Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated
What comic-dl is, which readers open its archives, licensing, and a map to the right guide.
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What is comic-dl?
A command-line downloader for comic and manga galleries. You give it a series URL, choose your chapters, and it fetches every page and packs them into CBZ, ZIP, or CBT archives with embedded metadata.
Which readers can open the output?
Any reader that accepts CBZ or ZIP archives. A .cbz is just a ZIP containing
the page images and a ComicInfo.xml, which is why the extraction-friendly
flavors (Tachiyomi, Komikku, Calibre) all work. The ZIP format carries the
same metadata as CBZ; CBT is a TAR container (uncompressed) meant more for
interop than for nice file managers.
Is comic-dl free?
Yes, under the MIT license.
Do I need Python?
Not if you install a prebuilt binary; on Windows the standalone .exe
bundles the native curl-cffi runtime too, so there’s nothing else to
install. Linux packages (deb/rpm/Arch) work the same way. Only building from
source requires Python 3.11+ and uv, and macOS ships no binary, so source is
the only route there.
To update, replace your binary with the newer release. A source checkout runs
git pull and uv sync. Installation has the
binary-by-binary instructions.
Which page should I read?
| If you want to | Read |
|---|---|
| Install it, per platform, or update it | Installation |
| Pick chapters, choose an output format, resume, or script it | Downloading |
| Change a default, turn on rate limiting, or set the solver | Configuration File |
| Fix a failing download or a corrupt archive | Troubleshooting |
| Check what an exit code means | Exit Codes |
| Check whether your site is supported | Supported Sites |
| Check what comic-dl stores or sends | Privacy |
| Check what you may download | Legal |
Development
Contributing instructions live in CONTRIBUTING.md: setup, tests, and PR workflow.
To support a new site, write a scraper plugin. The Writing a Plugin guide walks through the class, the registration, and the tests; Plugins covers loading and installing third-party ones.