Shellf

Can I export my Shellf data?

Yes. Export your full library as a CSV file from the app (Settings → Export your Library) or on web (shellf.app/export-my-library). Ownership and portability is one of my cornerstone principles for Shellf. It is immediate and takes less than a minute.

Two ways to export

You can export from either the mobile app or the website — both produce the same CSV.

From the app

  1. 1.Open Shellf and go to Settings → Export your Library.
  2. 2.Tap Export as CSV. The file saves to your device.

From the web

  1. 1.Visit shellf.app/export-my-library and sign in.
  2. 2.Click Download my library. The CSV downloads to your device.
Shellf in-app Export your Library screen, reached from Settings. Lists what's included in the CSV (title, author, ISBN, reading status, overall rating, trait tags, start and finish dates, page count, shelf and tag names, notes, DNF progress and reasons) and what's not (recommendation history, AI-generated content, account settings). An Export as CSV button sits at the bottom.
The in-app Export your Library screen. Same CSV as the web export, same fields included.

What’s in the CSV

Every book on every shelf, with the fields below.

  • •Title and author
  • •ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 (whichever the catalogue has)
  • •Reading status: to-read, currently reading, finished, or DNF
  • •Overall star rating (half-star precision preserved)
  • •Per-trait rating tags — e.g. Pace (loved); Plot (didn’t work)
  • •Start date and finish date
  • •Page count
  • •Custom shelves and tags
  • •Notes (your private text)
  • •DNF progress and reasons

The CSV is compatible with the standard Goodreads / StoryGraph format for the universal columns. The trait-tag column is a Shellf addition; other trackers will ignore it on import, but the rest of the data lands cleanly.

What’s not included

  • •Recommendation history. The list of books the engine has surfaced to you isn’t part of the export.
  • •AI-generated content. The taste profile, archetype summaries, and reasoning text the engine builds from your library are derived data — recomputed from your ratings. Your ratings, which generate them, are fully exported.
  • •Account settings. Email, subscription state, notification preferences. None of that is your reading data, so it stays out of the file.

Why portability is non-negotiable

Shellf is small. If I get hit by a bus, you should be able to walk away with your library intact and import it into Goodreads, StoryGraph, Hardcover, or whatever else exists. The CSV is compatible with the standard Goodreads / StoryGraph format, so re-importing into either is one step.

The principle: your reading data is yours. Leaving should be as frictionless as joining. Locking export behind a paid tier or making you wait 30 days is the kind of thing apps do when they’re afraid of churn — it doesn’t actually prevent churn, it just makes the churning user angry.

Ready to try it? Install Shellf on Android. iOS launches mid-2026.

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