Readr

Free plan Self-hostedWeb

What Readr is

Readr is a self-hosted read-it-later app and knowledge graph engine that uses AI features to help organize and explore a reading collection. It saves articles as Markdown files on disk and tracks them in SQLite. Users can query their collection with OpenRouter models and refer to notes using @ mentions. During ingestion, background agents can add Open Knowledge Format YAML frontmatter, find semantic connections, and insert wikilinks. Global and per-article graph views map relationships among articles, tags, and links. An optional graph context setting lets AI follow those connections and use related notes and backlinks as context. Readr also supports bidirectional wikilinks, backlinks, aliases, and hover previews. Site-specific Jinja templates and domain matching can shape saved article structure. Articles and chat histories can be backed up or synced with Obsidian and Logseq. The project describes a Vue frontend, Go backend, and full dark mode, and provides a Docker Compose example with a mounted data directory. It is free and MIT-licensed. The security policy says 1.x.x receives security updates and earlier versions are unsupported.

Who it suits

Readr may suit readers who want to keep articles and notes locally in Markdown and connect them through a knowledge graph. Its self-hosted setup and syncing options may also fit users of Obsidian or Logseq.

What it does well

Stores articles locally as Markdown and tracks them in SQLite.
Graph views show article, tag, and link relationships.
Can sync or back up content with Obsidian and Logseq.
MIT-licensed and free.

What to know first

Self-hosted deployment is required.
Versions below 1.0 are unsupported for security updates.
AI collection queries use OpenRouter models.

Getting started

Open the Readr project website
Deploy the Docker Compose example with the gjames8/readr:latest image
Mount a data directory for local storage
Open the web interface and save articles for Markdown storage

Verdict

Readr combines local article storage, AI-assisted organization, and graph-based navigation. It is worth considering for readers comfortable with self-hosting who want Markdown-based portability.

Questions

Is Readr free?

Yes. Readr uses a free pricing model and provides a free plan.

Where does Readr run?

Readr is self-hosted and web-based. Its deployment example uses Docker Compose, the gjames8/readr:latest image, and a mounted data directory.

How are saved articles stored?

Articles are saved as Markdown files on disk, with a SQLite database tracking them. Metadata and chat histories are stored locally as well.

Can Readr work with Obsidian or Logseq?

Yes. Locally saved Markdown articles and chat histories can be backed up or synchronized with Obsidian and Logseq.

What license does Readr use?

The repository releases Readr under the MIT License.

Who makes Readr?

The repository identifies Greg James as the copyright holder.

Facts from Readr's own pages

AI chat: Users can query their reading collection with OpenRouter models and reference notes using @ mentions. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Background agents: Background agents extract Open Knowledge Format YAML frontmatter and discover semantic links to existing articles. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Deployment: The README provides a Docker Compose example using the gjames8/readr:latest image and a mounted data directory. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · github.com, 22 Sept 2026
Graph context: An optional setting lets AI traverse graph connections and include connected notes and backlinks in its context. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Integrations: Locally saved Markdown articles and chat histories can be backed up or synced with Obsidian and Logseq. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Interface: The project describes a Vue frontend, Go backend, and full dark mode support. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Knowledge graph: Global and per-article graph views map relationships between articles, tags, and wikilinks. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
License: The repository states that Readr is released under the MIT License. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Live updates: Server-sent events send background-agent completions and graph changes to the browser without a page refresh. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Maker: The repository identifies Greg James as the copyright holder; the maker's GitHub profile lists Chicago. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Markdown links: Readr supports bidirectional wikilinks and backlinks, including aliased links and hover previews. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Portability: Articles, metadata, and chat histories are stored locally as Markdown and can be backed up or synced with Obsidian and Logseq. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Product: Readr is a self-hosted, AI-native read-it-later app and knowledge graph engine. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Security policy: The security policy lists 1.x.x as supported for security updates, marks versions below 1.0 as unsupported, and asks users to report vulnerabilities through a GitHub issue. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Security reporting: The security policy says to report vulnerabilities by opening a GitHub issue. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Storage: Articles are saved as Markdown files on disk and tracked in a SQLite database. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Templates: Users can customize saved article structure with site-specific Jinja templates and automatic domain matching. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026

Where Readr stands on Freedom251

Read-It-Later Apps#22 of 28
Read-later apps#22 of 28