Privacy & support

A reading journal that respects creators

The Reading Room turns reading spreadsheets, including Excel lists, into a library that is easier to search and navigate. Our goal is to help you remember what you have read, plan what to read next, and discover stories through the reading lists people choose to share.

We do not claim ownership of linked stories, their characters, or other creators’ work. Rights remain with their respective creators and rights holders. We do not publish or republish stories or chapters as part of this service. Our tools save links and descriptive details, including titles, authors, tags and summaries; they do not import full stories or chapters for reading here. Follow the source link to read a story on its original site. See our story ownership and use terms.

What we save

We save your account email and the story information you add: links, titles, authors, characters, relationships, summaries, shelves, ratings, notes and reading history. Supabase provides account authentication and stores a password hash, rather than a readable password. Library records are associated with your account so you can use them on different devices.

Your browser stores a sign-in session so you can stay signed in. The Chrome extension keeps its cloud sign-in session in Chrome’s session storage, restricted to trusted extension contexts. In local mode, the extension saves stories to the local Reading Room server you choose.

Importing and looking up stories

Spreadsheet files, backups and saved HTML pages are parsed in your browser. The original uploaded file is not sent to our server. After you review the preview and choose Import, the selected story records are saved to your account. Public list and story lookups send the link you provide to our server, which requests the public page from FanFiction.net or Archive of Our Own.

Private AO3 lists can be imported from pages you save while signed in to AO3. We do not ask for your AO3 or FanFiction.net password. File imports do not execute spreadsheet formulas or scripts from saved pages.

Sharing is your choice

Libraries are private by default. You can share selected stories or your whole library. Whole-library links include new stories as you add them. Shared views include story titles, authors, characters, relationships, word counts, content ratings, summaries and source links. Your star ratings, comments and reading notes, reading status, and reading dates stay hidden unless you enable each option for that list. You can preview the shared view and change these choices at any time.

You can allow any signed-in reader with the link, or limit access to the confirmed accounts whose email addresses you select. Recipient emails are visible only to the list owner. Replacing or revoking a link removes future access through it. Reading records other readers already copied into their own libraries remain there. Copies include story information and links, without adopting your personal ratings, notes, shelf or reading history. They do not contain the story or its chapters. Details someone has already seen or saved outside the app cannot be recalled.

Optional AI and your API key

The tracker works without AI. If you choose an AI feature, your OpenAI API key is held in memory in that tab and sent over HTTPS through our server to OpenAI for that request. It is not saved in your Reading Room database, browser storage or extension. Closing the tab or signing out clears it from the app.

Recommendations send a limited selection of saved story details, including characters, relationships and summaries, along with your preferences and favourite-story ratings. Stories are selected from your unread shelf and previously read favourites. Recommendations are drawn from your saved stories; AI does not search the web for new ones. AI-assisted lookup sends public story metadata. Private reading notes and completion dates are not included. Requests use OpenAI’s non-storage setting, but OpenAI’s own processing and retention policies still apply. Usage is charged to your OpenAI account.

The Chrome extension

The extension reads supported story details from the active page when you click its icon. It uses those details to show the story and, when you choose Save, add it to your library. It does not collect your browsing history or read unrelated tabs in the background. Its permissions support the active-page lookup, the configured Reading Room services and optional local-server connection.

Service providers and logs

Netlify hosts the app and request handlers. Supabase handles authentication and the cloud database. Resend delivers account confirmation, password reset and security emails. OpenAI processes AI requests only when you choose to use them. These providers may process operational information such as IP addresses, request times and error logs to run and protect their services.

We do not sell your library or account data, run advertising trackers, or use your reading history for advertising. The app does not add third-party analytics. Account emails are for signing in, recovery and security.

Your controls

You can edit your stories and notes, remove accidental finished-read records, export your library from Back up & restore, and revoke shared lists. We keep cloud records while your account exists. For an account deletion or other data request, email support from your account address; we will verify ownership before making changes. Provider backups and security logs may remain for their normal retention periods.

Signing out clears the private interface. On a shared device, also remove downloaded exports and saved AO3 pages yourself.

A little help

For support, privacy questions or account deletion requests, contact support@ffreadingroom.com. Do not email passwords, API keys or authentication links.

The Reading Room is an independent reading journal and is not affiliated with FanFiction.net or the Organization for Transformative Works.