Pi Reads

Pi Reads turns web pages, pasted text, Markdown, and local files into a private reading library inside Pi. Keep a faithful copy, create a cited digest or synthesis, and export it to Markdown, HTML, PDF, EPUB, Obsidian, or Kindle.

What it does

• Faithful archive — captures the source without AI rewriting.
• Digest — creates a shorter, cited version.
• Synthesis — creates a new, cited article from source ideas.
• Local library — stores sources, articles, provenance, and exports under ~/Documents/pi-reads by default.
• Reading destinations — exports to local files, Obsidian, and Kindle.
• Safe delivery — asks before overwriting Obsidian files or sending Kindle email.

Archive content and AI-authored content are always stored separately.

Quick start

Requirements: Node.js 24+ and Pi.

pi install npm:pi-reads

In Pi, capture an article:

/reads https://example.com/article

Choose a mode:

Mode	Use it when you want…
archive	the source captured faithfully
digest	a shorter cited reading version
synthesis	a newly written cited article

Then choose an output such as Markdown, PDF, EPUB, Obsidian, or Kindle.

For the first PDF export, install Chromium once:

/reads-install-browser

Browse saved articles with:

/reads-list

Obsidian

Run /reads-config, choose Obsidian destination, and select your vault and inbox folders. Pi Reads writes a Markdown note, copies its images, preserves provenance, and asks before replacing a conflicting file.

You can also set the vault directly:

/reads-config obsidian ~/Documents/MyVault

See Obsidian integration.

Kindle

Run /reads-config, choose Kindle delivery, then choose System credential store — configure once. The wizard saves your Kindle and SMTP credentials in macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, or Linux Secret Service. The password is masked and credentials are not written to pi-reads.json.

A Kindle export starts as a dry run, showing the recipient and prepared EPUB or PDF without sending it. Ask Pi to send the article when ready; Pi displays the full recipient and requires confirmation before email delivery.

For iCloud Mail settings and CI environment overrides, see EPUB and Kindle delivery.

Commands

Command	Purpose
/reads	Capture an article and choose a mode and destination
/reads-config	Configure the library, Obsidian, or Kindle
/reads-list	Browse saved articles
/reads-install-browser	Install Chromium for PDF export

Pi Reads also provides the reads_ingest, reads_save_article, reads_export, and reads_library tools for agent-driven workflows.

Privacy and safety

• Your library stays outside the installed package and is not uploaded by Pi Reads.
• Archived source prose is immutable and separate from generated prose.
• Generated articles retain source IDs, citations, model information, and timestamps.
• Kindle credentials stay in the operating-system credential store; environment overrides are available for CI.
• Kindle sending and conflicting Obsidian overwrites require interactive confirmation.

See the product contract and security policy for details.

Updating or removing

pi update npm:pi-reads
pi remove npm:pi-reads

Removing the package does not delete the external reading library.

Development

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm article:install-browser
pnpm release:check

The original deterministic article:* print workflow remains supported. Contributor guidance is in CONTRIBUTING.md, and release instructions are in docs/releasing.md.

Documentation

• EPUB and Kindle delivery
• Obsidian integration
• Product and storage contract
• Architecture
• Versioned JSON schemas
• Changelog

Author and license

Created and maintained by Revaz Zakalashvili.

Pi Reads grew out of IrakliJani/irakli-reads, the article-to-print workflow created by my friend Irakli Janiashvili. I told Irakli I would turn the idea into a Pi package; this project is that extension of his original work.

Licensed under the MIT License.