iTagger

A Python tool for creating ComicInfo.xml files for manga using the AniList API. This tool follows the ComicInfo schema specifications from The Anansi Project.

Features

• 🔍 Search manga by title using AniList's comprehensive database
• 📊 Fetch detailed metadata including authors, artists, genres, tags, and more
• 📄 Generate ComicInfo.xml files compliant with the ComicInfo v2.1 schema
• 🎯 Volume/chapter-specific metadata generation
• 🌐 Multi-language support with proper language ISO codes
• 📚 Batch processing for multiple volumes
• 🎨 Rich metadata including character information, reading direction, age ratings

Installation

Using uv (Recommended)

Install the tool using uv:

uv tool install itagger

Using pip

Install from PyPI using pip:

pip install itagger

Or install in development mode from source:

git clone https://github.com/FelixSiegel/itagger
cd itagger
pip install -e .

Manual Installation

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Install dependencies:

pip install requests lxml click python-dateutil

or using uv, just run:

uv sync

Usage

Command Line Interface

The tool provides a CLI with several commands:

  batch     Generate ComicInfo.xml files for multiple volumes of a manga...
  embed     Embed ComicInfo.xml metadata directly into CBZ files.
  generate  Generate ComicInfo.xml for a specific manga.
  search    Search for manga on AniList.

You can get help for each command using the --help flag.

Search for manga

Syntax:

itagger search [OPTIONS] QUERY

Example:

itagger search --limit 5 "Attack on Titan"

The command returns a list of matching manga titles along with their AniList IDs and other basic information.

Generate ComicInfo.xml for a specific manga (requires AniList ID)

Syntax:

itagger generate [OPTIONS] MANGA_ID

Example:

itagger generate --volume 1 --scan-info "My Scanlation Group" 105778

This command generates a ComicInfo.xml file for volume 1 of the manga with AniList ID 105778 (Chainsaw Man) and includes the specified scanlation group in the metadata.

You can find the AniList ID using the search command or by visiting the manga's page on AniList (the ID is in the URL).

Batch generate for multiple volumes

Syntax:

itagger batch [OPTIONS] QUERY

Example:

itagger batch --volumes "1-10" --output-dir "output/" "One Piece"

This command searches for "One Piece" on AniList, retrieves its AniList ID, and generates ComicInfo.xml files for volumes 1 to 10, saving them in the specified output directory.

Embed metadata directly into CBZ files

Syntax:

itagger embed [OPTIONS] CBZ_DIR MANGA_ID

Examples:

# Embed metadata (from Manga by ID) into existing CBZ files for Komga/Kavita
itagger embed /path/to/cbz/folder 30933

# For specific range of volumes/chapters
itagger embed --range "1-10" /path/to/cbz/folder 30933

# For volume-based CBZ files
itagger embed --metadata-type volumes --pattern "v{:02d}.cbz" /path/to/cbz/folder 30933

# Dry run to see what would be processed
itagger embed --dry-run /path/to/cbz/folder 30933

Also read the KOMGA_KAVITA_GUIDE.md for more details on embedding metadata into CBZ files.

Programmatic Usage

from itagger.anilist_client import AniListClient
from itagger.comicinfo_generator import ComicInfoGenerator

# Initialize clients
client = AniListClient()
generator = ComicInfoGenerator()

# Search for manga
results = client.search_manga("Naruto", limit=5)
print(f"Found {len(results)} results")

# Get detailed information
manga = client.get_manga_details(results[0].id)

# Generate ComicInfo.xml
comic_info = generator.generate_comic_info(
    manga=manga,
    volume=1,
    scan_info="Example Scanlation Group"
)

# Save to file
with open("ComicInfo.xml", "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    f.write(comic_info)

ComicInfo.xml Fields

The tool maps AniList data to ComicInfo.xml fields according to the schema:

ComicInfo Field	Source	Description
Title	Manga title + volume/chapter	Full title including volume/chapter info
Series	Primary title	Series name (English preferred, fallback to Romaji)
Number	Volume/Chapter	Volume or chapter number
Count	Volume count	Total volumes in series
Volume	Volume number	Specific volume number
Summary	Description	Cleaned description without HTML
Year/Month/Day	Start date	Publication start date
Writer	Staff with "Story" role	Authors/writers
Penciller	Staff with "Art" role	Artists
Publisher	Studios	Publishing studios
Genre	Genres	Comma-separated genres
Tags	Tags (non-spoiler)	Comma-separated tags
Web	Site URL	AniList page URL
LanguageISO	Country of origin	Language code (ja, ko, zh, etc.)
Manga	Country + format	Reading direction (YesAndRightToLeft for JP)
Characters	Main characters	Main character names
AgeRating	Tags + adult flag	Age appropriateness rating
CommunityRating	Average score	Rating converted to 0-5 scale

Example Output

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<ComicInfo xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="ComicInfo.xsd">
  <Title>Attack on Titan Volume 1</Title>
  <Series>Attack on Titan</Series>
  <Number>1</Number>
  <Count>34</Count>
  <Volume>1</Volume>
  <Summary>Hundreds of years ago, horrifying creatures which resembled humans appeared...</Summary>
  <Notes>Generated from AniList ID: 53390</Notes>
  <Year>2009</Year>
  <Month>9</Month>
  <Day>9</Day>
  <Writer>Hajime Isayama</Writer>
  <Penciller>Hajime Isayama</Penciller>
  <CoverArtist>Hajime Isayama</CoverArtist>
  <Publisher>Kodansha</Publisher>
  <Genre>Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror</Genre>
  <Tags>Survival, Military, Tragedy, Gore, War</Tags>
  <Web>https://anilist.co/manga/53390</Web>
  <LanguageISO>ja</LanguageISO>
  <Format>Digital</Format>
  <BlackAndWhite>Yes</BlackAndWhite>
  <Manga>YesAndRightToLeft</Manga>
  <Characters>Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert</Characters>
  <MainCharacterOrTeam>Eren Yeager</MainCharacterOrTeam>
  <AgeRating>Mature 17+</AgeRating>
  <CommunityRating>4.3</CommunityRating>
</ComicInfo>

AniList API Integration

The tool uses AniList's GraphQL API to fetch comprehensive manga metadata:

• Search: Finds manga by title with popularity and score sorting
• Details: Retrieves full metadata including staff, characters, tags, and more
• No authentication required: Uses public API endpoints
• Rate limiting: Respectful API usage with proper error handling

Schema Compliance

Generated ComicInfo.xml files follow the ComicInfo v2.1 schema specifications:

• Proper XML structure and encoding
• Correct data types for numeric fields
• Enumerated values for specific fields (Manga, AgeRating, etc.)
• Optional field handling
• HTML entity escaping

Dependencies

• requests: HTTP client for AniList API
• lxml: XML processing and generation
• click: Command-line interface framework
• python-dateutil: Date parsing utilities

License

This project is open source and available under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests.

Acknowledgments

• AniList for providing the comprehensive manga database API
• The Anansi Project for ComicInfo schema documentation
• uv for making the whole build and installation process easier
• The manga and digital comics community for standardization efforts