Skip to content

README.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
228 lines (169 loc) · 9.58 KB

README.md

File metadata and controls

228 lines (169 loc) · 9.58 KB
Raw

Kindle Disk Filler

Fill Kindle storage to block automatic updates on unregistered tablets. Useful for jailbreak preparation.

What this is (and what it is not)

There are two different things the community calls "filler", and mixing them up causes a lot of confusion:

  • OTA blocker filler (this tool). Fills the device's free space with dummy files so the Kindle cannot download an over-the-air (OTA) update. This is what Filler.sh / Filler.ps1 do.
  • SpringBreak filler folders. Some jailbreak guides (e.g. SpringBreak) ask you to create specific folders as part of their flow. Those folders are not the same thing and do not block OTA by themselves.

If your goal is to stop automatic updates, use this tool. If you are following a jailbreak guide, follow that guide's steps for its own folders — do not mix the two.

Quick Run

Linux / macOS:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iiroak/Kindle-Filler-Disk/raw/main/Scripts/Filler.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://github.com/iiroak/Kindle-Filler-Disk/raw/main/Scripts/Filler.ps1 | iex

Windows (CMD):

powershell -Command "irm https://github.com/iiroak/Kindle-Filler-Disk/raw/main/Scripts/Filler.ps1 | iex"

Which method should I use? (decision tree)

1. Does your Kindle show up as a USB drive/volume on your computer?
   - Yes  -> Mass Storage. The script fills it directly. (older Kindles)
   - No   -> It is probably MTP (11th gen+, Scribe, Basic 2024, PW5/PW6).
             The script writes into the device's storage folder over MTP.

2. Do you want to BLOCK OTA updates, or are you following SpringBreak?
   - Block OTA      -> use this tool (fill mode).
   - SpringBreak    -> follow that guide's folder steps; don't mix them.

3. Did the per-file fill fail on your MTP device?
   - Yes -> the script offers the pre-built ZIP fallback (last resort).
   - Or use the GUI alternative (jannikac/mtp-filler).

4. Already blocked OTA and want to read normally again?
   - Run the script and choose "Remove filler files" to reclaim space.

5. Kindle still shows "storage full" after removing?
   - Empty the Trash (.Trashes on macOS), disconnect/reconnect,
     and reboot the Kindle.

Modes: fill and remove

When you run the script it first asks what to do:

  • Fill — creates dummy files to occupy free space and block OTA updates. Before writing, it shows the destination, connection type and free space and asks for confirmation. You choose how much space to leave:
    • 20 MB aggressive OTA block (may trigger "storage almost full" notifications)
    • 50 MB balanced
    • 100 MB daily use (fewer notifications, still blocks most OTA)
  • Remove — deletes the fill_disk/ folder and reports free space before and after, so you can verify the space was reclaimed.

Safety

  • The script never fills your PC by accident: it only writes to a detected Kindle or a device you explicitly pick, and it refuses system/home paths (/, /home, Desktop, Downloads, the Windows system drive, …).
  • On Windows, if the script is launched by double-click and hits an error, it now shows the error and waits instead of closing the window silently.

Supported Devices

Kindle Model Connection Supported
Kindle Basic (older) Mass Storage Yes
Kindle Paperwhite (up to 11th gen) Mass Storage Yes
Kindle Paperwhite 12th gen MTP Yes (Linux/Windows)
Kindle Basic 2024 MTP Yes (Linux/Windows)
Kindle Scribe MTP Yes (Linux/Windows)

How It Works

The script automatically detects your Kindle's connection type:

  1. Mass Storage (older Kindles): appears as a regular USB drive. Files are created directly on the device.
  2. MTP (modern Kindles): appears as a portable device. Files are created locally then transferred via MTP protocol.

