# Yomikiru: an offline desktop reader for local manga, comics and EPUB novels > Yomikiru is an Electron and React desktop application for reading manga, manhwa, comics, webtoons and EPUB novels that are already on your disk, with multiple reading modes, themes, bookmarks and Anilist progress sync. It is explicit that it hosts nothing, downloads nothing and streams nothing, and the current development focus is a gallery view and a styling rewrite. **mienaiyami/yomikiru** — A powerful offline manga, manhwa, comic, and novel reader for desktop Yomikiru is a feature-rich desktop application designed for reading locally stored manga, comics, webtoons, and EPUB novels. Built with Electron and React, it offers a customizable and distraction-free reading experience. - Repository: https://github.com/mienaiyami/yomikiru - Stars: 570 · Forks: 28 - Language: TypeScript - License: MIT - Published: 2026-10-22 · Updated: 2026-10-22 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/mienaiyami-yomikiru ## A local library reader, and the lines it refuses to cross Yomikiru is described as a powerful offline manga, manhwa, comic and novel reader for desktop, a feature-rich desktop application for reading locally stored manga, comics, webtoons and EPUB novels, built with Electron and React to offer a customizable and distraction-free reading experience. The scope is defined just as clearly by what it will not do. There is no content hosting, so it does not host or provide access to online content. There is no downloader, so it does not download content from the internet. And there is no streaming, since it works only with locally stored files. That makes the project the reader half of a workflow, and it is worth saying so plainly, because a user who expects a catalogue in the app will be disappointed and a user whose library is already on disk will not care. ## Reading modes, from vertical scroll to dual page and zen The reading experience is where most of the feature list sits. There are multiple reading modes, with vertical scroll, left-to-right and right-to-left navigation, and a Zen Mode for distraction-free fullscreen reading. Custom scrolling gives adjustable scroll speed with keyboard navigation, and a dual page view shows pages side by side, which matters for the wide spreads that manga and comics use. Webtoon support is a separate entry, described as seamless vertical scrolling with no gaps, since a webtoon is a continuous strip rather than a fixed page grid. The reading history and bookmarks are listed under library management, with bookmarks saving progress with page numbers and history tracking where you were, and there is search and filter for finding content in large libraries, plus multiple instances so you can open several reading windows at once. ## Customisation covers themes, fonts, layout and key bindings The customisation section is where an Electron reader can differentiate itself from a plain image viewer. There are multiple built-in themes and you can create and share your own. Font customisation adjusts size, family and margins, which the README scopes to EPUB. Layout options cover gaps, margins and page arrangements, and the key bindings are fully customisable. Drag and drop is listed under the technical features for easy file management, and file explorer integration lets you open files directly from the system explorer. The whole point of the offline-first framing shows up in the same list, with no internet connection required for reading, alongside cross-platform support for Windows, macOS and Linux and a portable mode that runs from USB drives or external storage. The README also calls out low CPU and RAM usage under the heading of being lightweight. ## Formats, archives and the recommendation to avoid archives The format support is broad. Images cover .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .webp, .svg, .apng, .gif and .avif. Archives cover .zip, .cbz, .7z, .rar and .cbr, and document formats include .pdf, which is read as images. EPUB has full support with bookmarks, notes and customisation, while PDF is described as basic reading support. The one recommendation in the README is worth repeating because it will save you time: use folders with images instead of archives for the best performance and experience. The integrations section adds Anilist support to sync reading progress with your account, TachiDesk compatibility for that download structure, and the archive support already listed. The audiences the README names are manga enthusiasts, comic readers, webtoon fans, novel readers, collectors who organise large libraries, and offline users. ## Stable and beta channels, and the database warning Releases come in two flavours and the README is careful about the difference. Beta versions are for users who want the latest features before they reach the stable channel, and the README says plainly that they may contain bugs and are not recommended for production use. They are found on the releases page marked as Pre-release, and there is also a beta branch with the latest development code. Stable is described as recommended for regular use and thoroughly tested, while beta is for