MCPInstall

grimmory-self-hosted-library

Expert knowledge for setting up, configuring, and extending Grimmory — a self-hosted book library manager supporting EPUBs, PDFs, comics, Kobo sync, OPDS, and multi-user management.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills --skill grimmory-self-hosted-library
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads grimmory-self-hosted-library automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Grimmory Self-Hosted Library Manager

Skill by ara.so — Daily 2026 Skills collection.

Grimmory is a self-hosted application (successor to BookLore) for managing your entire book collection. It supports EPUBs, PDFs, MOBIs, AZW/AZW3, and comics (CBZ/CBR/CB7), with a built-in browser reader, annotations, Kobo/OPDS sync, KOReader progress sync, metadata enrichment, and multi-user support.


Installation

Requirements

  • Docker and Docker Compose

Step 1: Create .env

# Application
APP_USER_ID=1000
APP_GROUP_ID=1000
TZ=Etc/UTC

# Database
DATABASE_URL=jdbc:mariadb://mariadb:3306/grimmory
DB_USER=grimmory
DB_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}

# Storage: LOCAL (default) or NETWORK
DISK_TYPE=LOCAL

# MariaDB
DB_USER_ID=1000
DB_GROUP_ID=1000
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
MYSQL_DATABASE=grimmory

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yml

services:
  grimmory:
    image: grimmory/grimmory:latest
    # Alternative registry: ghcr.io/grimmory-tools/grimmory:latest
    container_name: grimmory
    environment:
      - USER_ID=${APP_USER_ID}
      - GROUP_ID=${APP_GROUP_ID}
      - TZ=${TZ}
      - DATABASE_URL=${DATABASE_URL}
      - DATABASE_USERNAME=${DB_USER}
      - DATABASE_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - DISK_TYPE=${DISK_TYPE}
    depends_on:
      mariadb:
        condition: service_healthy
    ports:
      - "6060:6060"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
      - ./books:/books
      - ./bookdrop:/bookdrop
    healthcheck:
      test: wget -q -O - http://localhost:6060/api/v1/healthcheck
      interval: 60s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 60s
      timeout: 10s
    restart: unless-stopped

  mariadb:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/mariadb:11.4.5
    container_name: mariadb
    environment:
      - PUID=${DB_USER_ID}
      - PGID=${DB_GROUP_ID}
      - TZ=${TZ}
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=${MYSQL_DATABASE}
      - MYSQL_USER=${DB_USER}
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - ./mariadb/config:/config
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "mariadb-admin", "ping", "-h", "localhost"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 10

Step 3: Launch

docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f grimmory

# Check health
curl http://localhost:6060/api/v1/healthcheck

Open http://localhost:6060 and create your admin account.


Volume Layout

./data/          # App data, thumbnails, user config
./books/         # Your book files (mounted at /books)
./bookdrop/      # Drop-zone for auto-import (mounted at /bookdrop)
./mariadb/       # MariaDB data

Environment Variables Reference

VariableDescriptionDefault
USER_IDUID for the app process1000
GROUP_IDGID for the app process1000
TZTimezone stringEtc/UTC
DATABASE_URLJDBC connection stringrequired
DATABASE_USERNAMEDB usernamerequired
DATABASE_PASSWORDDB passwordrequired
DISK_TYPELOCAL or NETWORKLOCAL

Supported Book Formats

CategoryFormats
eBooksEPUB, MOBI, AZW, AZW3
DocumentsPDF
ComicsCBZ, CBR, CB7

BookDrop (Auto-Import)

Drop files into ./bookdrop/ on your host. Grimmory watches the folder, extracts metadata from Google Books and Open Library, and queues books for review.

./bookdrop/
  my-novel.epub        ← dropped here
  another-book.pdf     ← dropped here

Flow:

  1. Watch — Grimmory monitors /bookdrop continuously
  2. Detect — New files are picked up and parsed
  3. Enrich — Metadata fetched from Google Books / Open Library
  4. Import — Review in UI, adjust if needed, confirm import

Volume mapping required in docker-compose.yml:

volumes:
  - ./bookdrop:/bookdrop

Network Storage Mode

For NFS, SMB, or other network-mounted filesystems, set DISK_TYPE=NETWORK. This disables destructive UI operations (delete, move, rename) to protect shared mounts while keeping reading, metadata, and sync fully functional.

