FAQ

An AI assistant that works inside Maktabah Shamela on Mac and Windows. It searches and reads the books in your library and answers with the book, volume and page.

No. Shamela Agent is an independent, third-party add-on made by Takhrij Hadith Lab. It isn’t made, endorsed or supported by Maktabah Shamela or its owners, so please send questions about it to us, not to Shamela.

Paid once, no subscription: USD 12 for 1 device, USD 24 for 3 and USD 35 for 5. Every update is included. AI usage counts against your own Claude or ChatGPT plan.

The interface is in Arabic and English. Ask in any language and it answers in the language of your question.

No, it only reads them. To appear inside Shamela it adds a small hook to the app, which you can remove at any time.

Yes, Shamela Agent works through one of them. You don’t have to install it yourself: Connect in ⚙ › Accounts installs the official tool from OpenAI or Anthropic, then opens your browser to sign in.

Either a plan or an API key. Plans: ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus & Pro (Free has lower limits); Claude Pro, Max & Team (Claude’s free plan doesn’t include Claude Code). Or use your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key and pay per use.

Yes. In ⚙ › Accounts, switch a provider from Subscription to API key and paste your key from OpenAI or Anthropic. You pay them per use instead of using your plan’s limits. The key is kept in your computer’s keychain and sent only to them.

Yes. Pick the provider, model and effort right below the message box; the next answer uses your choice.

No. You sign in inside the official tools from OpenAI and Anthropic, and an API key stays in your computer’s keychain. Nothing reaches us.

Every claim carries the book, volume and printed page. Click a citation to open that exact page in Shamela; the sources panel lists everything it read.

A chat beside the book you’re reading. It knows the page in front of you, and text you highlight is quoted in your question.

Yes. Choose categories, specific books or an era (by the author’s death year) from the bar under the message box.

Folders for your research. A project keeps its chats together and can hold instructions that apply to every chat in it.

Answers can include tables, cards, chains of narration, timelines, calculators and quizzes, each with its sources.

Yes. Settings has four levels: Off, Light, Balanced and Rich. The side panel has its own level, Light by default.

Book pages and covers come from Shamela’s own scans. Pictures of places and objects come from Wikipedia and are always labelled as being from outside the books.

Yes. Share creates a public link to the question and answer with its sources. Stop sharing at any time and the link stops working.

To OpenAI or Anthropic, through your account. Your chats are saved on your computer.

No. It reads Shamela’s books only, and sees only the files you attach yourself.

On your computer, in the Shamela-AI folder. We have no copy, and they stay in place if you remove Shamela Agent.

No. There are no cookies, analytics or ads. Your light or dark choice is kept in your browser.

Your AI provider, our site to check for updates, Shamela’s servers for page scans, and Wikipedia for pictures. The Privacy Policy has the details.

Apple silicon Macs (macOS 13 or later) and Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, including ARM. Intel Macs aren’t supported yet.

That’s expected: the app isn’t registered with Apple. Click Open Anyway, as in the Setup steps.

That’s expected: the file isn’t signed. Click More info, then Run anyway.

Install the tool yourself, then press Connect again. Copy the command into Terminal (Mac) or PowerShell (Windows):

Claude Code · Mac (Terminal)

Windows (PowerShell)

Codex (ChatGPT) · Mac (Terminal)

Windows (PowerShell)

Automatically. It checks for updates when Shamela opens; when one is found it’s downloaded and verified, and a blue button appears next to Settings. Restart Shamela to install it.

Shamela Agent is reapplied automatically: on a Mac, reopen Shamela when the notice appears; on Windows, at your next sign-in.

Mac: run Shamela Agent and click Remove. Windows: double-click “Uninstall Shamela Agent.cmd”. Your chats stay on your computer.