Local-first audiobook wrangling for macOS
Your audiobook library, tidied up and shared without drama llamas. Mostly.
DeerLibrarian is the Mac app for importing DRM-free `.m4b` files, fixing metadata without finger-crossing, building collections, managing listener profiles, and beaming your library to DeerReader like a civilized wizard, no terminal side-quests required.
- Setup is quick: pick your folder, import your books, and you are off to the races.
- Everything you need lives in one complete app, with no helper tools or terminal rituals.
- Share over your local network, pair devices, and keep playback scoped to real listener profiles.
Core features
A careful librarian for DRM-free audiobook collections, with mild chaos resistance and snack energy.
The app focuses on practical library work: bringing books in safely, cleaning them up, organizing access, and making the handoff to listening feel suspiciously effortless, all without leaving the app.
Import single titles or whole batches
Pull in `.m4b` files with drag and drop or file picking, detect duplicates, and copy them into a visible user-owned library folder.
Edit metadata without risking the original
Title, author, series, narrator, comments, and cover cleanup all ride on coordinated, atomic file replacement instead of risky in-place guesswork.
Spot metadata problems quickly
Metadata quality rules can flag missing fields so the books that still need cleanup are easy to find before they sneak into reader hands.
Build collections with real permissions
Group books into themed shelves, control which profiles can access them, and sync collection permissions down to individual titles.
Manage local listener profiles
Librarians, readers, and guests can each have scoped access, paired devices, and playback state that sticks to the right person.
Share to DeerReader over the local network
Turn on local network sharing, let DeerReader discover the library, and use pairing-based sync without adopting cloud infrastructure you never asked for.
How it works
From raw files to a shared listening library.
Choose your books folder
DeerLibrarian stays sandbox-compliant by working inside a folder you explicitly authorize, and setup starts there in about two clicks.
Import and reconcile
New titles are hashed, checked for duplicates, indexed, and kept in sync with Finder changes.
Clean up metadata
Fix missing fields, tune covers, and use metadata quality warnings to find weak spots fast.
Organize access
Create collections, assign profile visibility, and decide which books belong to which listeners.
Share to DeerReader
Access the library over LAN, pair a device once, and let DeerReader browse your available catalog.
Keep playback in sync
Profile-scoped pairing tokens and conflict-aware playback updates keep progress attached to the right reader.
Screens to highlight
Your books are the main character, and they know it.
Take a peep at what DeerLibrarian brings to the shelf, from power moves to quality-of-life wizardry. Setup is delightfully quick, and it is a complete app, so you do not need sidekick tools or terminal spell-casting.
Library shelf
The command deck: fast search, tidy sorting, warning badges, and imports that do not cause emotional damage.
Book tune-up
Metadata editing with safe-write guardrails, so your library stays pristine and your blood pressure stays low.
Collections
Curate collections, assign books, and set access rules like the benevolent librarian boss you are.
Profiles
Profile roles, paired devices, and permissions that keep everyone in their lane without chaos.
Why it feels different
Library software that treats your files like your files. Wild concept, we know.
DeerLibrarian is the control center behind the listening experience. It focuses on visible files, explicit permissions, and practical workflows instead of hiding everything in an opaque service blob.
Local ownership
No hidden canonical vault
Your audiobook folder remains visible in Finder and stays under your control.
Network model
Pair devices instead of creating accounts
Playback sync is built around one-time pairing tokens and local credentials.
Workflow
Made for cleanup as much as browsing
Metadata review, duplicate handling, rebuild tools, and inactive-book cleanup are first-class parts of the app.
Privacy and product stance
Private by design, because your library already lives with you.
Local-first architecture
The app is designed around local folders, local persistence, and LAN-only sharing. There is no requirement for a cloud service to own your library before you can use it.
Explicit permissions
Folder access comes from user selection, profile access is visible in the UI, and pairing credentials are scoped to the devices you approve.