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BookTrove Support

Table of Contents

Need help with BookTrove, found a bug, or have a feature request? Email mike@oscillatelabs.net and I’ll get back to you.

Getting started #

Open Settings and connect at least one wishlist source, or just add books by hand with the + button.

  • Goodreads — enter your numeric user ID (from your profile URL). Your “want to read” shelf must be set to public.
  • Hardcover — paste an API key from your Hardcover account settings.
  • LibraryThing — export your library as a Tab-Delimited (TSV) file and import it.

You can use any combination of sources; duplicate books are merged automatically.

Frequently asked questions #

A book I added shows “N/A” instead of a price. BookTrove looks up prices on AbeBooks. A book can show N/A if it has very few listings, if the title includes a subtitle that doesn’t match (try the main title without the “:” part), or if AbeBooks is temporarily busy. Adding the book’s ISBN gives the most reliable match — tap a book to edit it and add the ISBN, or scan the barcode.

Why don’t prices update when the app is closed? Background price checks work differently per platform. On macOS, Windows, and Linux they run on schedule via your system. On Android they run in the background but some phones delay them to save battery. On iOS, the system decides when to run background checks — it may be less frequent than you chose, and never while the app is force-quit. For reliable alerts on mobile, enable Telegram notifications in Settings.

How do I get price-drop alerts? Set a target price in Settings (“Price Threshold”) and turn on system notifications and/or Telegram. You’ll be alerted when a book falls below your target or drops from its last checked price.

What are the badges on some books? A gold badge shows how many signed copies (✍) and first editions (1st) are listed — handy if you collect.

Where is my data stored? Entirely on your device. BookTrove has no account and no servers. See the Privacy Policy for details.

Is it really a one-time purchase? Yes — no subscription. (During the beta it’s free.)

Contact #

Bugs, questions, feature ideas: mike@oscillatelabs.net