Novel Station

A desktop library and offline reader for web novels

Novel Station downloads web novels as self-contained HTML libraries that you can read in a browser. It keeps each novel's chapter list and download progress in a local desktop library.

Features

• Download novels from supported sites
• Download a single chapter, a selected chapter range, or all missing chapters
• Download a novel without adding it to the managed library
• Generate an offline index.html together with individual HTML files for each downloaded chapter
  • Read downloaded chapters directly in any web browser
  • Use your browser's built-in page translation
  • Translate chapters with browser extensions such as Immersive Translate
  • Extract individual chapters for translation or processing with LLMs
  • Keep chapters as portable, self-contained files for other tools and workflows
• User interface language provided in English, Traditional Chinese (繁體中文), Simplified Chinese (简体中文), or Japanese (日本語)
• Run native packages on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Screenshots

Supported Sites

• 小説家になろう
• 紙言
• カクヨム

Only novel or work URLs from these sites are accepted. Site changes can temporarily break parsing until Novel Station is updated.

Download

See the Releases page.

Remark: Portable packages do not make the library itself portable. Novel Station stores its configuration and database in the current user's application-data directory unless the operating system redirects that location.

Usage

1. Start Novel Station.
2. Paste a supported novel URL into the Novel URL field.
3. Select Add book to library, or select Download without adding for a one-time download.
4. Select a book to view its chapters and download progress.
5. Download one chapter, a chapter range, or all missing chapters.
6. Open the book folder and launch index.html in a browser to read the downloaded novel.

Use Settings to change the interface language, library folder, or delay between chapter requests. A longer request delay can help if a source site begins rejecting rapid downloads. Follow each source site's terms and avoid excessive requests.

Local Data and Privacy

The application stores the following data locally:

• library.sqlite3, containing managed books, chapters, statuses, and download progress
• config.json, containing the library folder, request delay, and interface language
• A library folder by default, containing the generated HTML books

These files are created under the operating system's application-data directory in a NovelStation folder. Changing the library folder in Settings changes where downloaded books are written, but does not move the database or configuration file.

Removing a book from the library lets you choose whether its downloaded files should also be deleted.

Development

Requirements

• Node.js 24 or later
• Rust stable
• The Tauri 2 prerequisites for the target platform

Getting Started

Clone the repository and install the locked JavaScript dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/makercyf/novel-station.git
Set-Location novel-station
npm ci

Start the application in development mode:

npm run dev

Run the Rust checks and tests:

cargo check --manifest-path ./src-tauri/Cargo.toml
cargo test --manifest-path ./src-tauri/Cargo.toml

Build Packages

Build the Windows NSIS installer:

npm run build:windows

Create a versioned standalone Windows executable in dist:

npm run package:standalone

Build the Linux AppImage on Linux:

npm run build:linux

Build the macOS DMG and application bundle on macOS:

npm run build:macos

The manual Release workflow builds the selected commit for Windows x64, Linux x64, macOS Apple Silicon, and macOS Intel. It collects the eight packages listed above and generates one SHA256SUMS.txt file in the combined workflow artifact.

Security Disclaimer

The executable files and installers distributed by this project are compiled in the GitHub Actions build environment using the source code and build configuration contained in this repository.

SHA-256 checksums are provided so that you can verify that a downloaded file has not been modified or corrupted after it was built. A matching checksum confirms file integrity, but it does not guarantee that a file is secure, free from vulnerabilities, or suitable for your environment.

To verify a downloaded package, calculate its SHA-256 hash and compare it with the matching line in SHA256SUMS.txt:

# Windows
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 -Path .\NovelStation-*-windows-x64-setup.exe

# macOS
shasum -a 256 ./NovelStation-*-macos-arm64.dmg

# Linux
sha256sum ./NovelStation-*-linux-x64-portable.AppImage

You should not rely solely on checksums, antivirus results, or the fact that a file was built through GitHub Actions. Before running software obtained from another person or project, you are strongly encouraged to review the source code, dependencies, build scripts, and workflow configuration.

If you have security or malware concerns, you can:

• Review the source code and build scripts yourself.
• Use static-analysis tools or an AI-assisted coding agent to help audit the code.
• Review the GitHub Actions workflow and its build logs.
• Scan the downloaded files with reputable security tools.
• Compile the application directly from the reviewed source code by following the build instructions in this README.

Automated or AI-assisted audits can help identify potential issues, but they should not be treated as a substitute for independent security review or professional judgment.

By downloading, building, or running Novel Station, you accept responsibility for evaluating whether the software is appropriate for your system and security requirements.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. Before submitting a change, run:

npm ci
cargo check --manifest-path ./src-tauri/Cargo.toml
cargo test --manifest-path ./src-tauri/Cargo.toml

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.