testing and feedback. Two warnings come with that. The first is that beta versions may have database schema changes that are not backward compatible, so you should always back up your data before using them. The second is that if you are on a version older than 2.20.0, you should update to the latest stable version to avoid automatic beta installations. The release history shows how active the project is, with v2.25.0-beta.7 on 2026-09-07, v2.25.0-beta.13 on 2026-10-09 and v2.25.0 on 2026-10-19. ## Building from source, and the dev-only demo library The development section explains how to test the interface and the format handling locally, and the mechanism is a demo library that is never shipped with installs. It is populated with public domain EPUBs, open comic pages and generated fake chapters, and the README says to add the printed demo/ path as a library location in Settings once it is set up: ```powershell pnpm demo:setup ``` The package metadata shows the stack behind it, with an Electron Forge setup where dev is electron-forge start and packaging uses electron-forge package and make targets for a Squirrel installer and a zip, both for x64. The database is better-sqlite3 with Drizzle ORM, and the drizzle scripts cover push, studio, generate and migrate, with the drizzle script running under ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE. Quality tooling is Biome rather than ESLint, with a check script that runs biome check and tsc --noemit, and Husky with lint-staged for the pre-commit hook. The repository also has an e2e directory with a Playwright configuration, a vitest configuration and a forge configuration, and the documentation set covers the user guide, screenshots, the build guide, contributing and the demo fixtures. ## What the roadmap says is still being rewritten The current focus section is a list of work in progress, and it reads like an honest note from a maintainer rather than a plan. Gallery View for the home page is being implemented. UI Components are being migrated to custom Radix UI components for better accessibility. The styling system is getting a complete redesign, and the modern stack section says the project is considering a migration to Vite and Tanstack Query, which is a fairly large change given the current Electron Forge and webpack layout. Future plans are more modest, with enhanced performance and optimization for large collections, and additional formats to expand supported file types. The repository reflects the same transitional state, with a webpack directory and a vite-style config, a biome configuration alongside a backup of the old eslint configuration, and the drizzle directory holding the schema. It is MIT licensed, and the project also ships a PKGBUILD for Arch, a PRIVACY.md and a code of conduct. ## Conclusion Yomikiru fits a reader who already has their library on disk and wants a single application that handles image folders, comic archives, PDFs and EPUBs without a network connection in the loop. It does not fit anyone looking for a catalogue or a downloader, since the README rules out content hosting, downloading and streaming outright. Before installing, download the appropriate package for your platform, keep the stable channel unless you want to test features, and read the beta warning about database schema changes and backing up your data before installing a pre-release. ## FAQ ### Does Yomikiru download manga or stream content? No. The README states that Yomikiru has no content hosting, no downloader and no streaming, and that it works only with locally stored files. It is a reader for a library you already have on disk. ### Which file formats does Yomikiru open? Images including .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .webp, .svg, .apng, .gif and .avif, archives including .zip, .cbz, .7z, .rar and .cbr, PDF for image based reading, and EPUB with bookmarks, notes and customisation. The README recommends folders of images rather than archives for the best performance. ### Is it safe to install a Yomikiru beta version? The README warns that beta versions may contain bugs, are not recommended for production use, and may have database schema changes that are not backward compatible, so you should back up your data first. It also advises anyone on a version older than 2.20.0 to update to the latest stable version to avoid automatic beta installations. ### How do I set up Yomikiru for development? Run pnpm demo:setup to populate a dev-only demo library of public domain EPUBs, open comic pages and generated fake chapters, which is not shipped with installs, then add the printed demo/ path as a library location in Settings. The package uses electron-forge start for development and Biome with tsc for checks. ## Sources - [Issues](https://github.com/mienaiyami/yomikiru/issues) - [License: MIT](https://github.com/mienaiyami/yomikiru/blob/master/LICENSE) - [mienaiyami/yomikiru on GitHub](https://github.com/mienaiyami/yomikiru) - [README](https://github.com/mienaiyami/yomikiru/blob/master/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/mienaiyami/yomikiru/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/mienaiyami-yomikiru