[Metadata Source Plugin] Kobo Metadata

[PeterT]

Assuming you've downloaded the KoboMetadata.zip file it will just load into calibre | Preferences | Advanced | Plugins | Load plugin from file with no need to manually process the zip file.

I believe DNSB is referring to the fact that Apples / Safari tend to automagically expand zip files on download, and that it's possible that you were selecting the pre-expanded file to load into calibre.

Additionally this plugin IS in the list of installable plugins presented by Calibre in the Preferences | Advanced | Plugins | Get new plugins menu.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by tamarissa

DNSB, I am installing the downloaded .zip file from Github. As stated, I simply unzipped the file to show the contents for the purposes of this question.

I run quite a few plugins in Calibre that require 'manual' installs, and I have never required a third-party zip program to install zipped plugins to Calibre before; that must be a windows requirement. Macs do not require extra software to use .zip files.

The unzipped file you showed looks okay. Windows does not unpack downloaded .zip files by default while that is the default for a Mac/Safari. I vaguely remember have to uncheck Open safe files after downloading in Safari's settings to prevent this.

[JSWolf]

This plugin will not work until you log into your Kobo account and accent the new terms and conditions.

After I did this, I was able to finally download the cover from Kobo with calibre.

[JSWolf]

I think Kobo changed things yet again on their website. Kobo Metadata is no longer able to get covers.

****************************** Kobo Metadata Covers ****************************** 
Request extra headers: [('User-agent', 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:133.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/133.0')] 
Failed to download valid cover 
Took 2.650789737701416 seconds 
KoboMetadata::download_cover: No cached url found, running identify
KoboMetadata::get_cover_url: title: Circle of Days, authors: ['Ken Follett'], identifiers: {'isbn': '9781538772799'}
KoboMetadata::perform_isbn_search: Getting metadata with isbn: 9781538772799
KoboMetadata::perform_query: Searching for book with url: https://www.kobo.com/us/all/search?query=9781538772799&fcmedia=Book&pageNumber=1&fclanguages=all
KoboMetadata::parse_search_page: Found no matches or bad page

404
This page could not be found.

KoboMetadata::parse_search_page: Found no matches or bad page

404
This page could not be found.

KoboMetadata::parse_search_page: Found no matches or bad page

404
This page could not be found.

KoboMetadata::get_cover_url:: No identifier - performing search
KoboMetadata::perform_search: Searching with query: Circle of Days Ken Follett
KoboMetadata::perform_query: Searching for book with url: https://www.kobo.com/us/all/search?query=Circle+of+Days+Ken+Follett&fcmedia=Book&pageNumber=1&fclanguages=all
KoboMetadata::parse_search_page: Found no matches or bad page

404
This page could not be found.

KoboMetadata::parse_search_page: Found no matches or bad page

404
This page could not be found.

KoboMetadata::parse_search_page: Found no matches or bad page

404
This page could not be found.

KoboMetadata::get_cover_url:: No search results
KoboMetadata::download_cover: Could not get cover

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think Kobo changed things yet again on their website. Kobo Metadata is no longer able to get covers.

I just checked and Kobo Metadata was able to fetch covers for me on 6 books I tested. I've attached the Kobo Metadata segment from the log file from one attempt and the resulting cover choice selection.

Edit: Just for the heck of it, I added Circle of Days as an empty ebook and downloaded metadata for it. No issues with Kobo Metadata (second code block).

Spoiler:

Starting cover download for: Burn for Me 
Query: Burn for Me ['Ilona Andrews'] {'isbn': '9780062289247', 'amazon': '0062289233', 'barnesnoble': 'w/burn-for-me-ilona-andrews/1119685178', 'ff': 'a/ilona-andrews/burn-for-me', 'goodreads': '20705702', 'google': 'Oe5zAwAAQBAJ', 'mobi-asin': 'B00I7V11WU'} 

