Error communicating with device

MarkWillCry · 08-13-2026, 07:22 PM

After a year of using calibre, I have acquired a new device and, therefore, a new error that gives me following details:

calibre, version 9.13.0
ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device

database disk image is malformed

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre\gui2\device.py", line 107, in run
File "calibre\gui2\device.py", line 593, in _books
File "calibre\devices\kobo\driver.py", line 2390, in books
File "C:\t\t\apsw-39uykmzm\src\cursor.c", line 223, in resetcursor
apsw.CorruptError: database disk image is malformed

I have attempted:
"turning it off and on again" a couple of times
updating calibre
updating plugins
going to the previous version of calibre
returning to the current version
deleting driveinfo and metadata files

However, nothing changed.
Any guesses on what will finally fix this?
Thanks for help!

kovidgoyal · 08-13-2026, 10:52 PM

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...-touch-glo-etc

theducks · 08-13-2026, 10:54 PM

The database on the Kobo is corrupt. You need to sign it out the Kobo account, then sign back in.
You will most likely lose your reading positions unless you left WiFi on and it had synced with your account.
OTOH if you use Kobo Utilities, and have it save copies of the older DB, you could restore from a older one.

Always Eject and wait for the Kobo to settle (it shows 'Processing' if you added A BOOK) back on the Library screen. DB updates (series and stuff need to get done )

Dal Bhat · 08-15-2026, 02:48 PM

Threads like this one have made me shy about ever getting a Kobo device. Seems as though they are failure prone. I did see in Kovid's link that they have buggy firmware.

I've been wondering what to do if and when my Kindle craps out. I looked at the Kobo Clara and it appeals.

For a Clara, my use case would be to download epubs from the library, open in calibre to get the font I like and maybe tweak the cover, and then sideload to the device.

Do I need a Kobo acct to use one? Kobo Utilities, often mentioned here. Would I want that for how I'd use it?

DNSB · 08-15-2026, 03:22 PM

You might want to check when Kovid made that comment about Kobo software being buggy. It's been a few years.

You can set the font being used to display a book on the Clara. Unless the CSS in the ePub forces a font, you can use any font you want. If there is a specific font you want to use that is not in the Kobo factory font set, it is trivial to add a font.

To download ePubs from the library, the easiest way is to have a Kobo account which allows you to sync the books OTA if Kobo's copy and the library copy have the same ISBN. Otherwise you can use ADE or the ACSM plugin for calibre to download the book from the library supplied .acsm file. For your workflow, you could add SideloadedMode=true under the [ApplicationPreferences] header.

See message #9 in the Firmware 4.31.19086 thread for more information.

Personally, I find the Kobo Utilities plugin very handy. It allows you to do backups of the databases and other important files—I have it set to do this the first time I connect to calibre during a day.

Yes, they are more prone that a Kindle to having database issues if you do not safely eject. OTOH, using the Kobo Utilities backup allows you to recover from a database corruption very easily.

Unlike many other ereaders, there is no need to jailbreak or root a Kobo. They are open Linux devices. This has the advantage of allowing users to modify the database contents, etc. It has the disadvantage that you can more easily break your Kobo but, if nothing else, you can resort to a factory reset.

Many of the older Kobo devices have a removable µSD card. This has advantages in being to remove and re-image the card. OTOH, µSD cards, especially the older units, have relatively short write lifetimes. This is one of the reasons that Kobo has been switching to using eMMC for storage.

Dal Bhat · 08-15-2026, 05:51 PM

Helpful. Thank you.

Sirtel · Today, 02:07 AM

For my part, I can add that with 3 Kobo devices in 7 years I have never had a database corruption or any other failure. I do eject them safely, always.

There are a few minor bugs, but nothing that has made me regret getting a Kobo device. I far prefer them to Kindles, which I previously used.

