calibre-clilisted

This skill should be used when the user works with a Calibre ebook library or invokes any Calibre CLI tool — calibredb, ebook-meta, fetch-ebook-metadata, ebook-convert, calibre-server. Triggers on phrases like "Calibre library", "calibredb", "ebook metadata", "EPUB/MOBI/PDF library", "add books to Calibre", "fix book metadata", "merge duplicate books", "ISBN lookup for my library", "metadata.db", or any mention of Kovid Goyal's Calibre. Also use it when the user references an Obsidian/JD path containing "Calibre libraries" or a `metadata.db` file. Captures the canonical OPF round-trip workflow, the Content Server escape hatch for the GUI-lock problem, footguns around field naming and author syntax, and patterns for merging duplicates (which Calibre has no built-in command for). Use this skill even if the user does not explicitly name "Calibre" — if you see a folder containing `metadata.db` plus author-named subfolders, that is a Calibre library and this skill applies.
nelsonlove/claude-code-plugins · ★ 0 · Data & Documents · score 58

Install: claude install-skill nelsonlove/claude-code-plugins

# Calibre CLI Calibre ships a CLI suite alongside its GUI. Most "manage my ebook library" tasks are best done from the shell — bulk operations are slow and clumsy in the GUI. The CLI is mature, well-documented, and stable across versions, but it has several footguns that are not obvious from `--help` alone. This skill captures the non-obvious parts. ## The five binaries that matter | Binary | Purpose | Use when | |---|---|---| | `calibredb` | Library DB operations | Adding, removing, querying, setting metadata, merging — anything that touches `metadata.db` | | `ebook-meta` | Single-file metadata read/write | Want to read or write metadata inside a file without involving a library | | `fetch-ebook-metadata` | Pull metadata from online sources | Have an ISBN or title and want canonical metadata + cover | | `ebook-convert` | Format conversion | Converting EPUB ↔ MOBI ↔ PDF ↔ AZW3 ↔ etc. | | `calibre-server` | Content server (HTTP/OPDS) | Need to bypass the GUI lock for concurrent CLI writes | Ignore the rest (`calibre-debug`, `calibre-smtp`, `lrf2lrs`, etc.) unless a specific need arises. ## Library connection Always pass `--library-path` (or its alias `--with-library`) to every `calibredb` invocation. Two forms: ```bash # Direct path — requires Calibre GUI to be closed calibredb list --library-path "/path/to/library" --fields=id,title --limit 5 # Content Server URL — works while the GUI is running calibredb list --with-library=http://localhost:8080/#mylibrary --fields=i