[GUI Plugin] FanFicFare

[JimmXinu]

Random 403 Forbidden errors continue, unfortunately.

I'm not seeing that happen with (or without) use_archiveofourown_gay:true and user/pass set under [archiveofourown.org]. I couldn't try your exact URL because you didn't include it.

Sadly, I don't know any now more than any other time it's come up:
https://github.com/JimmXinu/FanFicFa...oblematicSites

[bpothier]

Yay! I also saw this error (find links from a non-story AO3 page not working). Figured something changed somewhere/somewhen but had not dug into. will try at some point with current test version.

[Clem2605]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

Random 403 Forbidden errors continue, unfortunately.

I'm not seeing that happen with (or without) use_archiveofourown_gay:true and user/pass set under [archiveofourown.org]. I couldn't try your exact URL because you didn't include it.

Sadly, I don't know any now more than any other time it's come up:
https://github.com/JimmXinu/FanFicFa...oblematicSites

The weird thing is that, yes, when I try to download from URLs the 'normal' way, I get some random 403 errors (but I did notice that those nearly always fall on locked fics), but when I try to use the 'Get Story URLs From Web Page' function to download series, I systematically get a 403 error for https://archiveofourown.gay/users/login. I didn't put a URL because I get this error for every series URL I've tried. Never for the series URL itself, for the '...users/login' one.

Could it be that archiveofourown.gay doesn't allow login anymore? I can't use Calibre right now, but should I try to comment out my login&password with archiveofourown.gay?

[JimmXinu]

Due to AO3 hiding locked stories in series(etc) pages, FFF automatically attempts to login for AO3(all OTW) for 'Get Story URLs From Web Page' if you have a username setting. You can comment out username to prevent that.

use_archiveofourown_gay:true login worked for me yesterday, so it's not a general failure. I assume it's different levels of blocking for whatever random reason some AI hallucinated at this point.

We did have some one yesterday report updating to latest Calibre helped them.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

use_archiveofourown_gay:true login worked for me yesterday, so it's not a general failure. I assume it's different levels of blocking for whatever random reason some AI hallucinated at this point.

I added my "reboot the modem" advice to the Problematic Sites page yesterday, for what its worth.

[JimmXinu]

New Version Released

2025-11-07
- writer_epub: Only do svg check for epub3
- writer_epub: More epub3 - prefix & prop cover-image
- Don't include default_cover_image with use_old_cover with a different name.
- adapter_storiesonlinenet.py - tolerate contest stories with "(Hidden)" author, #1272, thanks bpothier
- Find and use epub3 cover on update--relies on Calibre's calibre:title-page property.
- writer_epub: Also write the calibre:title-page property for epub3.
- writer_epub: Rearrange to detect and flag files containing svg tags for epub3.
- Preserve original titles for Reader Post blocks from fiction.live #1269, thanks MacaroonRemarkable!
- adapter_ficbooknet: Collect additional metadata #1270, thanks dbhmw!
- OTW/AO3: Don't apply series page handling to non-series pages


FYI, I'll try to get back on the 1st of the month release schedule next month.

[Clem2605]

So, I've finally had the time to do more tests, and it's weird, it's like my FFF can't log in AO3 anymore, anytime it tries to log in, with or without the 'ao3.gay' option, I get the error:

HTTP Error in FFF '403 Client Error: Forbidden for url: https://archiveofourown.org/users/login'(403)

I have both the last version of Calibre and of the plugin.
I've checked, it's the right username & password.

Have I made a mistake somewhere in my personal.ini? Here is the first part of my AO3 section: (Everything is tagged out because I was trying to see if the error was exclusive to ao3.gay or not)

[archiveofourown.org]
username:*****
password:*****

#use_archiveofourown_gay:true

## Cache settings
#use_basic_cache:true
#use_browser_cache:true
#use_browser_cache_only:true
#open_pages_in_browser:true

Since I was exclusively using the cache settings for the last year, I wouldn't have noticed if a mistake suddenly appeared in the code, but everything looks good to me. Could the error be somewhere else in the file? Honestly the rest are mostly cosmetic changes and regexes.

[JimmXinu]

I am not aware of any FFF code or setting that will cause--or fix--403 blocking on AO3 login.

You can avoid it by just not trying to login. Turn off always_login, comment out username (for Get URLs from Page), and don't download locked stories directly.

ownedbycats has suggested that changing your source IP address can help--if you're on a home broadband connect, rebooting your cable modem will often do that. Some users in past have reported success using VPN to effectively change your source IP.

If use_browser_cache was working for you, but direct and use_archiveofourown_gay are not, I'd go back to it.

[JimmXinu]

New Test Version Posted

2025-11-11
- Fix for add_chapter_numbers:toconly and unnew. Closes #1274

[applegaa]

RoyalRoad has added a new status called INACTIVE that it sets automatically 180 days after the last activity on a story. This is the next step after HIATUS, which is set after 35 days. Since the adapter doesn't expect it, it leaves the status blank.

When you get a chance, would it be possible for you to add it?

Thanks!

[JimmXinu]

Example Story URL? SFW, please.

[applegaa]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

Example Story URL? SFW, please.

Sorry about that.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/101390

[JimmXinu]

New Test Version Posted

2025-11-13
- adapter_royalroadcom: New status Inactive

[chrisric]

Hi - Is there a way to add and/or update books via FanFicFare from the command line? I've checked the help and googled what I can but still didn't find the answer.

I tried the below as a test:

calibre-debug -r "FanFicFare" -- -d -b 1 -e 3 --library-path="/Users/username/Calibre Library/" "https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/132540/abaddon"

It seems to ignore the "--library-path=" option and dumps the epub in the current directory.

Ideally, I would like to mirror what the GUI does. Add the new book, run word count and auto convert to new format.

I'm running an old version (6.29) of calibre as my Mac is super old. I don't think its an issue for this though.

Thanks.

-Chris

[JimmXinu]

The FFF plugin CLI is basically the same as the pip CLI version.

About the only advantages are that a) you can call it without having python/pip and other dependencies installed, and, b) it will use your personal.ini settings from the library specified by --library-path.

If you want to update an existing book in your Calibre library using purely CLI, you need to get a copy of the epub out of the Calibre library using calibredb, run the FFF CLI to update it, then push it back into the library using calibredb again.

Honestly, FFF plugin CLI was added more because it possible than because it was useful.