Making the Nook a KOReader-first device

[apastuszak]

I recently bought Nook Glowlight 4 Plus refurbished off Amazon and tinkered with getting KOReader on it.

I have no interest in using the Barnes and Noble software, so I thought it would be fun to throw some tokens at an idea I had that could make the Nook a "KOReader first" device.

Here is what I have done so far.

• An Android helper application and KOReader plugin that lets you join WI-Fii networks
• A new launcher that only opens KOReader. If KOReader crashes three times in a row, then the launcher takes you to a debug screen to open another launcher. Pressing the home button 3 times will also take you to the debug screen.
• A userpatch to rename the Exit option to "Restart KOReader". This patch also makes sure that KOReader reopens when you exit it.

Things I still want to add:

• Bluetooth control. Either a plugin that can let you pair devices right in KOReader or take you to the Android Bluetooth settings page.
• Some way to open the Barnes and Noble Nook launcher without needing to go into the recovery screen of the new launcher.

Anything else that would be useful for this little project?

[apastuszak]

And, I think I am done!

I've been working on a project to make the Nook GlowLight 4 Plus a KOReader-first device: you do everything from inside KOReader, without going back to the Nook's own software or Android settings. No root is needed, and the stock Nook software stays installed.

I bought a refurbished Nook Glowlight Plus from Amazon and installed KOReader onto it. But it came with some compromises. With some seller on Amazon selling the refurbished Nook Glowlight 4 Plus for $99 and Glowlight 4s for $94, I thought these devices were a pretty cheap way to get a device that can run KOReader that had physical page turn buttons.

But there was some effort involved in getting KOReader on the nook and making it a first-class citizen on the device. So, I fired up Claude Code and had it work through my checklist of features I want KOReader on the Nook to have.

GitHub: https://github.com/apastuszak/nook-koreader-first

Latest release (1.3.0): https://github.com/apastuszak/nook-k...eleases/latest

Features

• Wi-Fi from inside KOReader. Turn it on and off, switch between saved networks, scan for networks and join new ones (open and WPA/WPA2) with a password dialog. KOReader's own Wi-Fi toggle, gestures and "turn on Wi-Fi when needed" (sync, OPDS, news) now work directly instead of opening Android settings.
  
• Turn Wi-Fi off when unused. KOReader on Android never turns Wi-Fi off after using it. This optional setting turns it off after 5–60 minutes of no real network use, to save battery.
  
• Bluetooth page turners. Turn Bluetooth on and off, pair, reconnect and forget remotes, all from KOReader. An optional "on while reading" mode turns Bluetooth on when you open a book and off when you close it or the Nook sleeps. Tested with an 8BitDo Micro.
  
• Page buttons and frontlight. The Nook's four page buttons turn pages in KOReader, and KOReader's own brightness and warmth sliders replace Android's small light dialog.
  
• KOReader as Home (optional). A tiny launcher that opens KOReader at start-up and whenever you press Home. KOReader's Exit becomes "Restart KOReader". Press Home 3 times (about 2 seconds apart) for a recovery screen with the Nook's own home screen, other launchers, Android settings and all apps. If KOReader keeps crashing, the recovery screen opens by itself, so the Nook can't get stuck.
  
• Power-off timer. Have the Nook power itself off after sleeping for 1 hour to 1 week (the Nook normally never does).
  
• Open Nook home. A menu item and gesture to jump to the Nook's own home screen (B&N library and store). Press Home to come back.
  
• Four reading fonts with real italics, all under the SIL Open Font License: Atkinson Hyperlegible Next, Lexend (alternate "a" version), Literata and Bitter.
  
• A user guide with screenshots, as an EPUB to read on the Nook.

Install script

Everything installs over USB with one script:

install.sh

on macOS/Linux, or

install.cmd

on Windows. You need USB debugging turned on (the README shows how, including B&N's developer-options password).

• It asks one question at a time and changes nothing until you've seen a summary and answered Go ahead?
  
• What it can install:
  • KOReader itself if it's missing: the exact nightly build this project is tested with, included in the release. Frontlight controls need a nightly build.
  • the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth helper app and the KOReader plugin, with their permissions
  • the page-button and frontlight setup
  • the reading fonts and the user guide
  • KOReader Home, and whether to make it the default Home app
  • App Store and ZenFM, two community KOReader plugins, downloaded from their own GitHub releases
• Every file is checked against the release's SHA256SUMS before anything is installed.
  
• It never replaces a KOReader, key map, font folder or App Store/ZenFM copy you already have.
  
• Running it again updates the helper and plugin and keeps their permissions.

Uninstall script

uninstall.sh

/

uninstall.cmd

removes any part of the project, and can remove KOReader too.

• Same style: questions first, then a summary, then Go ahead? (which defaults to no).
  
• If KOReader Home is your Home app, it first switches Home back to the Nook's own home screen (or another launcher you pick).
  
• If you remove KOReader, it first moves your own files in the

  koreader

  folder (books of any format, each with its highlights) to the Nook's

  NOOK

  folder, then deletes the folder.
  
• It stops before removing anything if a step fails, and if it's interrupted, running it again picks up where it left off.
  
• It never touches the Nook's own apps.

Good to know

• Built and tested on the GlowLight 4 Plus. It also worked on a GlowLight 4 in my testing. Other Nooks are untested, and the installer warns and asks before continuing.
  
• Windows: the scripts have only been tested under PowerShell on a Mac, not on a real Windows PC yet. Reports welcome.
  
• Open source (AGPL-3.0, like KOReader). A personal project, not affiliated with Barnes & Noble or the KOReader project.
  
• I tested this against a specific nightly build of KOReader that's included in the repo. I don't plan to test on any other nightly builds. When KOReader 2026.11 drops, I will test against that version and remove the requirement for a nightly build.

Feedback and bug reports are welcome on GitHub. The issue template asks for the versions shown under Nook Wi-Fi → Helper info.

DISCLAIMER

This is a vibe-coded project I did using Claude Opus and Codex Astra. The coding agents checked each others' work until both agents agreed that there were no bugs or security issues. This took longer than I thought, each finding bugs and security issues the other did not.

This does not mean there are no bugs. It just means there are no bugs or security issues that these two agents could identify.

I welcome a competent coder that knows Lua and Java forking this and offering it.