MTP nested storage structure

MTP devices are not writable at their root. The device root contains one or more storage folders, and files can only be written inside one of them:

Kindle                          <- device root (NOT writable)
└── Internal Storage            <- storage folder (write here)
    └── fill_disk/              <- the script writes the filler files here

The name of the storage folder is localized and varies by device (Internal Storage, Almacenamiento interno compartido, Espace de stockage interne, SD card, …). The scripts detect it automatically: if there is a single storage folder they use it; otherwise they match a multilingual list of known names and fall back to the first available folder.

Detection Methods

OS Mass Storage Detection MTP Detection
Linux findmnt by volume label "Kindle" gio mount -l (requires gvfs)
macOS /Volumes/Kindle Not supported (macOS lacks MTP)
Windows Drive with volume name "Kindle" Shell.Application COM (portable devices)

MTP Support (Linux)

For newer Kindles that use MTP protocol, you need gvfs installed:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install gvfs gvfs-backends

# Fedora
sudo dnf install gvfs gvfs-mtp

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S gvfs gvfs-mtp

For the pre-built ZIP fallback (below) you also need unzip and curl (or wget), which are present on most systems by default.

Pre-built ZIP fallback (last resort)

If the normal per-file fill method fails on your device (e.g. an MTP device that refuses scripted writes), the scripts offer a fallback: they download a pre-built archive of zero-filled files from this repo's Zips/ folder and copy its contents into fill_disk/ on the device.

  • The archives are tiny to download (~8–66 MB) but expand to ~8/16/32/64 GB (zeros compress about 1000:1).
  • The script picks the largest archive that fits your device's free space (fill_8gb.zip, fill_16gb.zip, fill_32gb.zip, fill_64gb.zip). If free space can't be read, it asks for your Kindle's size.
  • On MTP the archive is streamed one file at a time, so it does not need gigabytes of scratch space on your PC.

This is only triggered when the primary method wrote nothing; you are always prompted before anything is downloaded.

GUI alternative

If you prefer a graphical tool instead of these scripts, jannikac/mtp-filler is a mature cross-platform option (Rust + libmtp/Windows WPD) that ships a GUI and a CLI in a single pre-built binary for Windows, macOS and Linux. It does the same job (fill an MTP device's storage to block OTA updates) with a point-and-click interface.

Notes

  • Recommended free space: 20-50 MB to block updates
  • The filler is written as 100 MB files (file_0, file_1, … in fill_disk), using smaller 50/10/1 MB pieces only for the final tail. This is intentional: to add a book later you can delete a single file to free 100 MB and copy it in, while the device stays full enough to keep OTA updates blocked — no need to remove everything.
  • Multiple runs are safe — continues from where it left off
  • To free the space again, run the script and pick Remove filler files (it reports free space before/after). Deleting fill_disk/ by hand also works.
  • The script will not create files on your PC — it only targets the Kindle device
  • If no Kindle is detected, the script aborts with a clear error message

Running from File (Windows)

If you download Filler.ps1 and run it locally, PowerShell may block it with an execution policy error. Solutions:

# Option A: Run with bypass (one-time)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Filler.ps1

# Option B: Change policy permanently (recommended)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

The irm | iex command works without any changes because it runs in the current session.

Troubleshooting

"No Kindle device detected"

  • Ensure your Kindle is connected via USB cable
  • Unlock the Kindle and make sure it shows the home screen
  • For MTP Kindles on Linux: install gvfs gvfs-backends
  • Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable

Script fills PC storage instead of Kindle (FIXED in v2.1)

This issue was fixed in v2.1. The script now detects the Kindle device before creating any files.

"El archivo no está firmado digitalmente" (Windows)

See Running from File above.

MTP is slow

MTP transfers are inherently slower than mass storage. The script writes 100MB files in both modes (with a 50/10/1MB tail); on MTP each file is streamed one at a time, which balances speed and reliability.

Manual

Copy Filler.ps1 (Windows) or Filler.sh (Linux/macOS) to Kindle root via USB, then run.

Credits