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Kioku

Import a web page

Import a web article or PDF as a Topic you can read incrementally.

Before you begin

Section titled “Before you begin”
  • Kioku imports into the active Collection. Switch Collections first if you want the Topic somewhere else.
  • A web page must use an http:// or https:// address. Other schemes are rejected with Invalid URL. Only http:// and https:// URLs are supported.
  • Importing creates a Source — the imported document — which Kioku reads as a Topic. For why reading happens a little at a time, see Incremental reading.

Steps

Section titled “Steps”
  1. On the Dashboard, find the Read bar, paste a URL into the Paste URL… field, and select Open. Kioku opens the Reader and loads the page.
  2. Alternatively, open the Reader and type a URL into the Enter URL or paste link… field, then press Enter. You can also use the toolbar URL bar, Enter URL or search….
  3. With the page loaded, select Import in the Reader toolbar.
  4. In the Import Page dialog, under How would you like to import this page?, choose Static Import or Live Import (see Static vs live import).
  5. To skip this dialog on future imports from the same site, check Remember for <domain>. Kioku then reuses your chosen mode for that domain.
  6. Select Import. The toolbar button changes to Imported (its tooltip reads “Page already imported”).
The Reader with a URL bar and a toolbar offering navigation, Import, bookmark, and the Extract and Cloze actions. The Reader with a URL bar and a toolbar offering navigation, Import, bookmark, and the Extract and Cloze actions.

Only public web pages can be imported; private, local, and non-web addresses are rejected, including after redirects. Imported pages are cleaned to plain, readable content; active and embedded content is removed.

Static vs live import

Section titled “Static vs live import”

The dialog offers two modes, and the choice is permanent for that Source unless you re-import:

  • Static Import saves a snapshot of the page content so you can review it offline. Use this for articles whose content is stable and that you want to keep even if the original goes away.
  • Live Import saves only the URL and opens the live page during review, with your previous Extracts re-highlighted. Use this for pages that change over time.

When Live Import is selected, a nested Thread Mode checkbox appears. Thread Mode lets you navigate within the same site during review without being prompted to import each page — useful for reading threads such as Twitter or Reddit comments. Thread Mode applies only to Live imports; it is ignored for Static imports.

Import a PDF

Section titled “Import a PDF”

PDFs are always imported as Static Topics — there is no Live option, and the Import Page dialog does not appear. Import one of these ways:

  • In the Reader’s empty state, select Import a PDF and choose a file in the Select PDF picker.
  • Drag a single PDF from Finder or Explorer onto the Reader’s empty-state panel, which shows Drop a PDF to import.
  • Open the command palette and run Import PDF.
  • Paste a URL whose path ends in .pdf into any URL bar. Kioku detects the PDF and imports it directly, without the static/live choice.

Result

Section titled “Result”

The page or PDF is saved as a Topic in the active Collection. It appears in your review Queue for incremental reading, and the Reader toolbar shows Imported. Re-importing the same URL updates the existing Topic rather than creating a duplicate.

Section titled “Related”