ReadMeABook/documentation/integrations/ebook-sidecar.md

E-book Support

Status: ✅ Implemented | First-class ebook requests with Anna's Archive integration

Overview

Ebooks are first-class citizens in RMAB, with their own request type, tracking, and UI representation. When an audiobook request completes, an ebook request is automatically created (if enabled). Ebooks are downloaded directly from Anna's Archive via HTTP.

Key Details

First-Class Ebook Requests

• Request Type: type: 'ebook' (vs 'audiobook')
• Parent Relationship: Ebook requests are children of audiobook requests (parentRequestId)
• Terminal State: downloaded (ebooks don't have "available" state like audiobooks)
• UI Badge: Orange (#f16f19) ebook badge to distinguish from audiobooks
• Separate Tracking: Own progress, status, and error handling

Flow

1. Audiobook organization completes
2. Ebook request created automatically (if enabled)
3. search_ebook job searches Anna's Archive
4. start_direct_download downloads via HTTP
5. organize_files copies to audiobook folder
6. Request marked as downloaded (terminal)
7. "Available" notification sent

Configuration

Admin Settings → E-book Sidecar tab

Key	Default	Options	Description
ebook_sidecar_enabled	false	true/false	Enable feature
ebook_sidecar_preferred_format	epub	epub, pdf, mobi, azw3, any	Preferred format
ebook_sidecar_base_url	https://annas-archive.li	URL	Base URL
ebook_sidecar_flaresolverr_url	`` (empty)	URL	FlareSolverr proxy (optional)

Database Schema

Request model additions:

type             String    @default("audiobook") // 'audiobook' | 'ebook'
parentRequestId  String?   @map("parent_request_id")
parentRequest    Request?  @relation("EbookParent", fields: [parentRequestId], references: [id])
childRequests    Request[] @relation("EbookParent")

Indexes: type, parentRequestId

Job Processors

search_ebook

• Searches Anna's Archive by ASIN first, then title + author
• Creates download history record with downloadClient: 'direct'
• Triggers start_direct_download job

start_direct_download

• Downloads file via HTTP with progress tracking
• Tries multiple slow download links on failure
• Triggers organize_files on success

monitor_direct_download

• Future use for async download monitoring
• Currently, most tracking happens in start_direct_download

Ranking Algorithm

Ebook ranking (for future multi-source support):

• Format Score: 40 pts (exact match) to 10 pts (different format)
• Size Score: 30 pts (inverse - smaller files preferred)
• Source Score: 30 pts (Anna's Archive gets full score)

Delete Behavior

Ebook deletion is different from audiobook deletion:

• Only deletes ebook files (.epub, .pdf, .mobi, etc.)
• Does NOT delete the title folder (audiobook files remain)
• Does NOT delete from backend library (Plex/ABS)
• Does NOT clear audiobook availability linkage
• Soft-deletes the ebook request record

UI Representation

RequestCard

• Orange ebook badge displayed next to status badge
• Orange book icon for placeholder cover art
• Interactive search disabled (Anna's Archive only)

Status Flow

pending → searching → downloading → processing → downloaded (terminal)
                 ↘ awaiting_search (retry) ↗

FlareSolverr Integration

Anna's Archive uses Cloudflare protection. FlareSolverr bypasses this using a headless browser.

Setup

docker run -d --name flaresolverr -p 8191:8191 ghcr.io/flaresolverr/flaresolverr:latest

Configure URL in Admin Settings → E-book Sidecar: http://localhost:8191

Performance

• First request: ~5-10 seconds
• Subsequent: ~2-5 seconds per page
• Total: ~15-30 seconds per ebook

Scraping Strategy

Method 1: ASIN Search (exact match)

Search: https://annas-archive.li/search?ext=epub&lang=en&q="asin:B09TWSRMCB"
  ↓
MD5 Page: https://annas-archive.li/md5/[md5]
  ↓
Slow Download: https://annas-archive.li/slow_download/[md5]/0/5
  ↓
File Server: http://[server]/path/to/file.epub

Method 2: Title + Author (fallback)

Search: https://annas-archive.li/search?q=Title+Author&ext=epub&lang=en
  ↓ (Same flow from MD5 page)

File Naming

Pattern: [Title] - [Author].[format]

Sanitization:

• Remove: <>:"/\|?*
• Collapse spaces, trim, limit to 200 chars

Error Handling

Non-blocking errors:

• No search results → Request goes to awaiting_search for retry
• All downloads fail → Same retry behavior
• Audiobook organization never affected

Technical Files

Processors:

• src/lib/processors/search-ebook.processor.ts
• src/lib/processors/direct-download.processor.ts
• src/lib/processors/organize-files.processor.ts (ebook branch)

Services:

• src/lib/services/ebook-scraper.ts
• src/lib/services/job-queue.service.ts (ebook job types)

Utils:

• src/lib/utils/file-organizer.ts (organizeEbook method)
• src/lib/utils/ranking-algorithm.ts (rankEbooks function)

UI:

• src/components/requests/RequestCard.tsx (ebook badge)

Delete:

• src/lib/services/request-delete.service.ts (ebook-specific logic)

Format Support

Format	Extension	Recommended
EPUB	.epub	✅ Yes
PDF	.pdf	⚠️ Sometimes
MOBI	.mobi	⚠️ Legacy
AZW3	.azw3	⚠️ Sometimes

Limitations

1. Single source (Anna's Archive) - future Prowlarr support stubbed
2. Title search may return wrong book for common titles
3. Download speed depends on file server load
4. English books only (title search filter)

Related

• File Organization - Ebook organization
• Settings Pages - Configuration UI
• Ranking Algorithm - Ebook ranking
• Request Deletion - Delete behavior