Book Tools

Search and download books from multiple sources through a unified CLI.

Language

Match user's language: Respond in the same language the user uses.

Backends

Backend	Source	Auth Required	Best For
zlib	Z-Library (EAPI)	Email + Password	Largest catalog, direct download
annas	Anna's Archive	API Key (donation)	Aggregated sources, multiple mirrors

Preflight

Before any workflow, run preflight to check environment readiness:

python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py preflight

Returns standardized JSON:

{
  "ready": true,
  "dependencies": { "python3": {"status": "ok"}, "requests": {"status": "ok"} },
  "credentials": { "zlib": {"status": "configured"}, "annas_api_key": {"status": "not_configured"} },
  "services": { "annas_binary": {"status": "ok"} }
}

• If ready: true — proceed directly to the Workflow section.
• If ready: false — follow the Check/Fix table below, then run the Setup flow.

Check	Fix
requests missing	bash ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/setup.sh install-deps (or manually: pip3 install requests / uv pip install requests)
zlib not configured	Guide user to edit ~/.claude/book-tools/.env — set ZLIB_EMAIL and ZLIB_PASSWORD
zlib expired	Cached tokens expired and no email/password in .env. Guide user to re-add credentials to ~/.claude/book-tools/.env
annas_api_key not configured	Guide user to donate at Anna's Archive for API key, then add ANNAS_SECRET_KEY to ~/.claude/book-tools/.env
annas_binary missing	bash ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/setup.sh install-annas (or manually: download from annas-mcp releases, extract to ~/.local/bin/annas-mcp)

Setup (First-Time Only)

Only run setup when preflight reports ready: false. Guide the user through configuration interactively.

Step 1: Install Dependencies

bash ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/setup.sh install-deps

Step 2: Configure Credentials

Credentials are stored in ~/.claude/book-tools/.env. Create the file from the skill's bundled template:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/book-tools
# Only copy if .env does not already exist — never overwrite existing credentials
if [ ! -f ~/.claude/book-tools/.env ]; then
  cp ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/.env.example ~/.claude/book-tools/.env
else
  echo "Existing .env found — skipping copy to preserve your credentials."
fi

The .env file looks like this:

# Z-Library credentials
ZLIB_EMAIL=your_email@example.com
ZLIB_PASSWORD=your_password_here

# Anna's Archive (optional, requires donation for API key)
# ANNAS_SECRET_KEY=your_api_key_here

IMPORTANT: Do NOT ask the user for credentials directly in chat. Instead:

1. Create the .env file (or .env.example template)
2. Tell the user to edit ~/.claude/book-tools/.env with their credentials
3. Wait for the user to confirm they've filled it in
4. Then proceed with search

Step 3: Verify

python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py preflight

Confirm ready: true before proceeding.

Credential Storage

Canonical path: ~/.claude/book-tools/.env — this is the single place users should edit credentials.

Variable	Purpose	Required
ZLIB_EMAIL	Z-Library email	For Z-Library backend
ZLIB_PASSWORD	Z-Library password	For Z-Library backend
ANNAS_SECRET_KEY	Anna's Archive API key	For Anna's Archive backend

On first successful Z-Library login, session tokens are automatically cached in ~/.claude/book-tools/config.json for performance. This file is auto-managed — do not edit it manually. If login issues occur, delete config.json and the script will re-login using .env credentials.

Workflow

The typical flow is: search → pick → download.

1. Search

# Auto-detect backend (tries zlib first, then annas)
python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py search "machine learning" --limit 10

# Z-Library with filters
python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py search "deep learning" --source zlib --lang english --ext pdf --limit 5

# Anna's Archive
python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py search "reinforcement learning" --source annas

# Chinese books
python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py search "莱姆 索拉里斯" --source zlib --lang chinese --limit 5

Output (JSON to stdout):

{
  "source": "zlib",
  "count": 5,
  "books": [
    {
      "source": "zlib",
      "id": "12345",
      "hash": "abc123def",
      "title": "Deep Learning",
      "author": "Ian Goodfellow",
      "year": "2016",
      "language": "english",
      "extension": "pdf",
      "filesize": "22.5 MB"
    }
  ]
}

2. Present Results to User

After searching, present results as a numbered table so the user can pick:

| # | Title | Author | Year | Format | Size |
|---|-------|--------|------|--------|------|
| 1 | Deep Learning | Ian Goodfellow | 2016 | pdf | 22.5 MB |
| 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

If results span multiple languages or editions, group them by language or category with sub-headings for clarity.

Ask: "Which book would you like to download? (number)"

3. Download

# Z-Library download (needs id + hash from search results)
python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py download --source zlib --id 12345 --hash abc123def -o ~/Downloads/

# Anna's Archive download (needs MD5 hash from search results)
python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py download --source annas --hash a1b2c3d4e5 --filename "deep_learning.pdf" -o ~/Downloads/

Output:

{
  "source": "zlib",
  "status": "ok",
  "path": "~/Downloads/Deep Learning (Ian Goodfellow).pdf",
  "size": 23592960
}

4. Report to User

After download, present a structured completion report:

[Book Download] Complete!
Book: [title] by [author]
Source: [zlib/annas]
Path: [file path]
Size: [file size]

If using Z-Library, also mention any remaining daily download quota.

Other Commands

Book Info (Z-Library only)

python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py info --source zlib --id 12345 --hash abc123def

Returns full metadata: description, ISBN, pages, table of contents, etc.

Check Config

python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py config show

Check Backend Status

python3 ${SKILL_PATH}/scripts/book.py setup

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Action
"Z-Library not configured"	No credentials	Guide user to edit ~/.claude/book-tools/.env
"Z-Library login failed"	Bad credentials or service down	Ask user to verify credentials. Z-Library domains change — if persistent, the vendored Zlibrary.py domain may need updating.
"annas-mcp binary not found"	Binary not installed	Run setup.sh install-annas
"Anna's Archive API key not configured"	No API key	Guide user to donate at Anna's Archive for API access, then add key to .env
Search timeout	Network issue	Retry once. If persistent, try the other backend.
"No backend available"	Neither backend configured	Walk through full setup flow from Step 1

Degradation

Scenario	Behavior
Z-Library down	Auto-fallback to Anna's Archive (--source auto handles this)
Anna's Archive unavailable	Use Z-Library only
Neither configured	Halt and guide user through Setup flow

Tips

• Z-Library has a daily download limit (usually 10/day for free accounts). Use info to check a book before downloading to avoid wasting quota.
• Anna's Archive requires an API key for both search and download (obtained via donation).
• For Chinese books, use --lang chinese with Z-Library for best results.
• If Z-Library is unreachable, automatically fall back to Anna's Archive with --source auto.
• When searching for a specific author in multiple languages, run parallel searches (e.g. English name + Chinese name) and merge results into one table.