Is Your PDF Library a Mess? It’s Time to Dive into Gorae.

Gorae: Meet the terminal-first librarian built for speed, minimalism, and flow.

Let’s be honest: if you are a researcher, developer, or student, your “Downloads” folder is probably a graveyard of dozens of files named 1905.1234.pdf or final_draft_v3_REAL_FINAL.pdf.

We hoard knowledge. We download papers, save technical manuals, and collect dozens of EPUBs we swear we’ll read “someday.” But actually managing that library? That’s usually a painful choice between chaos (files scattered everywhere) or bloat (slow, heavy GUI applications that feel like overkill).

If you live in the terminal, you appreciate tools that do one thing well, fast, and without touching the mouse. Why should managing your research library be any different?

The TUI Librarian You’ve Been Waiting For

Gorae (고래, meaning whale) is a terminal-first librarian for your PDFs and EPUBs.

It is designed as a fast, Vim-friendly alternative to heavy citation managers like Zotero or Mendeley. Gorae isn’t trying to do everything; it’s trying to help you organize, find, and read your documents with maximum efficiency and minimum friction.

Why You’ll Love Swimming with Gorae

If you prefer the keyboard over the mouse, Gorae will feel immediately familiar. Here is how it streamlines your everyday reading:

⚡ Navigate at the Speed of Thought

Forget clicking through endless nested folders. Gorae offers Vim-style browsing. Fly through your library with j and k. It’s snappy, responsive, and designed to keep you in your flow state.

🧾 Stop Manually Typing Metadata

Bringing new papers into your library shouldn’t be a chore. Gorae automatically scans new PDFs for DOIs or arXiv identifiers and fetches the correct titles, authors, and publication years for you.

🔎 Find That One Quote, Instantly

Where was that specific paragraph about transformer attention mechanisms? Don’t open ten different PDFs to find it. Gorae’s powerful search lets you query metadata or dive deep with full-text content search—right from the terminal interface.

🗃️ Get Organized Without the Headache

Gorae helps you tackle your reading list without complicated folder structures.

• Track Your Progress: Easily mark papers as Unread, Reading, or Read.
• Stash for Later: Use the To-Read queue to keep track of what’s next.
• Favorites: Keep your most crucial reference papers just one keystroke away.

Timeless Inspiration

The Gorae logo is inspired by the Bangudae Petroglyphs in South Korea—ancient carvings that are among the earliest known depictions of whales.

I wanted Gorae to feel like those engravings: minimal, timeless, and built to last. It doesn’t rely on flashy graphics or web engines; it’s a solid, handmade tool crafted for a specific purpose. And, just like your favorite terminal setup, it’s fully themeable to match your aesthetic.

Ready to Dive In?

If you are tired of bloated software and messy folders, it’s time to streamline your knowledge management.

Gorae is open-source and ready for you to try.

👉 Check out Gorae on GitHub to get started

Stop drowning in PDFs. Get organized, stay in the terminal, and keep learning.