A package manager for jailbroken Kindles and KOReader. Browse trusted package repositories and install, update, reinstall, or remove packages from one interface.
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ZenPM is available as a standalone Kindle app and as a KOReader plugin. The same package model supports KOReader on Kindle, Kobo, Android, Linux, and macOS.
ZenPM brings package discovery and lifecycle management to e-readers:
| Capability | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Browse packages | Explore featured packages, categories, and individual sources. |
| Search and inspect | Search the available catalog and open package details before acting. |
| Manage installs | Install, update, reinstall, or remove packages. |
| Track your setup | See installed packages and available updates in one place. |
| Manage sources | Review the built-in repositories or add your own compatible repository. |
| Queue changes | In the KOReader plugin, review several install, update, or removal actions before confirming them. |
| Work safely | Operations are serialized and performed by a local daemon bound only to the device. |
On Kindle, ZenPM has a native WAF interface. In KOReader, ZenPM appears in the KOReader menu and keeps its managed backend and state in KOReader's settings directory.
If you have Zen UI, install ZenPM from Extras > Install ZenPM.
Otherwise:
Download files from the latest release. Use files from the same release. Beta releases are prereleases; enable Beta updates in ZenPM only if you want in-app beta updates.
This option requires a Kindle jailbreak that provides root access. It also needs the device's sqlite3 binary and a script launcher such as KUAL. Do not install the standalone package on any setup without root access.
Warning
As with KindleForge, using ZenPM Kindle Standalone on WinterBreak, SpringBreak, Sanctuary, or
similar devices—anything with a JAILBREAK booklet—is strongly discouraged
to prevent future conflicts and other issues with KPM. This will be resolved
in a future update.
Most of the Kindle standalone frontend is based on work from the KindleForge project.
- Download ZenPM-kindle-standalone-.zip.
- Extract it to the Kindle USB-storage root (/mnt/us). It creates documents/ZenPM.sh and ZenPM/.
- Safely eject the Kindle and run documents/ZenPM.sh from KUAL or another script launcher.
- Open ZenPM from the Kindle launcher.
To launch it again from an SSH session:
lipc-set-prop com.lab126.appmgrd start app://com.zenpm.waf- Download the ZenPM KOReader ZIP that matches your device.
- Extract it. The result must be a folder named zenpm.koplugin, not a ZIP inside another zenpm.koplugin folder.
- Copy that folder into KOReader's plugins/ directory.
- Restart KOReader and open ZenPM from the KOReader menu.
The plugin selects and manages its bundled backend automatically. Its files live under KOReader's settings directory in ZenPM/, so they survive plugin updates.
| Device or runtime | Download |
|---|---|
| KOReader on a 32-bit Kindle or Kobo | ZenPM-koreader-ereader-.zip |
| KOReader on ARM64 Kobo, including (some) Kobo Libra Colour | ZenPM-koreader-linux-.zip |
| KOReader on Android | ZenPM-koreader-android-.zip and ZenPM-android-.apk |
| KOReader on macOS | ZenPM-koreader-macos-.zip |
| KOReader on Linux desktop | ZenPM-koreader-linux-.zip |
Android needs both the companion APK and the KOReader plugin: Android does not allow the plugin to run its bundled backend directly. Install the APK with Android's package installer (or adb install -r), then install the plugin and grant the requested storage access when KOReader starts it.
The e-reader ZIP includes both ARM hard-float and soft-float backends. If you need to identify a device:
if [ "$(uname -m)" = aarch64 ] || [ "$(uname -m)" = arm64 ]; then
echo arm64
elif [ -f /lib/ld-linux-armhf.so.3 ]; then
echo hf
else
echo sf
fiUse the Linux ZIP when the result is arm64; use the e-reader ZIP for either 32-bit ABI.
Start by letting ZenPM refresh its sources. The user interface then gives you:
- Featured for highlighted packages.
- Categories and Search to find packages.
- Sources to inspect repositories and add compatible ones.
- Installed to see what is present and update it.
- Package details to review package metadata, assets, and the available action.
- Queue in KOReader to stage multiple changes and confirm them together.
Select a package to install it. For an installed package, choose Update, Reinstall, or Remove as appropriate. ZenPM resolves the compatible asset before it runs the operation. The KOReader plugin also offers automatic update checks, a beta-update switch, an installable-package filter, and an installed-plugin scan.