# .env
DISK_TYPE=NETWORK

Java Backend — Key Patterns

Grimmory is a Java application (Spring Boot + MariaDB). When contributing or extending:

Project Structure (typical Spring Boot layout)

src/main/java/
  com/grimmory/
    config/          # Spring configuration classes
    controller/      # REST API controllers
    service/         # Business logic
    repository/      # JPA repositories
    model/           # JPA entities
    dto/             # Data transfer objects

REST API — Base Path

All endpoints are under /api/v1/:

# Health check
GET http://localhost:6060/api/v1/healthcheck

# Books
GET http://localhost:6060/api/v1/books
GET http://localhost:6060/api/v1/books/{id}
POST http://localhost:6060/api/v1/books
PUT http://localhost:6060/api/v1/books/{id}
DELETE http://localhost:6060/api/v1/books/{id}

# Shelves
GET http://localhost:6060/api/v1/shelves
POST http://localhost:6060/api/v1/shelves

# OPDS catalog (for compatible reader apps)
GET http://localhost:6060/opds

Example: Querying the API with Java (OkHttp)

import okhttp3.*;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;

public class GrimmoryClient {

    private final OkHttpClient http = new OkHttpClient();
    private final ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
    private final String baseUrl;
    private final String token;

    public GrimmoryClient(String baseUrl, String token) {
        this.baseUrl = baseUrl;
        this.token = token;
    }

    public String getBooks() throws Exception {
        Request request = new Request.Builder()
            .url(baseUrl + "/api/v1/books")
            .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + token)
            .build();

        try (Response response = http.newCall(request).execute()) {
            return response.body().string();
        }
    }
}

Example: Spring Boot Controller Pattern

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/api/v1/books")
@RequiredArgsConstructor
public class BookController {

    private final BookService bookService;

    @GetMapping
    public ResponseEntity<Page<BookDto>> getAllBooks(
            @RequestParam(defaultValue = "0") int page,
            @RequestParam(defaultValue = "20") int size,
            @RequestParam(required = false) String search) {
        return ResponseEntity.ok(bookService.findAll(page, size, search));
    }

    @GetMapping("/{id}")
    public ResponseEntity<BookDto> getBook(@PathVariable Long id) {
        return ResponseEntity.ok(bookService.findById(id));
    }

    @PostMapping
    public ResponseEntity<BookDto> createBook(@RequestBody @Valid CreateBookRequest request) {
        return ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.CREATED)
                .body(bookService.create(request));
    }

    @PutMapping("/{id}/metadata")
    public ResponseEntity<BookDto> updateMetadata(
            @PathVariable Long id,
            @RequestBody @Valid UpdateMetadataRequest request) {
        return ResponseEntity.ok(bookService.updateMetadata(id, request));
    }
}

Example: JPA Entity Pattern

@Entity
@Table(name = "books")
@Data
@Builder
@NoArgsConstructor
@AllArgsConstructor
public class Book {

    @Id
    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
    private Long id;

    @Column(nullable = false)
    private String title;

    private String author;
    private String isbn;
    private String format;  // EPUB, PDF, CBZ, etc.

    @Column(name = "file_path")
    private String filePath;

    @Column(name = "cover_path")
    private String coverPath;

    @Column(name = "reading_progress")
    private Double readingProgress;

    @ManyToMany
    @JoinTable(
        name = "book_shelf",
        joinColumns = @JoinColumn(name = "book_id"),
        inverseJoinColumns = @JoinColumn(name = "shelf_id")
    )
    private Set<Shelf> shelves = new HashSet<>();

    @CreationTimestamp
    private LocalDateTime createdAt;

    @UpdateTimestamp
    private LocalDateTime updatedAt;
}

Example: Service with Metadata Enrichment

@Service
@RequiredArgsConstructor
public class MetadataService {

    private final GoogleBooksClient googleBooksClient;
    private final OpenLibraryClient openLibraryClient;
    private final BookRepository bookRepository;

    public BookDto enrichMetadata(Long bookId) {
        Book book = bookRepository.findById(bookId)
            .orElseThrow(() -> new BookNotFoundException(bookId));

