Xteink doesn't sell books. There's no store on the device, no Kindle or Kobo account to sign into, and the stock firmware doesn't open DRM-protected files. So "how do I get books on this thing?" comes up constantly on r/xteink and in the Facebook groups. This is every way I know of, for the X4 Pro, X4 Classic, original X4 and X3, plus a fifth: generating the book yourself.
I read on an Xteink X4 Pro, so the stock-firmware steps below come from my own unit. The last part is about Gnothi, a book generator I built, so weigh that part accordingly. Everything before it works without it.
The stock firmware opens EPUB and TXT, plus JPG and BMP images. That covers most free and DRM-free books, but nothing you bought on Kindle or Kobo: those files are DRM-locked and won't open.
If you have a DRM-free MOBI or AZW3, Calibre converts it to EPUB.
I covered the Calibre and OPDS screens step by step, along with KOReader sync, in book servers for e-readers. This post sticks to which route fits which device and where the books come from.
On the X4 Pro and X4 Classic, Xteink's stock Licorice firmware has OPDS built in, so there's nothing to flash. CrossPoint is optional open-source firmware, and the way to get OPDS on the original X4 and the X3, which Licorice doesn't cover.
| Model | OPDS on stock firmware | OPDS with CrossPoint |
|---|---|---|
| X4 Pro | Yes, with the Licorice update | Yes |
| X4 Classic | Yes, with the Licorice update | Listed as supported |
| X4 (original) | No | Yes |
| X3 | No | Yes |
Licorice is Xteink's new stock firmware, replacing the XT 7.x system. Builds are named by date, and according to einktools' Licorice guide, build 261014 added OPDS 1.2 and 2.0 catalogs, and 261016 added KOReader sync in beta. It needs the ESP32-S3 chip in the X4 Pro and X4 Classic, so the original X4 and the X3 don't get it.
To install it on the X4 Pro, einktools says to connect to Wi-Fi, install the normal system update, then open Settings and choose "Upgrade to new system." The bookshelf resets, though your books stay on the card, and you may lose reading progress and bookmarks. Later builds arrive as ordinary updates.
On Licorice, adding a catalog goes like this on my X4 Pro:
https:// included.CrossPoint Reader is open-source replacement firmware for the X3, X4, X4 Pro and X4 Classic. Its OPDS browser saves up to 8 servers, with search and direct download, and it also has a Calibre wireless connection, KOReader progress sync, WebDAV and SD-card plug-ins.
To install it, connect the reader by USB-C and wake it, open the flash tools at crosspointreader.com, select your device and pick an official release. If your browser's device picker doesn't show the reader, try another USB port or browser. To go back to stock, flash Xteink's official firmware from the same page.
One catch: Liliputing reported in May 2026 that Xteink blocks custom firmware on X3 and X4 units sold through Chinese retailers such as Taobao. Units bought from xteink.com aren't restricted. CrossPoint's README also mentions some third-party-store units shipping USB-locked, with an unlocker tool as the last resort.
CrossInk is a fork of CrossPoint. This post only covers CrossPoint.
Not on the stock firmware. There's no Libby app and no DRM support, so regular library loans won't open. The exception, per Pocketink's Libby guide, is a title your library offers as a DRM-free Open EPUB: download it and copy it over like any other EPUB.
In August 2026 The Verge reported that CrossPoint was adding third-party plug-ins, and that one of the first community plug-ins would open DRM-protected Libby loans, borrowed from another device since the reader can't browse Libby itself. Pocketink's September check hadn't confirmed a working loan. If Libby matters, a Kobo or Boox handles loans today.
https://standardebooks.org/feeds/opds/new-releases. Their full OPDS feed needs a Patrons Circle login.https://gnothiai.com/opds.xml as an OPDS catalog with no username or password. It lists Gnothi's own published books, including a course on choosing an e-reader that draws on my e-reader comparison table and a cyberpunk novel, Continue Without Me.Every "where do I find books for my Xteink?" thread gets the same answers: Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, Calibre. The other answer is to have a book written for you, about exactly what you want to read, and pull it onto the reader over OPDS.
That's what I built Gnothi to do. You give it a premise, pick fiction or nonfiction, and it writes the book one chapter at a time, on a schedule or whenever you ask for the next one. Every chapter is also narrated, if you'd rather listen.
Education. Nonfiction starts with "What do you want to learn?" and offers starting points: Learn a skill, Get better at a game, Keep up with a field, Work through a book and Understand a period. The chess example reads: "I know how the pieces move, but I lose to anyone who plays with a plan. Build up tactics a little at a time, and quiz me on what came before." It remembers what it already covered, and you can let a segment research the internet so a course on a fast-moving field stays current.
Personal development. Make a personal change is one of the nonfiction picks. You can also keep a journal in Gnothi, and your notes steer the next chapter: write where you got stuck, and the next one takes it up.
Fiction. The picks are A quest, A mystery, A crew in space, A family, A teaching tale, A tabletop campaign and Survival. You can also put a lesson inside the story, so the plot hinges on the skill you're learning. Mine is Continue Without Me, a 1980s-flavored cyberpunk story about a laid-off man and the AI business agent he hires.
Books keep going by default. Set a series length if you want one to end at a target chapter, as a finished book.
There's no subscription. A chapter costs about a dollar in credits, narration included, and new accounts start with enough for about four. After that, a one-time $10 top-up adds roughly nine more, and credits don't expire.
https://api.gnothiai.com/opds. Any username works, and the key goes in the password field.On my X4 Pro, re-downloading an unchanged book kept my place. Whether it holds when the new file has more chapters is still being confirmed, so try it on one book before you rely on it.
CrossPoint's OPDS browser should take the same URL and key, but I haven't tested it yet.
If you'd rather skip OPDS, open the book's Settings tab, then Publishing → Download book (EPUB). You get a free EPUB 3 with a table of contents, which goes on the microSD card or through the Xteink app like any other book. Gnothi's e-reader guide has troubleshooting for both routes.
If you want the audio as well, AI audiobook generator that writes the book too covers narration, voices and the M4B export.