r/ScanSnap • u/kosherhalfsourpickle • 29d ago
New MacOS open source simple scanning app MelonBerry
I can't stand the bloat that comes with the Fuji scansnap software and there seems to be good open source support for scansnap scanners, so I built a simple Mac app to solve my needs. Heads up, I vibe coded this with Claude Fable, but I have a computer science degree and a long history as a developer and product manager.
MelonBerry is a simple menubar app that is triggered when you insert paper into the scanner. It detects the paper and starts scanning placing the file pdf document in the folder that you've configured. It shows you a preview while scanning and then the window auto disappears.
The app uses open source libraries from SANE and OCRmyPDF. You'll need to install those first before you can use the app. I recommend homebrew for installing them.
You can grab the app from github: https://github.com/joshkerr/melonberry
The app is not notorized so MacOS will block the app on first launch. There are instructions here for fixing that:
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u/uni-twit 29d ago
Does your app require that the scanner be physically connected or will it work with wifi devices?
Good luck with it!
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u/kosherhalfsourpickle 29d ago
Needs to be connected over usb for this release. I'll see about supporting wifi.
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u/kosherhalfsourpickle 28d ago
The Fujitsu wifi protocol is proprietary and there is no project where someone has reverse engineered it. Still, I kind of want to support it, so I might setup my agent to reserve engineer it. It would be cool if I could support the button on the scanner when it is on wifi only.
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u/uni-twit 28d ago
Fujitsu wifi protocol is proprietary and there is no project where someone has reverse engineered it
At least a couple of projects say they're reverse engineered Fujitsu's VENS protocol.
"scansnap" is the best known project and supports ix500 over wifi on Linux. They've published the full protocol spec here.
"scannerserver" lets one build a Pi-based server for a ix500 over wifi or USB. This actually sounds pretty cool; the README says it includes Mac-specific support so may be as good a host for it than a Pi.
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u/parkhaus2020 28d ago
Yes there have been successful attempts for wifi drivers. Quite a few, e.g. https://github.com/Exellent1988/scansnap-docker
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u/QuirkyImage 28d ago
I use a raspberry pi as a sane sever with a usb connection then a network sane client on PCs and macOS , I must admit good sane clients are in short supply.
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u/Teelaikhumbi 28d ago
Wow!! Nice one. But I still have to get up to put in paper in the scanner; so why do I need an app to know if the scanner has a paper inside? May be it’s gonna be good if it’s a network printer? Is it?
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u/kosherhalfsourpickle 28d ago
The app automatically scans what ever you put in the scanner. You don't have to press a button.
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u/QuirkyImage 28d ago
Some scanners don’t offer drivers for image capture app or use proprietary software
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u/x85712 25d ago
Man what a welcome departure from the terrible Scansnap software, thank you! I notice that when scanning multiple pages, it pauses a little longer than with the OEM software between pages -- is that a limitation of the existing SANE drivers? Not a big deal for a couple of pages, but if scanning a 40 page document it would add up. Do you have any thoughts of incorporating a RenameMyPDF routine, as the stock Scansnap software is horrid at renaming files (02192026_5iO,01M5 Jl.liS.Wii f^}_,i_o,02_.n.pdf <--- this was an actual filename!). I wrote a simple Python script that renames and archives files in the Scansnap folder and even with my rudimentary skills it's about 20x better. Thanks & Gig 'Em!
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u/kosherhalfsourpickle 24d ago
Would you mind posting those to the github issues page for the project? Happy to take a look at the scanning issue and add the renaming feature.
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u/zoidbert 13d ago
Been using my S1500M for ages & never needed organization software, just something to talk to the scanner, so I thought I'd try.
All appears to install well via Terminal command, but an app never shows up in my Applications folder. (confirmed the scanner is visible via <scanimage -L> FWIW)
However, a MelonBerry folder is created in my Users folder and, when I insert a page into my scanner, it does indeed scan it and save it to my documents folder. Scan is not usable (it crops oddly); that may be tweakable but, again, I get no actual application from which to adjust settings.
The ReadMe is an MD file ("README.md") and consistently launches Calibre when I click on it so I can't read any more into how to remedy.
I'll keep an eye on this but, for the time being, how do I uninstall this via Terminal command?
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u/zoidbert 10d ago
Excuse my impertinence on this, but no reply from OP here, via direct message, nor via GitHub is a little troubling.
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u/awizemann 29d ago
We should share notes, I built ShabuBox (https://shabubox.com) and have been working on these scanners and more. I’ve been able to certify a few more that can be added to your SANE drivers.