Start with your first work.

01. Get GalShelf

Get the Windows package from the download page, extract all of it and start GalShelf.exe, keeping the bundled components folder next to it. If you only want to organise your shelf in a browser, just sign in to the website; no install is needed.

02. Add works to your shelf

Choose a local game folder, or scan the Steam installations on this computer. Review the proposed matches first, then confirm the import; items that can't be identified reliably are never added as visual novels automatically.

03. Record scores and progress

Open a work's details to record its status, score, short review and story progress. Story progress is the completion percentage you enter; Steam's total playtime is a separate field and never turns into story progress or individual play-log entries.

04. Sign in and sync

On the website's home page, create or sign in to a GalShelf account, or choose "Sign in with Google" or "Sign in with NextMoe". Any of them takes you straight to your shelf; you don't need to install or open the desktop app, and you don't need QQ. The first time you use Google or NextMoe you explicitly choose to create a new account or link an existing one; accounts are never merged automatically by email.

Use the same account under "Sign in to GalShelf" in the desktop app and upload this computer's shelf to the account whenever you want. You can preview the differences before syncing; when both sides changed the same thing, review the differences and choose what to keep instead of submitting again and again to overwrite.

05. Protect your game saves

Once you turn on cloud saves in the desktop app, games linked to a VNDB work back up their saves automatically and safely to a sync folder you choose. A work's cloud-save card has three actions: Sync now compares both sides and syncs in the safe direction; Upload backup only stores this computer's progress; Download / restore only restores a specific cloud version and, before it replaces changed local saves, asks first and keeps a local safety snapshot. The website only shows the status summaries your devices report; it can't restore or delete saves.

06. Connect Steam

Sign in with Steam from the Steam tab of the web shelf or from the desktop app's settings and confirm in the browser; QQ isn't needed. The service address is https://galshelf.com. What can be read depends on your Steam privacy settings: a public profile doesn't mean your game details are public too.

07. Optional: connect galbd group features through QQ

Complete the in-group confirmation from your own QQ and the confirmation in the desktop app. The desktop app then starts the browser authorisation; enter the code it shows on the website. QQ verification keeps one original pairing; once you have an account, you can sign in with its password on other clients or browsers. Signing out of a single session doesn't remove the original pairing.

Data and privacy

The desktop app keeps your local records. Your web shelf is stored in your GalShelf account; when you enter through the QQ group flow, saving on the website updates your own record in galbd, and unverified visitors can't see anyone's personal library. The website records the visiting IP address, a browser device identifier and the authorised client; these security records are kept for 90 days. Account passwords are stored as salted, irreversible hashes. The Steam developer key exists only on the server. Keep any personal exports somewhere safe.

FAQ