Development Roadmap

Phase by
phase.

Alcove builds incrementally — each phase ships complete before the next begins. Here's where everything stands.

Phase Focus Status
Phase 0App Store launch requirementsIn Progress
Phase 1Mac catalog — core library managementComplete
Phase 1biPad catalogComplete
Phase 1cIn-app help systemIn Progress
Phase 1dLocalization infrastructureComplete
Phase 1eCI/CD + TestFlight releaseIn Progress
Phase 2Alternative formats (MOBI/AZW3, Spotlight)In Progress
Phase 3In-app reading, Calibre import, iPhoneUpcoming
Phase 4Collections, smart organization, extended metadataPlanned
Phase 5LLM-powered smart classificationPlanned

Phase 1 — Complete

Mac & iPad Catalog

The core library manager: import your ebooks, organize them the way you think, and keep everything in sync across your devices.

Library

  • Import EPUBs, PDFs, and MOBI/AZW3 files via drag & drop, File → Import, or iCloud Drive
  • Grid and list views with cover art, ratings, and reading status — Mac and iPad
  • Sidebar filters: reading status, tags, star ratings, series
  • Full-text search across title, author, and description
  • Sort by title, author, date added, rating, reading status, or series
  • Multi-select: bulk rate, tag, set status, delete, or share
  • Multiple libraries with per-library iCloud sync toggle
  • Status bar showing sync state, book count, and selection details

Metadata & Organization

  • Edit title, authors, publisher, series name and position, ISBN, and synopsis
  • Metadata lookup wizard — search by ISBN or title/author to pull in complete metadata from OpenLibrary and Google Books
  • Fixed-layout EPUB detection with automatic Comics tag on import
  • Cover art lookup from Apple Books, Google Books, and OpenLibrary — single book or batch wizard
  • Tags, star ratings (0–5), reading status (Unread / Reading / Read / Did Not Finish)
  • Full undo/redo for every change

Sync & Sharing

  • iCloud sync across Mac and iPad — metadata, covers, and files in lockstep
  • Open any book in your preferred reader (Apple Books, Kindle, Marvin, Legible, etc.)
  • System share sheet: AirDrop, Mail, Messages, Save to Files

Mac-Only

  • AppleScript support for automation and scripting workflows
  • Multiple windows (document-based, full state restoration)

Phase 2 — In Progress

Alternative Formats

Shipped

  • MOBI and AZW3 import — native import, no Calibre installation required; original file preserved
  • Spotlight search — every book in your library appears in system search on Mac and iPad. Tap a result to open it directly in Alcove. Also enables a basic "Open in Alcove" Shortcuts action.
  • Calibre library import (Mac) — reads your Calibre metadata.db directly; imports books, covers, tags, series, ratings, and reading status in one wizard; maps Calibre's 1–10 ratings to Alcove's 0–5 stars; duplicate detection by ISBN and title/author

Remaining

  • Format badges on covers: EPUB / MOBI / PDF
  • ISBN extraction from PDF body text for better metadata lookup

Phase 3 — Upcoming

Reading, Calibre & iPhone

In-App EPUB Reader

  • Built-in EPUB reader (Readium) — read without leaving Alcove
  • Reading position sync across Mac and iPad via iCloud
  • Bookmarks, highlights, and notes
  • In-book search

Calibre Content Server Import

  • Calibre Content Server import (Mac & iPad) — browse and import from a running Calibre Content Server over your local network; the only Calibre import path on iPad ↑ vote

iPhone App

  • iPhone support — same AlcoveMobile codebase, adapted for compact layout
  • Full iCloud sync with Mac and iPad

Phase 4 — Planned

Collections & Smart Organization

  • Collections — curated book groups, like playlists. A book can belong to multiple collections. Drag books from the grid onto a collection in the sidebar ↑ vote
  • Smart Collections — saved filter queries that auto-populate. Build rules from any combination of genre, tags, rating, reading status, author, series, and more ↑ vote
  • Genre taxonomy — a structured genre hierarchy (Fiction → Science Fiction → Space Opera) alongside freeform tags. Built-in genres plus custom ones you create ↑ vote
  • Catalog-only entries — catalog DRM-locked books (Kindle, Apple Books) without a file. Full ratings, tags, and metadata; cover art via ISBN lookup ↑ vote
  • Wishlist — track books you want to read or buy; DRM-free badge for publishers known to sell without DRM ↑ vote
  • Reading statistics — books read per month, total reading time, reading streaks ↑ vote
  • OPDS support — expose your Alcove library as a local OPDS feed for other reader apps (Kybook, Marvin, etc.), and browse/import from public OPDS sources like Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks ↑ vote
  • Extended metadata: word count, page count, source (Kindle / Apple Books / sideloaded)
  • Shortcuts — rich App Intents for Shortcuts automation: find books by tag or genre, rate a book, set reading status, add tags, switch libraries. The basic "Open in Alcove" action is already available from day one via Spotlight.

Phase 5 — Planned

Smart Classification

An LLM analyzes your library and proposes tags, genres, series groupings, and collections. You review every suggestion before anything is applied — the LLM proposes, you decide. No book content is ever sent to a third party; only title, author, and description.

  • Free tier — unlimited classification using Apple Foundation Models (on-device, Apple Intelligence required)
  • Frontier model cloud classification — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and others; bring your own API key or use a managed subscription
  • Batch processing with progress bar and cancellation
  • Review panel: accept or reject each suggestion individually before applying
  • Cross-library pattern detection — series grouping and collection suggestions based on your whole library

Further Out

Aspirational Features

No phase commitment — these depend on platform API maturity, user demand, or both. Vote on the ones that matter to you.

  • Annotation export — export highlights and notes from the built-in reader to Markdown, Obsidian, or plain text; one file per book ↑ vote
  • DRM-Free Ebook Finder — watch your wishlist and alert you when a book becomes available DRM-free at a supported retailer ↑ vote
  • Siri — ask Siri to open a book, rate what you just finished, or find everything you haven't read yet. Depends on user demand after Shortcuts land.
  • Visual Intelligence — point your camera at a book cover and add it to your library. Apple's Visual Intelligence API (iOS 18.2+) is still evolving; we're watching it closely.

Help shape what gets built.

Vote on the features that matter most to you. High-vote items move up in the roadmap.

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