EverReed field guide
If you already run a personal ebook server that publishes an OPDS catalog, connecting it to EverReed takes just a few pieces of information: an HTTPS URL and, in most cases, a username and password. Once the connection is in place, the books your server publishes show up inside EverReed, and the supported ones open in the built-in reader without a separate download step. This guide walks through what you need before you start, how EverReed talks to an OPDS server under the hood, and what actually happens when you tap on a book. It is written for readers who are new to self-hosted libraries as well as people who already have a Calibre, Kavita, Komga, or NAS-based setup and just want to know how EverReed fits in.
What you get
A personal ebook server that already publishes an OPDS catalog, and the HTTPS URL of that catalog. Use the authentication your server requires: a username and password, an access token, or an access key already included in the catalog URL. Treat a URL containing a key as a password and keep it out of public screenshots. EverReed does not provide the server itself and does not install or configure server software.
EverReed only connects to OPDS catalogs served over HTTPS. That rules out plain HTTP and local-only addresses that are not reachable over HTTPS from outside your network. The requirement is there so credentials, catalog listings, and file streams travel over an encrypted connection instead of the clear.
When you add a server, EverReed sends a request to the OPDS URL you provided and reads the catalog feed it returns. That feed describes the books available, their metadata, and the download links. EverReed does not need any special API on your side beyond a compliant OPDS feed served over HTTPS.
Open Read, choose Server, then Connect server. Enter a display name and your OPDS catalog URL (HTTPS). Choose the authentication your server uses; for a Kavita URL that already includes its key, choose None (public catalog or key in URL). Select Test connection, then Save connection. Saving starts the catalog import in the background; a successful test alone does not import your books.
Once connected, browsing your server feels the same as browsing the rest of your library. Titles, authors, and covers show up in EverReed based on what the OPDS feed publishes. Renaming, tagging, and organising still happen on the server side — EverReed reflects whatever the feed exposes.
Tap a supported book and the file streams from your server into EverReed. EPUB/KEPUB, PDF, TXT, sanitized HTML/XHTML, DRM-free MOBI/AZW3, and CBZ/CBR can open when the server publishes a usable file. Progress is saved to your account; text-aware tools depend on the format, while CBZ/CBR use page-based reading.
Your server-hosted books and your EverReed activity live in one place: taste signals, series tracking, TBR, reading stats, and reading progress. That means the same recommendation engine and the same library tools apply to books that live on your own hardware — no separate reading app, no separate tracker.
Most connection issues come down to three causes: the URL is not HTTPS, the URL does not actually point at an OPDS feed, or the credentials the server expects are wrong. Confirm you can load the feed URL from a browser that is not on your local network, then try the connection again in EverReed.
Useful details
Open your Kavita user settings and the 3rd Party Clients section, then copy your OPDS URL. Use the full HTTPS address reachable outside your local network, including its access key when present. Keep the URL private: the key grants access to your library. If it is exposed, regenerate it in Kavita and update the saved connection.
No. Test connection checks the top-level OPDS feed. After saving and importing, open a supported book you own to check its file link and reader behavior too. A working catalog can still contain an inaccessible file, an unsupported format, or a file with DRM.
It is the URL your server publishes as the entry point of its OPDS feed. It usually ends in something like /opds or /opds/v1.2 depending on the server software. Check your server's documentation for the exact path.
No. EverReed does not install, run, or host your ebook server. You bring your own server and give EverReed its OPDS URL and, if needed, credentials.
For EverReed to reach it, yes — the OPDS URL has to be reachable over HTTPS from outside your local network. How you expose it safely (a reverse proxy, tunnel, or VPN with public HTTPS) is up to you.
Use a certificate that mobile devices trust by default. Self-signed certificates that are not trusted by the operating system will typically prevent the connection.
They are stored so EverReed can reconnect to your catalog on your behalf. They are only used to fetch from your server; they are not shared with other users.
EverReed treats connected OPDS sources as first-class library entries alongside uploads. If you have more than one catalog, add each one and the books from each appear in your library.
Browsing new titles and streaming books both require the server to be reachable. If your server is down, EverReed cannot open books served by that connection until it comes back.
No. EverReed reads your catalog and streams book files. It does not write, rename, tag, or delete anything on your side.
No. Progress, bookmarks, notes, and highlights are stored in your EverReed account so they follow you across devices. Your server file is untouched.
Yes. Personal server support is optional. You can still track books, plan a TBR, follow series, and directly upload any supported EPUB/KEPUB, PDF, TXT, HTML/XHTML, DRM-free MOBI/AZW3, or CBZ/CBR file you own.
Read a Komga catalog on iOS and Android.
Read nextConnect the Calibre content server over OPDS.
Read nextReach a NAS-hosted library from your phone.
Read nextThe bigger picture behind running your own library.
Read nextHow OPDS works and why so many self-hosted setups use it.
Read nextConnect a Kavita instance through OPDS.
Read nextThe formats EverReed can open from uploads and compatible OPDS sources.
Read nextKeep reading
If you already run an OPDS-capable server, EverReed is ready to be the reading side of that setup.
