Luminaria
Luminaria
Everything you need to know about Luminaria — how to get started, what's free, and how the sync and export features work.
Connect your Kobo to your computer via USB and tap Connect on the device. Open luminaria.uk in your browser, click Use Kobo native firmware? below the drop zone, then click Select KoboReader.sqlite.
Navigate to your Kobo drive and open the .kobo folder — you may need to show hidden files first (Mac: Cmd + Shift + ., Windows: View → Show hidden items). Select KoboReader.sqlite and your highlights load instantly.
Nothing is uploaded anywhere — the file is read entirely within your browser.
Luminaria supports the following highlight sources:
KOReader — the .md file generated by Export all highlights (Search icon → Export all highlights), or wirelessly via the Luminaria KOReader plugin
Kobo native firmware — direct import from KoboReader.sqlite on your device. No file export needed.
Kindle — the My Clippings.txt file from your Kindle device
Readwise — the markdown export from your Readwise account
Kobo native export — the annotation file exported from kobo.com or from your device directly
No. You can use the core features — browsing, searching, favouriting, and Kobo direct import — without any account at all. Just open luminaria.uk and start importing.
A free token (requested via email at luminaria.uk/signup) is needed for KOReader manual sync, PDF export, and Notion export. A paid subscription (£2.99/month) is required for PDF export, Notion export, and automatic WiFi sync.
Yes — Luminaria saves your highlights to your browser's local storage automatically. When you close the tab and return later, your highlights will still be there without needing to re-import anything.
Note that clearing your browser's cache or site data will remove them. If you use the KOReader sync feature, you can always re-sync from your device to restore them.
Install the Luminaria KOReader plugin on your device and enter your token (or link it via a 6-digit code from luminaria.uk/link). Then tap Menu → Tools → Luminaria Sync → Sync highlights now to push your highlights to Luminaria.
In your browser, open Luminaria, enter your token, and click ↻ Sync from KOReader. Your highlights load from the server.
Manual sync (free) — you trigger a sync yourself from the KOReader plugin menu. Your highlights are pushed to Luminaria when you tap the button.
Auto sync from KOReader plugin (paid, £2.99/month) — the plugin detects when your device wakes from sleep and WiFi is available, then syncs automatically in the background. No tapping required.
Download the plugin from GitHub and copy the luminaria.koplugin folder to /mnt/onboard/.adds/koreader/plugins/ on your device. Full instructions are in the README on GitHub.
Once installed, the plugin appears under Menu → Tools → Luminaria Sync.
The plugin works on any device that runs KOReader with WiFi capability — including Kobo, Kindle (jailbroken), and PocketBook devices. It requires WiFi to sync.
Click ↓ Export in the sidebar and select Obsidian. Choose which books to include and click Export. Luminaria downloads a zip file containing one markdown file per book, ready to drop straight into your Obsidian vault.
Each file includes YAML frontmatter (title, author, tags, export date), highlights formatted as blockquotes grouped by chapter, and page and date metadata under each highlight. Obsidian export is completely free — no token or subscription needed.
Get a free token from luminaria.uk/signup and enter it in Luminaria. Once your highlights are loaded, click ↓ Export PDF in the sidebar. A book selection modal lets you choose which books to include. Your highlights download as a formatted PDF — one section per book, sorted by date highlighted.
PDF export requires an active paid subscription (£2.99/month).
Click ↗ Export to Notion in the sidebar and connect your Notion workspace via OAuth. You'll be asked to paste the URL of the Notion page you want to export into — create a dedicated page in Notion first and share it with the Luminaria integration (open the page → ··· → Connections → add Luminaria).
Once connected, select which books to export and click Export. Each book becomes a child page with highlights grouped by chapter. Notion export requires an active paid subscription (£2.99/month).
Yes — both PDF and Notion export show a book selection modal before exporting. You can untick all books and select just the ones you want. This also means you can export a single new book to Notion without re-exporting your entire library.
Yes — export works however you loaded your highlights. Whether you imported from KoboReader.sqlite, uploaded a KOReader file, or loaded a Kindle export, PDF and Notion export works the same way.
Your highlights are stored in your browser's local storage — they never leave your device unless you choose to use the KOReader sync feature. The Kobo SQLite import reads your file entirely within the browser using WebAssembly; nothing is uploaded.
If you use KOReader sync, your highlights are stored on Cloudflare's infrastructure so they can be pulled into your browser. Your email address is stored only to send you your token. We don't collect analytics, sell data, or share anything with third parties.
No. Luminaria uses a personal API token for authentication — a long random string sent to your email. There is no password, no Google login, and no traditional account. The token is the only thing that identifies you.
Your highlights remain in your browser's local storage regardless of your subscription status. Cancelling only removes access to PDF export, Notion export, and auto sync from the KOReader plugin. You can still browse, search, and import highlights for free.
Free — no token needed: Browse highlights, full-text search, favourites, direct Kobo SQLite import, upload KOReader/Kindle/Readwise files, export to Obsidian.
Free — token required: KOReader manual sync. Get a token at luminaria.uk/signup.
Paid (£2.99/month): PDF export, Notion export, automatic KOReader WiFi sync.
Lifetime (£25 early bird / £39 standard): One-time payment for everything in the paid plan, forever. Includes all future paid features. 14-day refund policy.
Yes — Luminaria offers lifetime access as a one-time payment. The first 100 supporters pay £25, after which the price moves to £39. Lifetime access includes everything in the paid plan — PDF export, Notion export, and automatic WiFi sync — plus all future paid features added to Luminaria.
There's a 14-day refund policy. If you change your mind within 14 days of purchase, just reply to your confirmation email and we'll refund you in full. You can purchase lifetime access at luminaria.uk/upgrade.
Go to luminaria.uk/upgrade, enter your token, and click Subscribe. Payments are processed securely by Stripe. You can cancel anytime from the same page.
Yes — Luminaria's core features are free and cover the main use case: getting your Kobo highlights off your device and into a searchable, browsable interface. Unlike Readwise, no account is required and your highlights never leave your browser. If you want spaced repetition and daily review emails, Readwise is purpose-built for that. If you want a private, lightweight place to revisit your highlights and optionally export to PDF or Notion, Luminaria is a good fit.
Make sure you're selecting the right file — it should be called KoboReader.sqlite and located inside the hidden .kobo folder on your device. On Mac press Cmd + Shift + . to show hidden files. On Windows, enable Show hidden items in File Explorer.
If your device runs KOReader rather than native Kobo firmware, use the KOReader markdown export method instead — Export all highlights from the Search menu.
This was a known issue that has been fixed. Luminaria now imports highlights made in all colours from the Kobo Libra Colour. If you're still seeing this issue, try re-importing your SQLite file — make sure you're using the latest version of the site.
The most common cause is that the Luminaria integration hasn't been given access to the specific page you're exporting into. Open the page in Notion, click ··· in the top right, go to Connections, and add Luminaria.
Pages in your Notion Private section may not be accessible to integrations even if they appear public. Try moving the page to a shared workspace section if you continue to have issues.
If the problem persists, click ⚙ Change Notion page in the sidebar and paste in the URL of the page again to reset it.
Luminaria sorts highlights by the date they were made, oldest first. If your highlights appear out of order it may be because some highlights don't have a date attached — these are placed at the end. This can happen with some Kobo native exports or older KOReader versions. If you'd prefer a different sort order, let us know via the feedback link below.