Desktop · 2022 to 2025 · Built alone across several generations
AniChain
A local-first anime library that scans, enriches, streams, and tracks progress across desktop, web, and mobile experiments.
One problem, several generations
I wanted a better way to manage anime: track shows, enrich metadata, keep up with releases, and eventually connect downloading and local playback. Over time that meant mobile apps, Angular and Tauri combinations, Python download tools, and finally a structured Next.js and TypeScript architecture.
AniChain v3 is local-first. It scans files, normalizes titles, enriches entries, streams content, extracts subtitles, tracks progress, and can talk to qBittorrent. A separate metadata API normalizes AniDB, AniList, MyAnimeList, TVDB, TMDb, and friends.
Filenames never agree with databases
Episode numbering, aliases, and provider quirks rarely line up. Useful libraries need caching, mappings, fallbacks, and resilient providers. AniChain is less a single finished repo and more proof that I revisit a problem as my skills change.