EasyRead: reading papers together with an agent
EasyRead
Two skills for Claude Code and Codex: the agent translates papers in the EasyRead library and answers your margin notes
- 1,110 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- The agent runs `easyread` commands and writes translations and discussions into your library files
- PDF text reaches the model: the skill says to treat it as data, but a third-party file may carry harmful instructions
- Installers have no digital signature and no Apple notarization: verify the download source
Install
- Works in
Manual install
pip install git+https://github.com/Edwardxlai/easyreadInstalls the app, data lives in `~/EasyRead`; start it with `easyread`.
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The agent runs `easyread` commands and writes translations and discussions into your library files
- PDF text reaches the model: the skill says to treat it as data, but a third-party file may carry harmful instructions
- Installers have no digital signature and no Apple notarization: verify the download source
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
EasyRead is a local app for reading scientific papers with translation. It translates a PDF page by page into Chinese, retypesets formulas and tables, shows the original next to the translation and lets you keep notes and ask a model questions. The library lives on your computer, and the browser interface listens on 127.0.0.1:8765 only. The repository has two skills for agents. `paper-reading` drives joint reading: the agent imports a paper (`easyread import`), can translate pages itself and write them in batches (`easyread blocks`), checks the result with `easyread check`, reads your notes and questions and answers next to the right paragraph. `paper-xray` is for deep analysis: the agent reads the whole paper with appendices, reconstructs the authors' line of thought, works key formulas through numeric examples and checks hyperparameters, ablations and baselines. The result goes into the discussion next to the paragraph.
Who it is for. For researchers and students who read English papers with a Chinese translation and want Claude Code or Codex to work with their library.
Good fit when
- You want Claude Code to translate hard pages of a paper itself and save the translation to the library
- You left a question in the margin and want the agent's answer next to that paragraph
- You need a breakdown of what the authors actually proposed and where the weak spots are: that is the `paper-xray` skill
- You are moving your library from Zotero and want to keep working on it with an agent
- You want the agent to spot typos and number mismatches in the source and flag them without editing the original
Not a fit when
- You read papers in Russian: translation in the app is described for Chinese, and Russian is not claimed in the project description
- You need a shared team library: the data is local and syncing is possible only through a cloud-drive folder
- You do not want to install the app: the skills drive it through the `easyread` command and are useless without it
- You need a one-minute summary of a paper: `paper-xray` aims at a detailed analysis
Example request
Import the paper with arXiv number 1706.03762 into EasyRead, translate the first five pages yourself and answer my margin questions.Limitations
The interface and main README are in Chinese; an English README exists. The skills need the app or the package: the path to the `easyread` command depends on how it was installed (pip, source, macOS app, Windows installer), so the agent first has to work out which variant you have.
The installers use the project's self-signed certificate: the Windows build has no digital signature, the macOS build targets Apple Silicon and is not notarized by Apple, so the system may block the first launch. Translating through Claude Code spends your subscription limits. Working with foreign APIs from Russia was not checked for this card.
How to disable. Delete the `paper-reading` and `paper-xray` folders from the agent's skills directory (`~/.claude/skills/` or `~/.codex/skills/`). The app uninstalls like any program, and the library stays in the `EasyRead` folder in your profile until you remove it yourself.
FAQ
How do I install the EasyRead skills in Claude Code?
Copy the `paper-reading` and `paper-xray` folders from the repository's `skill` directory into `~/.claude/skills/`, or `~/.codex/skills/` for Codex. Install the app or package first, because the skills drive it through the `easyread` command.
How do I install EasyRead itself?
The easiest way is the installer from the releases page: `.exe` for Windows, `.dmg` for macOS on Apple Silicon, `.AppImage` for Linux. With pip: `pip install git+https://github.com/Edwardxlai/easyread`, then `easyread`, and the page opens at `http://127.0.0.1:8765`. Python 3.10 or newer is required.
Which model does EasyRead translate with?
You choose: Claude Code or Codex CLI through your subscription with no key, API keys for DeepSeek, Kimi, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and other services, local Ollama and LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible address.
How does `paper-xray` differ from `paper-reading`?
`paper-reading` imports a paper, translates it and answers your questions. `paper-xray` reads the whole paper and breaks it down: the authors' line of thought, formulas through examples, weak spots. The analysis goes into the discussion next to a paragraph and, if you wish, into a separate Markdown file.
Can I move my library from Zotero?
Yes. In the import dialog choose to migrate the whole Zotero library: the app finds the data folder and moves papers with PDFs, categories, authors, year, journal, DOI and abstract. PDFs can be linked instead of copied; the command line has the `--link` flag for that.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
Related
Skillspaper-reading-skill turns one arXiv AI or robotics paper into a report with each claim tied to evidence in the source.
A plugin for studying research papers: a PDF or arXiv link becomes a summary, study materials, code demos and a web viewer
A Claude Code skill for scientific literature reviews: an interview, Scopus and OpenAlex search, DOI checks and a final docx file
A marketplace of five Claude Code plugins for researchers: literature search, research design, project memory and manuscript work
A set of three research skills: paper writing, academic Word and PowerPoint documents, scientific computing and figures
Research environment for Claude Code and Codex: 87 skills, 15 reviewer agents and shared context for LaTeX papers.
Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EasyRead: reading papers together with an agent (this card) | no | 1,110 | ||
| Zotero MCP | no | not required | 1,264 | gives the agent access to a Zotero library; EasyRead keeps its own local library with translation |
| Claude Paper | no | 356 | the plugin turns a paper into a summary and study materials; EasyRead translates it and keeps a margin discussion |
README in short
The app's features: book-like typesetting of the translation, search across original and translation, editable translation and a term glossary, highlighting in four colors, several answer modes for the model, tracking of tokens and Claude subscription limits. A separate section explains how an agent reads your notes and writes answers into the library. The rest covers installation, model choice and testing on three systems.