup OPDS catalog re-adds it any time), so you can browse and download books wirelessly — no USB cable needed.

Browse and Download Books

1. In KOReader, open the OPDS catalog list and tap Bookhoard
2. Browse your library: all books, collections, and recent additions
3. Tap a book to see details and Download it

Supported Formats

• EPUB: Standard ebook format
• KEPUB: Kobo-optimized format
• PDF: Fixed-layout documents
• CBZ: Comic book archives

Books downloaded via OPDS are automatically matched to your library, so their progress syncs from the first page.

Troubleshooting

Pending Registration Never Appears

Problem: You entered the Server URL, but no pairing code shows on the device

Solutions:

1. Verify the Server URL is correct (no trailing path — just the base address)
2. Make sure KOReader is connected to Wi-Fi
3. Check the Bookhoard server is reachable from the device's network
4. Registrations expire after 5 minutes — tap Register device again

Pairing Code Not Accepted

Problem: The Devices page says "No waiting device matches that code"

Solutions:

1. Re-read the code on the device — it refreshes on every Register device tap
2. Check you typed all 6 digits (spacing doesn't matter)
3. Codes expire after 5 minutes — register again on the device and type the new code
4. "Pairing code already used" means the device already paired (check the device list); otherwise register again
5. Too many attempts lock new tries for a minute — wait and retry

Connection Refused

Problem: "Connection refused" error on the device

Solutions:

• Verify Bookhoard is running
• Check the server address and port (default 8765)
• Ensure the device is on the same Wi-Fi network as the server
• Use the server's LAN IP instead of localhost

Sync Not Working After Pairing

Problem: Device shows as paired but changes don't appear in Bookhoard

Solutions:

• Automatically push progress defaults to off — turn it on in the menu, or push once with Push progress from this device
• Check the device shows as enabled on the Devices page (open its settings from the icon next to the device)
• Verify the book appears as an unlinked book for the device and link it if needed
• Check Bookhoard server logs for errors

Turning on auto-sync asks about Wi-Fi

If enabling Automatically push progress shows a message about "Action when Wi-Fi is off", open KOReader's Network settings and set that action to turn on — auto-sync needs permission to bring Wi-Fi up by itself.

Conflicts Detected

Problem: Sync conflicts when reading the same book on multiple devices

Solutions:

1. Open the book's detail page and click Sync Progress, or open the Conflicts page (/conflicts)
2. Review the progress reported by each device
3. Choose a resolution: keep one side's progress, keep the server's, or let the furthest progress win

For day-to-day control of the same question on the device itself, use the Sync behavior settings (newer state / older state).

Security Best Practices

1. Use HTTPS: If exposing Bookhoard beyond your LAN, configure SSL/TLS
2. Network Security: Ensure your Wi-Fi network is secure (WPA2/WPA3)
3. Claim only codes you can see: a pairing code is readable only on the registering device's screen — never claim a code someone merely told you if you can't see the device showing it
4. Revoke lost devices: Remove devices you no longer use from the Devices page

Additional Resources

• KOReader — installation · user guide
• KOReader Forum — the project's official Mobileread subforum
• Bookhoard Universal Sync Guide
• Bookhoard KOReader Plugin