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1

Install Lightnovel Crawler

Install the lightnovel-crawler package from PyPI. See the installation guide for all available methods including standalone binaries and Docker.
pip install -U lightnovel-crawler
Verify the installation:
lncrawl -h
2

Search for a novel

Use the search command to find novels by title across all supported sources:
lncrawl search "mushoku tensei"
The search results will list matching novels with their source URLs. Copy the URL of the novel you want to download and use it in the next step.
3

Crawl a novel URL

Pass the novel’s detail page URL directly to the crawl command:
lncrawl crawl https://example.com/novel/mushoku-tensei/
lncrawl will fetch the novel metadata (title, author, cover, chapter list) and display a summary before proceeding.
4

Select chapters

In interactive mode, lncrawl prompts you to select which chapters to download. You can:
  • Download all chapters
  • Enter a range (e.g. 1-50)
  • Pick individual chapter numbers
To skip the prompt entirely, use --all, --first N, or --last N flags (see non-interactive mode below).
5

Choose an output format

When prompted, select your desired output format. The following formats are available:
FormatNotes
epubMost compatible — works on Kindle, Kobo, and all major e-readers
txtPlain text, no external tools required
jsonRaw structured data
pdfRequires Calibre
mobiRequires Calibre
docxRequires Calibre
rtfRequires Calibre
fb2Requires Calibre
azw3Requires Calibre
litRequires Calibre
lrfRequires Calibre
pdbRequires Calibre
rbRequires Calibre
tcrRequires Calibre
PDF, MOBI, DOCX, and most other formats (except epub, txt, and json) require Calibre to be installed and available on your system PATH. On macOS, you may need to run export PATH="$PATH:/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/MacOS" before starting lncrawl.
EPUB is the most compatible format. It works natively on Kindle (via Send to Kindle or sideloading), Kobo, Apple Books, and virtually all e-reader apps. Start with EPUB unless you have a specific format requirement.
6

Open the output folder

Once the download completes, lncrawl prints the path to the output folder and offers to open it. Output is saved to ~/Downloads/lightnovel-crawler/<novel-title>/ by default.You can also open the folder manually or configure a custom output path via lncrawl config.

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Non-interactive mode

Use --noin to skip all prompts and run fully automated. Combine it with chapter selection and format flags: 
lncrawl crawl --noin --all -f epub https://example.com/novel/some-title/
Key flags reference:
FlagDescription
--noinDisable interactive mode — required for scripting or automation
--allDownload all available chapters
--first NDownload the first N chapters (e.g. --first 10)
--last NDownload the latest N chapters (e.g. --last 5)
--format / -fOutput format; can be repeated for multiple formats

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Running as a web server

lncrawl includes a built-in web interface. Start the server with: 
lncrawl server
Then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser. Default credentials: 
username: admin
password: admin
You can specify a custom port with the -p flag: 
lncrawl -ll server -p 8080
To run the server with Docker: 
docker run -v ~/.lncrawl:/data --rm -it -p 8080:8080 ghcr.io/lncrawl/lightnovel-crawler server

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Next steps

CLI Reference

Full reference for all commands, flags, and options available in the lncrawl CLI.

Output Formats

Learn about every supported output format and how to configure Calibre for additional conversions.

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