KOReader, the open-source reader for Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook and other e-readers, can connect to Calibre over Wi-Fi. BookShelves on the Mac speaks the same protocol, so KOReader can connect to BookShelves instead, and you don’t need Calibre installed.
Important: The Calibre Wireless Server is part of BookShelves Pro and runs in the Mac app only. Your Mac and your e-reader must be on the same network.
Turn it on
- Open BookShelves > Settings (⌘ ,) and go to Advanced.
- Under Calibre Wireless Server (KOReader), turn on Enable Calibre Wireless Server.
- Leave Port at 9090 unless something else on your Mac uses it. If you change the port, restart BookShelves.
- Optionally set a Password. KOReader then has to use the same one.
The status line shows Listening on port 9090…, and the device name once KOReader connects. BookShelves starts the server again at launch while it’s turned on.
Connect KOReader
- Find your Mac’s IP address: System Settings > Wi-Fi, then Details next to your network.
- In KOReader, open the Calibre menu, go to Wireless settings > Server address > Manual and enter the IP address and port 9090.
- If you set a password, enter it under Wireless settings too.
- Choose Connect.
The full walkthrough, with screenshots of the KOReader side, is in the KOReader and Calibre wireless guide.
Send a book
Right-click a book in your library and choose Send to Device, then the name of your e-reader. BookShelves shows Book Sent when it arrives, and Settings counts the books sent in this session.
The file carries the details you keep in BookShelves: title, authors, tags, publisher, language, and your own cover if you set one.
Reading progress
When KOReader connects, BookShelves sends it how far you’ve read, whether you’ve finished, the date you finished and your rating, for books that are on both sides.
Progress goes one way only: what you read in KOReader does not come back to BookShelves, and books that are only on the e-reader are not imported into your library.
If KOReader can’t connect
- Check that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi. Guest networks often keep devices apart.
- Your Mac’s IP address can change. Check it again in System Settings.
- If the macOS firewall is on, allow incoming connections for BookShelves.
- The connection closes after five minutes without activity. Reconnect from KOReader.
More fixes: KOReader troubleshooting.