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osteel/kobwise
==============

Convert your Kobo annotations to Readwise highlights

v0.3(4y ago)1215GPL-3.0-onlyPHPPHP ^7.4|^8.0

Since Nov 12Pushed 3y ago1 watchersCompare

[ Source](https://github.com/osteel/kobwise)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/osteel/kobwise)[ Docs](https://github.com/osteel/kobwise)[ RSS](/packages/osteel-kobwise/feed)WikiDiscussions main Synced 3w ago

READMEChangelog (4)Dependencies (3)Versions (12)Used By (0)

kobwise
=======

[](#kobwise)

Convert your Kobo annotations to Readwise highlights

 [![Preview](/art/preview.png)](/art/preview.png)

 [![Build Status](https://github.com/osteel/kobwise/workflows/CI/badge.svg)](https://github.com/osteel/kobwise/actions) [![Latest Stable Version](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/3dc93ae0441f6987865d9eaf21a1fc840f61109d842ce868812aa4b2ccaa4574/68747470733a2f2f706f7365722e707567782e6f72672f6f737465656c2f6b6f62776973652f76)](//packagist.org/packages/osteel/kobwise) [![License](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/398389ff9cd292ba516a2d496d411956371523d9c8617f03782e3a13aa079145/68747470733a2f2f706f7365722e707567782e6f72672f6f737465656c2f6b6f62776973652f6c6963656e7365)](//packagist.org/packages/osteel/kobwise)

Why?
----

[](#why)

[Readwise](https://readwise.io) is an application allowing you to import highlights from books, articles, or any source of content you find inspiring and/or worth remembering. It will then resurface these highlights at a frequency of your choosing.

Readwise integrates with various services and platforms to ease the process of importing highlights, but unfortunately it is [not compatible with Kobo](https://help.readwise.io/article/82-does-readwise-support-kobo-highlights).

kobwise is a small command-line application offering a bridge between the two, converting your Kobo annotations to a `.csv` file that is [compatible with Readwise](https://readwise.io/import_bulk).

Instal
------

[](#instal)

kobwise is written in PHP and is installed using [Composer](https://getcomposer.org):

```
composer global require osteel/kobwise

```

Make sure the `~/.composer/vendor/bin` directory is in your system's `PATH`.

Show me howIf it's not already there, add the following line to your Bash configuration file (usually `~/.bash_profile`, `~/.bashrc`, `~/.zshrc`, etc.):

```
export PATH=~/.composer/vendor/bin:$PATH

```

If the file doesn't exist, create it.

Run the following command on the file you've just updated for the change to take effect:

```
source ~/.bash_profile

```

Use
---

[](#use)

All you need to do is call the `convert` command on the annotation file:

```
kobwise convert "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.txt"

```

It will create a new `.csv` file in the current folder, which you can then [upload to Readwise](https://readwise.io/import_bulk).

A help menu is also available upon running `kobwise` with no arguments:

```
kobwise

```

Update and delete
-----------------

[](#update-and-delete)

Update kobwise:

```
composer global update osteel/kobwise

```

Delete kobwise:

```
composer global remove osteel/kobwise

```

Known limitations
-----------------

[](#known-limitations)

Kobo's annotation files are formatted in such a way that it is not easy to distinguish separate annotations from different paragraphs belonging to the same annotation.

It is therefore recommended to skim through the annotation file beforehand, and to delete any empty lines between paragraphs that should belong together.

As Readwise doesn't allow its users to [permanently delete highlights](https://help.readwise.io/article/123-why-cant-i-permanently-delete-highlights), it is also recommended to review the `.csv` file before import.

Wait. I can export my Kobo annotations?
---------------------------------------

[](#wait-i-can-export-my-kobo-annotations)

For some reason, Kobo does not enable this option by default, and you need to manually update a configuration file to do so.

The steps are the following:

1. Plug your Kobo to your computer
2. Open the `eReader.config` file at the root of your Kobo
3. Add this line at the very end: `[FeatureSettings] ExportHighlights=true`
4. Save the file and eject your Kobo
5. From your Kobo library, tap the three dots in front of the book you want to export annotations from
6. Tap `Export Annotations`
7. Connect your Kobo to your computer again
8. You should now see a `.txt` file at the root, containing the annotations

If you need more help, here is a [detailed guide](https://www.epubor.com/export-kobo-highlights-and-notes.html) with screenshots.

###  Health Score

26

—

LowBetter than 41% of packages

Maintenance20

Infrequent updates — may be unmaintained

Popularity13

Limited adoption so far

Community7

Small or concentrated contributor base

Maturity52

Maturing project, gaining track record

 Bus Factor1

Top contributor holds 100% of commits — single point of failure

How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window.

**Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores.

**Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement.

**Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability.

###  Release Activity

Cadence

Every ~33 days

Recently: every ~57 days

Total

8

Last Release

1464d ago

### Community

Maintainers

![](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/c2b03220d22111bcaf906e6bf8ba07cdf70d78810fe86f476606e4d02fca199f?d=identicon)[osteel](/maintainers/osteel)

---

Top Contributors

[![osteel](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/436467?v=4)](https://github.com/osteel "osteel (24 commits)")

---

Tags

annotationsclicomposerhighlightskobophpreadwisephpcomposercliannotationskobohighlightsreadwise

###  Code Quality

TestsPHPUnit

Code StylePHP\_CodeSniffer

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![Health badge](/badges/osteel-kobwise/health.svg)

```
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```

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