The zenpm binary can also be used through SSH, an on-device terminal, or the
terminal that launches the KOReader emulator.
The zpm alias is also available and accepts the same commands.
# Check the device and inspect logs.
zenpm doctor
zenpm logs --tail 200
# Manage repositories. Refresh after changing them.
zenpm repo list
zenpm repo add my-repo https://example.com/my-repo/
zenpm repo refresh
zenpm repo remove my-repo
# Browse the refreshed catalog.
zenpm list
zenpm list koreader
zenpm list installed
zenpm info <package-id>
# Change packages.
zenpm install <package-id>
zenpm uninstall <package-id> [patch-file]
zenpm update
zenpm update <package-id>OR using zpm command
# All the same commands for zenpm work
zpm doctor
zpm listThe first launch seeds the ZenLabs repository. Compatible Kindles also seed KindleForge. User-added repositories are refreshed from their URL and assigned trust automatically.
On Kindle, use Update from ZenPM's three-dot system menu. It checks the release metadata, validates the selected download, replaces the payload, and keeps persistent settings. The equivalent manual command is:
sh /mnt/us/ZenPM/update.shTo remove the Kindle standalone installation, call POST /uninstall on the local daemon. Add ?remove_settings=true only when you also want to delete /mnt/us/.ZenPM/.
To report a bug from the app, open the three-dot menu and select Report a Bug. This will include all the necessary information to help quickly solve your issue by uploading the ZenPM logs. You can also ask the community in Discord.
Run zenpm doctor first: it reports the active platform, state home, cache, database, log, and relevant device prerequisites.
| Installation | Log location |
|---|---|
| Kindle standalone | /mnt/us/ZenPM/ZenPM.log |
| KOReader plugin | KOReader settings directory / ZenPM / ZenPM.log |
| Kobo standalone | /mnt/onboard/.adds/ZenPM/ZenPM.log |
| Host development | ~/.zenpm/ZenPM.log |
For Kindle, live-tail the log with:
tail -f /mnt/us/ZenPM/ZenPM.logPersistent repositories, installed-package records, and the merged catalog are stored in a SQLite database outside the Kindle/Kobo payload directory, so they survive application updates. KOReader uses its own database inside its ZenPM settings directory.
ZenPM accepts two static repository formats and detects them automatically:
- ZenPM native: manifest.json at the repository root.
- KindleForge compatibility: registry.json at the repository root.
A native repository is ordinary static hosting. It describes package metadata in manifest.json and points to package install and uninstall scripts. Host it on GitHub Pages, raw GitHub, or any HTTPS static host, then users can add the repository from Sources or with zenpm repo add.
Use HTTPS. ZenPM can verify a manifest.json.sig Ed25519 signature and labels unsigned or plain-HTTP repositories accordingly. See the repository-index contract and the local API reference for the complete schema and API.
Building requires Go 1.22+ and FontTools (pyftsubset). Builds use the SemVer
version already in VERSION and overwrite the prior dist/ artifacts. Update
VERSION and frontend/koreader/zenpm.koplugin/_meta.lua together only when
preparing a new release, then run:
./build.shBuild artifacts are written to dist/. For local CLI and frontend development:
go build -o zenpm ./cmd/zenpm
export ZENPM_HOME="$PWD/.zenpm-dev"
export ZENPM_PLATFORM=host
./zenpm serve --port 18765Use a separate emulator state while testing package changes:
export ZENPM_HOME="$PWD/.zenpm-emulator"
export ZENPM_PLATFORM=host
ZENPM_DRY_RUN=1 ./zenpm install <script-backed-package-id>Dry-run skips shell package scripts. Generic KOReader plugin installs run in-process, so point ZENPM_KOREADER_ROOT at a disposable KOReader profile before testing them.
- KOReader connects to the daemon through a local Unix-domain socket, except on Android, where the separately installed companion uses a loopback-only HTTP listener. Neither is exposed on the network.
- Package scripts execute on the device; review the source and package details before installing software from an unfamiliar repository.
- Do not run package installs without dry-run on a non-Kindle/Kobo host.
ZenPM is released under the repository's GPL-3.0 license. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a change, and use GitHub Issues for bugs or ideas.