****************************** Kobo Metadata Covers ****************************** 
Request extra headers: [('User-agent', 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/141.0.0.0 Safari/537.36')] 
Downloaded cover: 1379x2200 
Took 4.8880767822265625 seconds 
KoboMetadata::download_cover: No cached url found, running identify
KoboMetadata::get_cover_url: title: Burn for Me, authors: ['Ilona Andrews'], identifiers: {'isbn': '9780062289247', 'amazon': '0062289233', 'barnesnoble': 'w/burn-for-me-ilona-andrews/1119685178', 'ff': 'a/ilona-andrews/burn-for-me', 'goodreads': '20705702', 'google': 'Oe5zAwAAQBAJ', 'mobi-asin': 'B00I7V11WU'}
KoboMetadata::perform_isbn_search: Getting metadata with isbn: 9780062289247
KoboMetadata::perform_query: Searching for book with url: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/search?query=9780062289247&fcmedia=Book&pageNumber=1&fclanguages=en
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page_for_cover: Got cover: https://cdn.kobo.com/book-images/aa4afda7-5b71-4909-8726-25ed34e16730/burn-for-me-7.jpg 

********************************************************************************

Spoiler:

Running identify query with parameters: 
{'title': 'Circle of Days', 'authors': ['Ken Follett'], 'identifiers': {}, 'timeout': 30} 
Using plugins: Baen (1, 1, 0), Kobo Metadata (1, 12, 0), Smashwords Metadata (1, 0, 2), Amazon.com (1, 3, 15) 
The log from individual plugins is below 

****************************** Kobo Metadata (1, 12, 0) ****************************** 
Found 2 results 
Downloading from Kobo Metadata took 3.2677202224731445 


--- 
Title               : The Pillars of the Earth
Author(s)           : Ken Follett
Publisher           : Penguin Publishing Group
Tags                : Historical, Thrillers, Fiction & Literature, Mystery & Suspense, Saga
Series              : Kingsbridge #1
Languages           : English
Published           : 2010-06-29T00:00:00+00:00
Identifiers         : isbn:9781101442197
Comments            : 
            **#1 New York Times Bestseller
Oprah's Book Club Selection
The “extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece” (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett’s already phenomenal career—and begins where its prequel, The Evening and the Morning, ended.**
“Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner,” extolled Publishers Weekly on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett’s unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal.
The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect—a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.
A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.

--- 
Title               : Circle of Days
Author(s)           : Ken Follett
Publisher           : Grand Central Publishing
Tags                : Fiction & Literature, Saga
Languages           : English
Published           : 2025-09-23T00:00:00+00:00
Identifiers         : isbn:9781538772799
Comments            : 
            **AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
From a bestselling author of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.**
A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT
Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offer Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers within their herder community.
A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE
Joia, Neen’s sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain.
A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATION
Joia’s vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders—and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . .
Truly ambitious in scope, Circle of Days invites you to join master storyteller Ken Follett in exploring one of the greatest mysteries of our age: Stonehenge.
         
KoboMetadata::identify: title: Circle of Days, authors: ['Ken Follett'], identifiers: {}
No matches found with identifiers, falling back to general search.
KoboMetadata::perform_search: Searching with query: Circle of Days Ken Follett
KoboMetadata::perform_query: Searching for book with url: [url]https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/search?query=Circle+of+Days+Ken+Follett&fcmedia=Book&pageNumber=1&fclanguages=en[/url]
KoboMetadata::parse_search_page: Detected new search page
KoboMetadata::fetch_metadata: Looking up metadata with url: [url]https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/circle-of-days-1?sId=96418360-67b8-42dd-a22b-13f2ebe0ef6e&ssId=y8NyIjIruj7un6O7xuQ6s&cPos=1[/url]
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got title: Circle of Days
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got authors: ['Ken Follett']
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got publisher: Grand Central Publishing
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got pubdate: 2025-09-23 00:00:00+00:00
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got isbn: 9781538772799
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got language: English
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got tags: {'Fiction & Literature', 'Saga'}
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got comments: 
            **AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
From a bestselling author of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.**
A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT
Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offer Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers within their herder community.
A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE
Joia, Neen’s sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain.
A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATION
Joia’s vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders—and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . .
Truly ambitious in scope, Circle of Days invites you to join master storyteller Ken Follett in exploring one of the greatest mysteries of our age: Stonehenge.
        
