I'm an animator, learning to be a programmer. I built a free ebook reader with AI. Here's how...

Description and use

The author built a free EPUB/MOBI/AZW3 reader with smooth scrolling and note features, leveraging AI for requirement clarification and the foliate-js library.

Problem

Existing ebook readers lacked a smooth scrolling experience, consistent page counts, and easy bookmarking for EPUB, MOBI, and AZW3 files.

Outcome

bulleye provides a smooth, feature‑rich reading experience for EPUB, MOBI, and AZW3 files, addressing gaps in existing readers.

Workflow

• 1. Identified desired features by comparing existing readers.
• 2. Consulted an AI assistant, providing a concrete reference (Acrobat) and describing needed behavior.
• 3. Iteratively changed one feature at a time, testing and refining based on observed issues.
• 4. Leveraged the open‑source foliate-js library for file parsing.
• 5. Implemented optional auto‑update checks and ensured offline functionality.
• 6. Added user‑friendly features (tabs, themes, auto‑scroll, pomodoro).
• 7. Released bulleye as a free, ad‑free app and solicited user feedback.

Evidence

I had never built an app before this year.

Source

The result is bulleye, a free ebook reader for Windows and Linux.

Source

The part that reads book files is an existing open library called foliate-js.

Source