        // Try Google Books first
        Optional<BookMetadata> metadata = googleBooksClient.search(book.getTitle(), book.getAuthor());

        // Fall back to Open Library
        if (metadata.isEmpty()) {
            metadata = openLibraryClient.search(book.getIsbn());
        }

        metadata.ifPresent(m -> {
            book.setDescription(m.getDescription());
            book.setCoverUrl(m.getCoverUrl());
            book.setPublisher(m.getPublisher());
            book.setPublishedDate(m.getPublishedDate());
            bookRepository.save(book);
        });

        return BookDto.from(book);
    }
}

OPDS Integration

Connect any OPDS-compatible reader app (Kybook, Chunky, Moon+ Reader, etc.) using:

http://<your-host>:6060/opds

Authenticate with your Grimmory username and password when prompted.


Kobo / KOReader Sync

  • Kobo: Connect via the device sync feature in Grimmory settings. The app exposes a sync endpoint compatible with Kobo's API.
  • KOReader: Configure KOReader's sync plugin to point to your Grimmory instance URL.

Multi-User & Authentication

Local Authentication

Create users from the admin panel at http://localhost:6060. Each user has isolated shelves, reading progress, and preferences.

OIDC Authentication

Configure via environment variables (refer to full documentation at https://grimmory.org/docs/getting-started for OIDC-specific variables such as OIDC_ISSUER_URI, OIDC_CLIENT_ID, OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET).


Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/grimmory-tools/grimmory.git
cd grimmory

# Build with Maven
./mvnw clean package -DskipTests

# Or build Docker image locally
docker build -t grimmory:local .

# Use local build in docker-compose.yml
# Comment out 'image' and uncomment 'build: .'

Common Docker Commands

# Start services
docker compose up -d

# Stop services
docker compose down

# View app logs
docker compose logs -f grimmory

# View DB logs
docker compose logs -f mariadb

# Restart only the app
docker compose restart grimmory

# Pull latest image and redeploy
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

# Open a shell inside the container
docker exec -it grimmory /bin/bash

# Database shell
docker exec -it mariadb mariadb -u grimmory -p grimmory

Troubleshooting

Container won't start — DB connection refused

# Check MariaDB health
docker compose ps mariadb
# Should show "healthy". If not:
docker compose logs mariadb
# Ensure DATABASE_URL host matches the service name: mariadb:3306

Books not appearing after BookDrop

# Verify file permissions — UID/GID must match APP_USER_ID/APP_GROUP_ID
ls -la ./bookdrop/
# Check app logs for detection events
docker compose logs -f grimmory | grep -i bookdrop

Permission denied on ./books or ./data

# Set ownership to match APP_USER_ID / APP_GROUP_ID
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ./books ./data ./bookdrop

OPDS not accessible from reader app

# Confirm port 6060 is reachable from your device
curl http://<host-ip>:6060/api/v1/healthcheck
# Check firewall rules if on a remote server

High memory usage

MariaDB and Grimmory together require at minimum ~512 MB RAM. For large libraries (10k+ books), allocate 1–2 GB.

Metadata not enriching

Google Books and Open Library require outbound internet access from the container. Verify DNS and network:

docker exec -it grimmory curl -s "https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes?q=test"

Contributing

Before opening a pull request:

  1. Open an issue and get maintainer approval
  2. Include screenshots/video proof and pasted test output
  3. Follow backend and frontend conventions in CONTRIBUTING.md
  4. AI-assisted code is allowed but you must run, test, and understand every line
# Run tests before submitting
./mvnw test

# Check code style
./mvnw checkstyle:check

Links

FAQ

What does the grimmory-self-hosted-library skill do?

Expert knowledge for setting up, configuring, and extending Grimmory — a self-hosted book library manager supporting EPUBs, PDFs, comics, Kobo sync, OPDS, and multi-user management.

How do I install grimmory-self-hosted-library?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills --skill grimmory-self-hosted-library in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/grimmory-self-hosted-library/ (personal) or .claude/skills/grimmory-self-hosted-library/ (project).

Which AI agents can use grimmory-self-hosted-library?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is grimmory-self-hosted-library safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains grimmory-self-hosted-library?

It is published by reason-machines in reason-machines/trending-skills. It has 1,275 recorded installs.

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