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page_for_cover: Got cover: [url]https://cdn.kobo.com/book-images/7f7bca55-6cc1-4e9b-970a-7c2deebb64e1/circle-of-days-1.jpg[/url]
KoboMetadata::fetch_metadata: Looking up metadata with url: [url]https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-pillars-of-the-earth-2?sId=96418360-67b8-42dd-a22b-13f2ebe0ef6e&ssId=y8NyIjIruj7un6O7xuQ6s&cPos=2[/url]
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got title: The Pillars of the Earth
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got authors: ['Ken Follett']
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got series: Kingsbridge
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got series_index: 1
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got pubdate: 2010-06-29 00:00:00+00:00
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got isbn: 9781101442197
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got language: English
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got tags: {'Historical', 'Thrillers', 'Fiction & Literature', 'Mystery & Suspense', 'Saga'}
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page: Got comments: 
            **#1 New York Times Bestseller
Oprah's Book Club Selection
The “extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece” (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett’s already phenomenal career—and begins where its prequel, The Evening and the Morning, ended.**
“Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner,” extolled Publishers Weekly on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett’s unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal.
The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect—a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.
A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.

        
KoboMetadata::parse_book_page_for_cover: Got cover: [url]https://cdn.kobo.com/book-images/37cb337a-9125-4d8e-892f-7821f7d65db6/the-pillars-of-the-earth-2.jpg[/url]
Found 2 match(es) using general search. 

******************************************************************************** 

The identify phase took 6.45 seconds 
The longest time (6.268998) was taken by: Amazon.com 
Merging results from different sources 
We have 4 merged results, merging took: 0.00 seconds

[JSWolf]

I've found the problem and it's now fixed.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've found the problem and it's now fixed.

Well? What was the problem in case someone else runs into the same issue?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Well? What was the problem in case someone else runs into the same issue?

It used to work. I had all in the settings for the language. I changed it to en and it now works. But I don't get why it used to work and no doesn't work.

[DNSB]

Is this the language code entered on the line that reads: 2 Letter language code to search for? I tried 'all' in there and the generated URL started with https://www.kobo.com/ca/all/search? where all is where a 2 letter language code should be found. It's possible that Kobo updated their web server code to only allow valid language codes in that position.

I just checked back and your search URL started with https://www.kobo.com/us/all/search? which again is not a valid 2 letter language code

Edit: In a just to see what happens mode, I changed the language code to blank and Kobo Metadata was able to download metadata from a search URL starting with: https://www.kobo.com/ca//search?. The // was replaced by /en/ by Kobo's end.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Is this the language code entered on the line that reads: 2 Letter language code to search for? I tried 'all' in there and the generated URL started with https://www.kobo.com/ca/all/search? where all is where a 2 letter language code should be found. It's possible that Kobo updated their web server code to only allow valid language codes in that position.

I just checked back and your search URL started with https://www.kobo.com/us/all/search? which again is not a valid 2 letter language code

Edit: In a just to see what happens mode, I changed the language code to blank and Kobo Metadata was able to download metadata from a search URL starting with: https://www.kobo.com/ca//search?. The // was replaced by /en/ by Kobo's end.

Maybe it's a recent change so you need either a blank language code or a valid language code. Because if this was a problem in the past, it would have been sorted. I have no idea why I had all in the settings.

[nephtys59]

Something has changed. Kobo metadata plugin stopped working for me a couple days ago. I changed from "all" to "it" in settings and now it works but doesn't get ISBN and publication date like it did before. Probably the plugin needs an update.

[nAhu]

Hi
I had also have to change the all to fr. It seems kobo site does not support the url with all anymore.

But with this setting the plugin stop to get the text formating (bold, italic, …) for the book description.

Thanks for the work

[Cactus Chef]

I think I have the same question as nAhu...is it possible to make the plug-in pull down bold text in the description when it grabs from Kobo? It pulls the description successfully, but it's all in plaintext, and I also notice sometimes line-breaks are missing. So I end up manually copy-pasting from the Kobo description page anyway just to make it look prettier.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

I think I have the same question as nAhu...is it possible to make the plug-in pull down bold text in the description when it grabs from Kobo? It pulls the description successfully, but it's all in plaintext, and I also notice sometimes line-breaks are missing. So I end up manually copy-pasting from the Kobo description page anyway just to make it look prettier.

It's things like this and other errors that I do it manually. Why bother in the first place if you then have the verify it?

[DNSB]

I find that some metadata from Kobo uses <br> to do end of lines instead of </p>. I simply copy/paste the HTML into Sigil, run a saved search that replaces <br> and <br/> with </p><p> and copy/paste the result back into calibre. I also bold the first line of the description and remove any other bolding (personal preference).