CLI Reference¶

Complete reference for all ebk commands.

Global Options¶

ebk --help              # Show help
ebk --verbose           # Enable verbose output
ebk --version           # Show version

Library Management Commands¶

init¶

Initialize a new library:

ebk init <library-path>

Creates a new ebk library with database and directory structure.

import¶

Import ebook files:

ebk import <file> <library-path>
ebk import <file1> <file2> ... <library-path>
ebk import ~/books/*.pdf <library-path>

Options: - --extract-text - Extract text for FTS (default: true) - --extract-cover - Extract cover image (default: true) - --recursive - Import directories recursively

import-calibre¶

Import from Calibre library:

ebk import-calibre <calibre-library> --output <ebk-library>

Options: - --output - Output library path (required) - --formats - File formats to import (default: all)

list¶

List books in library:

ebk list <library-path>

Options: - --author <name> - Filter by author - --language <code> - Filter by language (e.g., en, de) - --format <format> - Filter by file format (pdf, epub, mobi) - --rating <number> - Filter by minimum rating (0-5) - --tag <tag> - Filter by personal tag - --limit <number> - Limit results (default: 50) - --sort-by <field> - Sort by field (title, author, date, rating) - --format json - Output as JSON

search¶

Full-text search:

ebk search <query> <library-path>

Searches across: - Book title - Description - Extracted text content

Options: - --fields <field1,field2> - Limit search to specific fields - --language <code> - Filter by language - --author <name> - Filter by author - --limit <number> - Limit results

stats¶

Show library statistics:

ebk stats <library-path>

Options: - --format json - Output as JSON

Displays: - Total books, authors, subjects - File formats and counts - Languages - Storage size

Reading Management¶

rate¶

Rate a book:

ebk rate <library-path> <book-id> <rating>

Rating: 0-5 (0 = unrated)

favorite¶

Toggle favorite status:

ebk favorite <library-path> <book-id>

tag¶

Manage personal tags:

# Add tags
ebk tag <library-path> <book-id> --add "tag1" "tag2"

# Remove tags
ebk tag <library-path> <book-id> --remove "tag1"

# List tags
ebk tag <library-path> <book-id> --list

purge¶

Remove books from library:

ebk purge <library-path> [options]

Options: - --rating <n> - Remove books with rating <= n - --unread - Remove unread books - --format <fmt> - Remove specific format - --confirm - Skip confirmation prompt

Warning: This permanently removes books!

Web Server¶

serve¶

Start web server:

ebk serve <library-path>

Options: - --host <host> - Bind address (default: from config) - --port <port> - Port number (default: from config) - --auto-open - Open browser automatically

AI-Powered Features¶

enrich¶

Enrich metadata using LLM:

ebk enrich <library-path>

Options: - --generate-tags - Generate descriptive tags - --categorize - Assign hierarchical categories - --enhance-descriptions - Improve descriptions - --assess-difficulty - Determine reading level - --book-id <id> - Enrich specific book - --host <host> - LLM server host - --model <model> - LLM model name - --dry-run - Preview changes without saving - --batch-size <n> - Process n books at a time

Configuration¶

config¶

Manage configuration:

# Initialize
ebk config init

# View all
ebk config show

# View section
ebk config show --section llm

# Edit
ebk config edit

# Set value
ebk config set <key> <value>

# Get value
ebk config get <key>

Configuration keys: - llm.provider - LLM provider (ollama, openai) - llm.model - Model name - llm.host - Server host - llm.port - Server port - llm.temperature - Sampling temperature - server.host - Web server host - server.port - Web server port - server.auto_open_browser - Auto-open browser - server.page_size - Results per page - cli.verbose - Verbose output - cli.color - Colored output - library.default_path - Default library path

Export and Utilities¶

export¶

Export library:

# Export to ZIP
ebk export zip <library-path> <output.zip>

# Export to JSON
ebk export json <library-path> <output.json>

vlib¶

Manage virtual libraries (filtered views):

# Create virtual library
ebk vlib create <library-path> <name> [filters]

# List virtual libraries
ebk vlib list <library-path>

# Delete virtual library
ebk vlib delete <library-path> <name>

note¶

Manage book notes and annotations:

# Add note
ebk note add <library-path> <book-id> "<note text>"

# List notes
ebk note list <library-path> <book-id>

# Delete note
ebk note delete <library-path> <note-id>

view¶

View book content:

ebk view <library-path> <book-id>

Opens the book in the default application for its format.

about¶

Show information about ebk:

ebk about

Displays version, installation path, and configuration location.

Examples¶

Import and Organize¶

# Create library
ebk init ~/my-library

# Import Calibre collection
ebk import-calibre ~/Calibre/Library --output ~/my-library

# Import additional files
ebk import ~/Downloads/*.pdf ~/my-library

# Generate tags
ebk enrich ~/my-library --generate-tags

Search and Filter¶

# Search for Python books
ebk search "Python programming" ~/my-library

# List highly rated books
ebk list ~/my-library --rating 4

# Find books by Knuth
ebk list ~/my-library --author Knuth

Web Interface Workflow¶

# Configure server
ebk config set server.port 8000
ebk config set server.auto_open_browser true

# Start server
ebk serve ~/my-library

# Browse at http://localhost:8000

Batch Processing¶

# Import multiple directories
find ~/Downloads -name "*.pdf" -exec ebk import {} ~/my-library \;

# Enrich all books
ebk enrich ~/my-library --generate-tags --categorize --batch-size 10

# Export for backup
ebk export zip ~/my-library ~/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).zip