u/Unified-Field

Zen UI is built around the philosophy that less is more. Every feature either removes clutter or adds clear, focused value. The result is a faster, cleaner reading experience that stays out of your way.

I took what I think are the best features from Kindle, Kobo, KOReader, and various plugins/patches and combined them into a single intuitive interface with an emphasis on simplicity, the little details, and performance. My goal is to replace all the custom plugins and patches with one streamlined setup.

I am a Senior Software Engineer by trade and built this as a passion project for myself and my family and I figured since it solves a lot of problems for us, this community might appreciate it as well.

This project is and will always be free and open-source under the GPL-3.0 License

What is included

Quick Settings panel — swipe down from anywhere in the file browser to get a tidy overlay with brightness, warmth, WiFi, night mode, sleep, and rotation controls. No digging through menus.

Library overhaul — clean mosaic and list views that maximize your cover art. I try to let your book covers take all the space possible. Folder thumbnails with gallery covers, configurable items per page, landscape/portrait layout, and a streamlined tap-and-hold context menu for quick access to book details, full-screen covers, read status etc.

Bottom navigation bar — a tab bar at the bottom of the library with configurable tabs (Library, Manga, Favorites, Authors, History, Collections, and more). Optional labels, custom icons, sortable layout.

Automated lighting schedules — three independent schedules replace KOReader's single auto night mode. Set separate schedules for Night Mode, Brightness, and Warmth. They work independently or together, giving you precise control over your lighting throughout the day.

Reader improvements — a Kindle-style page browser for scrubbing pages, searching, and adjusting font size. Margin guard prevents accidental taps when holding the device by the edge. Reader progress bar presets — pick from a handful of pre-designed styles or save your own.

Custom status bars — minimal bars in both the reader and library. Show only what you want: time, battery, disk space, custom text.

Zen Mode — strips KOReader down to its bare essentials. Hides all default menus, leaving one single unified Zen UI settings tab.

Lockdown Mode — a distraction-free sandbox for very young/very old readers or anyone who wants reading-only focus. Restricts settings access, optionally magnifies the UI, keeps everything simple.

OPDS theming — the OPDS browser now mirrors your library display settings. Mosaic, grid, or list view, rounded covers, and default-catalog quick access from the Quick Settings panel.

Unified settings page — everything in one place, grouped by feature. Toggle individual features independently. Update directly from within KOReader — no USB required.

Performance

Patches are injected strategically and only loaded when needed, I focused a lot of energy on making sure Zen UI is performant across all tasks. On libraries with thousands of books, there's no measurable drop in speed, responsiveness, or battery life.

If you want to read more about this, here is a link anthonygress.github.io/zen_ui.koplugin/

This plugin is designed to be standalone so it is not compatible with Simple UI, Project Title etc. Some plugins/patches may work with Zen UI but most should be disabled while Zen UI is active.

P.S. Zen UI has been certified by the non-techy fiancé/wife gauntlet of approval (which has an arduous certification process)

Bug/Issues

If you find any bugs/issues or want to make a suggestion for improvements, please create an issue on the project’s GitHub page here https://github.com/AnthonyGress/zen_ui.koplugin/issues

Donations

If you like this and would like to support my free and open-source work, you can donate at [https://ko-fi.com/anthonygress.](https://ko-fi.com/anthonygress) Donations are very much appreciated but never expected.

Disclaimer

Apparently this is not working on Boox devices yet. A fix will be coming soon for you. Tested on Kindle and Kobo devices.