An ebook reader where the AI is the app, not a sidebar

What it does ReadAware is a free, open-source reader for macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS that handles EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2, PDF, TXT, HTML, CBZ, and CBR without format conversion. On top of the reading sits a single agent that answers questions in context and builds an evolving memory from your books, highlights, notes, and conversations. It works fully offline with or without AI — the agent is optional, not the admission price.

The interesting bit Most apps bolt AI onto a sidebar; here the agent orchestrates retrieval, context assembly, tool use, and memory, and the interface is a surface it acts on. Plugins and the agent go through the same domain API — every read, write, and event carries its origin (user, plugin, or agent) — so a plugin can add a tool the agent immediately uses. The stated long game: an agent that extends the app for you, through the same contracts plugins are written against.

Key highlights

• Local-first: SQLite event log as source of truth, memory and search are rebuildable projections — retrieval uses SQLite FTS plus scope, recency, and importance, no vector database required.
• Sandboxed, permission-gated plugin marketplace: voices, themes, dictionaries, RSS-as-books, and new agent tools.
• End-to-end encrypted sync via the ReadAware relay or your own WebDAV server; the remote only ever stores ciphertext.
• Sentence-by-sentence reading mode pitched as calm and ADHD-friendly; vocabulary annotations become review material.
• A headless CLI (ra) that reads and writes the desktop library and imports books, with or without the app running.
• AGPL-3.0 overall, but the public plugin API is MIT so third-party plugins can pick any license.

Caveats

• Windows and Linux builds exist but the README admits broader real-world testing is welcome; iOS is TestFlight-only, no App Store yet.
• Sync encryption uses a passphrase that cannot be recovered if forgotten — same passphrase required on every device.
• AI inference is separate from sync encryption: relevant reading context is sent to your chosen model provider, so the “offline” claim applies to reading, not chatting.

Verdict Worth a look if you want a serious local-first reader that treats AI as an optional, well-architected layer rather than a gimmick. Skip it if you just want a minimal EPUB viewer — the agent and plugin machinery is the point here.