08-13-2026, 07:22 PM	#1
MarkWillCry Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2026 Device: Kobo Libra Colour	Error communicating with device After a year of using calibre, I have acquired a new device and, therefore, a new error that gives me following details: calibre, version 9.13.0 ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device database disk image is malformed Traceback (most recent call last): File "calibre\gui2\device.py", line 107, in run File "calibre\gui2\device.py", line 593, in _books File "calibre\devices\kobo\driver.py", line 2390, in books File "C:\t\t\apsw-39uykmzm\src\cursor.c", line 223, in resetcursor apsw.CorruptError: database disk image is malformed I have attempted: "turning it off and on again" a couple of times updating calibre updating plugins going to the previous version of calibre returning to the current version deleting driveinfo and metadata files However, nothing changed. Any guesses on what will finally fix this? Thanks for help!

08-15-2026, 05:51 PM	#6
Dal Bhat Connoisseur Posts: 94 Karma: 1655764 Join Date: Apr 2024 Device: Kindle 11th Gen	Helpful. Thank you. Last edited by Dal Bhat; 08-15-2026 at 05:54 PM.

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08-13-2026, 10:52 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 46,444 Karma: 29634066 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...-touch-glo-etc

08-13-2026, 10:54 PM	#3
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,921 Karma: 64187770 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	The database on the Kobo is corrupt. You need to sign it out the Kobo account, then sign back in. You will most likely lose your reading positions unless you left WiFi on and it had synced with your account. OTOH if you use Kobo Utilities, and have it save copies of the older DB, you could restore from a older one. Always Eject and wait for the Kobo to settle (it shows 'Processing' if you added A BOOK) back on the Library screen. DB updates (series and stuff need to get done )

08-15-2026, 02:48 PM	#4
Dal Bhat Connoisseur Posts: 94 Karma: 1655764 Join Date: Apr 2024 Device: Kindle 11th Gen	Threads like this one have made me shy about ever getting a Kobo device. Seems as though they are failure prone. I did see in Kovid's link that they have buggy firmware. I've been wondering what to do if and when my Kindle craps out. I looked at the Kobo Clara and it appeals. For a Clara, my use case would be to download epubs from the library, open in calibre to get the font I like and maybe tweak the cover, and then sideload to the device. Do I need a Kobo acct to use one? Kobo Utilities, often mentioned here. Would I want that for how I'd use it?

08-15-2026, 03:22 PM	#5
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 53,812 Karma: 181886193 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	You might want to check when Kovid made that comment about Kobo software being buggy. It's been a few years. You can set the font being used to display a book on the Clara. Unless the CSS in the ePub forces a font, you can use any font you want. If there is a specific font you want to use that is not in the Kobo factory font set, it is trivial to add a font. To download ePubs from the library, the easiest way is to have a Kobo account which allows you to sync the books OTA if Kobo's copy and the library copy have the same ISBN. Otherwise you can use ADE or the ACSM plugin for calibre to download the book from the library supplied .acsm file. For your workflow, you could add SideloadedMode=true under the [ApplicationPreferences] header. See message #9 in the Firmware 4.31.19086 thread for more information. Personally, I find the Kobo Utilities plugin very handy. It allows you to do backups of the databases and other important files—I have it set to do this the first time I connect to calibre during a day. Yes, they are more prone that a Kindle to having database issues if you do not safely eject. OTOH, using the Kobo Utilities backup allows you to recover from a database corruption very easily. Unlike many other ereaders, there is no need to jailbreak or root a Kobo. They are open Linux devices. This has the advantage of allowing users to modify the database contents, etc. It has the disadvantage that you can more easily break your Kobo but, if nothing else, you can resort to a factory reset. Many of the older Kobo devices have a removable µSD card. This has advantages in being to remove and re-image the card. OTOH, µSD cards, especially the older units, have relatively short write lifetimes. This is one of the reasons that Kobo has been switching to using eMMC for storage.

Today, 02:07 AM	#7
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 15,572 Karma: 248046501 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	For my part, I can add that with 3 Kobo devices in 7 years I have never had a database corruption or any other failure. I do eject them safely, always. There are a few minor bugs, but nothing that has made me regret getting a Kobo device. I far prefer them to Kindles, which I previously used.

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