Free reader for real books. Look up and explain what you don't understand, discuss it with your own AI assistant, save what you learn back into the book.
- Web: textstack.app. Sample chapters open without signup.
- Android: Google Play.
- Self-host: see Run locally.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Library and uploads | Browse the catalog, or upload your own EPUB / PDF and read it after parsing. |
| Kindle-like reader | Themes, fonts, fullscreen, keyboard shortcuts, bookmarks, highlights, reading stats. |
| Explain and translate | Select a phrase and get a short explanation or translation that takes the book's context into account. |
| Vocabulary review | Words you look up are saved with their sentence and reviewed with spaced repetition. |
| Read aloud | Text-to-speech with adjustable speed. |
| Offline and sync | Download books for offline reading on web and Android; progress syncs across devices. |
| AI assistant (MCP) | Connect your own AI assistant to your library. See below. |
TextStack is a Model Context Protocol server, so an assistant you already use (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor) can work with your books:
- Read: the assistant searches your library and reads the chapter you are on.
- Discuss: ask about the chapter, an argument or a hard passage.
- Save back: conclusions go into the book as insights, highlights, chapter reviews and vocabulary. Chapter reviews and vocabulary are saved only after you say yes.
Setup, tools and auth: docs/05-features/mcp.md.
Prerequisites: Docker, pnpm, Node.js (.nvmrc) and the .NET SDK for the target in Directory.Build.props (only needed outside Docker).
git clone https://github.com/mrviduus/textstack
cd textstack
cp .env.example .env # fill POSTGRES_PASSWORD and JWT_SECRET (32+ chars); OPENAI_API_KEY enables AI features
make up # backend services in Docker (builds on first run)
pnpm install
pnpm -C apps/web dev # web is not a compose service| Service | URL |
|---|---|
| Web | http://localhost:5173 |
| API | http://localhost:8080 (Scalar docs) |
| Admin | http://localhost:81 |
Tests, migrations, mobile and the rest: docs/03-ops/local-dev.md and CLAUDE.md.
Bug reports, ideas and PRs are welcome. Read CONTRIBUTING.md first, or open an issue.
GNU AGPL v3.0 © 2026 Vasyl Vdovychenko. Free to use, modify and self-host. If you run a modified version as a network service, you must publish your changes under the same license.
A commercial license is available for organizations that cannot use AGPL (proprietary forks, hosted commercial services). Contact: mrviduus@gmail.com.
- Standard Ebooks corpus in seed data: CC0 / public domain
- Edge TTS: used under Microsoft's Edge Read Aloud terms
- Third-party dependencies: their respective licenses