Reader: An Open-Source Native macOS AI Reading Workspace

Summary

Reader is an open-source native macOS application that combines PDF, EPUB, and plain-text reading with highlights, notes, web research, and AI conversation in one workspace. Users can ask questions about a selected passage, the current page, all text up to their reading position, or the whole book, and can rewrite difficult passages in clearer language without leaving the page. The app also places a system dictionary, another book, a native browser, or AI chat beside the reading view. Its library, progress, highlights, notes, search, and saved conversations are stored locally in SQLite and remain usable without an account or backend. Optional Supabase and Vercel services can sync book files, reading state, annotations, and searchable book context, while cloud access and AI preparation are not required for basic reading and annotation. The native app uses SwiftUI, PDFKit, WebKit, ZIPFoundation, and GRDB, and requires macOS 15 and Xcode 16. EPUB pagination and full standards coverage are still incomplete, and the project is designed with future iOS and iPadOS support in mind.