FirstPass for arXiv

FirstPass is a mobile-first reader for arXiv.

FirstPass helps you keep up with new papers, open full arXiv papers from wherever you find them, and read them comfortably on your phone. It is built for researchers, students, engineers, and anyone who wants a better way to move through arXiv without fighting tiny PDFs or scattered browser tabs.

FirstPass covers all of arXiv and updates daily. Open papers from your Feed, Search, Radar, an author page, or any arXiv link shared from another app. FirstPass gives arXiv papers the mobile reading surface they deserve: an HTML-first reader designed for small screens, with PDF available when you need it. In the reader, tap any in-line reference, figure, table, or equation for an instant preview, open figures and tables in a full viewer, select a passage for an on-device explanation, or export a paper to Markdown or Obsidian. PaperTrail keeps your recent papers in a side panel so you can switch between them as you read, and a "Continue reading" bar brings you back to your last paper from anywhere in the app.

Feeds help you move through new research quickly. Tune categories by hand, like papers to shape future recommendations, and use on-device paper briefs to decide what deserves a real read. When enabled, briefs are generated locally on your device.

Radar helps you monitor arXiv as it changes. Create Search Radars for topics or narrow questions, Smart Folders seeded from papers you care about, and Author Follows for new work from specific authors. FirstPass sends one daily notification when new matches are found, and you can check Radar anytime.

Search is built for research work. Use the main search box for hybrid search across arXiv, or open Advanced Search to refine by authors, categories, dates, and paper metadata. From any paper, you can save it, like it, open related papers, browse more work by the same authors, or send it straight into the reader.

FirstPass is local-first. Saved papers, likes, reading state, preferences, cached files, and paper briefs live on your device. Search, feed, recommendation, and model-download requests may use FirstPass services to provide those features, but the app is designed without requiring an account or personal server profile to function.

FirstPass Plus adds iCloud sync, offline reading for opened and saved papers, unlimited Radar monitoring, salient-sentence highlighting, and PaperTrail enhancements. Free users can still read, search, save, like, share into FirstPass, generate local paper briefs, use on-device explanations and Markdown/Obsidian export within monthly limits, and use Radar features with limits.

FirstPass is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by arXiv, Cornell University, or OpenAlex.

Built with gratitude for arXiv’s open repository and OpenAlex’s open scholarly data.