Anki MCP Server

★ 8

from dhkim0124

Create Anki flashcards using natural language by connecting to the AnkiConnect add-on.

🔥🔥🔥✓ VerifiedFreeNeeds API keys

⌁ labsco summary — our analysis, not the vendor's

What it is — An MCP server that connects Claude to Anki via the AnkiConnect add-on, letting you build and manage flashcard decks in natural language.

What you get —

Deck tools: list_decks (with new/due/learning stats), create_deck (nested :: decks), delete_deck (confirmation required)
Card tools: create_card, create_card_batch, and create_card_custom for custom note types
Rich prompts like "Create a Python deck with Code style and add 10 cards about decorators" or "upload this image and attach it to a new card in my Biology deck"
A guided flow that asks clarifying questions and confirms before destructive operations

Requirements — Python 3.9+, Anki 2.1.x+, the AnkiConnect add-on (code 2055492159) running at localhost:8765, and an MCP client. env is empty — no keys.

Cost snapshot — Free and open source (MIT); everything runs locally against your Anki, no paid service.

Setup effort — Install AnkiConnect, clone and set up a venv with pip install -r requirements.txt, then add a python block pointing at anki_server.py.

Our take — A delightful, safe-by-default way to generate cards from Claude; the practical caveat is the dependency chain — Anki must be running with AnkiConnect installed, and it is a clone-and-venv setup rather than a one-liner.

Source: the project README — summarized 2026-07-08.

⌁ readme from github — mirrored (latest on GitHub ↗)

anki-mcp-server

Read this in other languages: English, 한국어

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects Claude and Anki, allowing you to create, manage, and enrich flashcard decks through natural language — without ever opening the Anki UI.

Available Tools

Deck Management

Tool	Description
`list_decks`	List all decks with stats (total, new, due, learning cards)
`create_deck`	Create a new deck (supports nested decks with `::`)
`delete_deck`	Delete a deck — requires explicit confirmation

Card Operations

Tool	Description
`create_card`	Create a single Basic card (front/back)
`create_card_batch`	Create multiple cards in one call
`create_card_custom`	Create a card using a custom note type, with optional audio/image attachments
`search_cards`	Search using Anki's query syntax (tags, text, deck filters)
`update_card`	Edit fields and tags of an existing card
`delete_cards`	Delete one or more cards — requires explicit confirmation

Note Types & Styling

Tool	Description
`create_note_type`	Create a custom note type with chosen fields, CSS style, and HTML templates
`get_note_types`	List all available note types and their fields
`update_note_type_style`	Update the CSS of an existing note type
`update_note_type_template`	Update the HTML templates of an existing note type

Media & Sync

Tool	Description
`add_media`	Upload an image or audio file (base64) to Anki's media folder
`sync_anki`	Sync your local collection with AnkiWeb

Style Templates

Four built-in styles are available via the style parameter in create_note_type:

Style	Key	Best for
Default	`"default"`	General use
Duolingo	`"duolingo"`	Language learning, gamified feel
Dark Mode	`"dark"`	Night studying, reduced eye strain
Code	`"code"`	Programming, algorithms
Custom	`"custom"`	Full control — you provide the CSS

For custom style, describe what you want in natural language and Claude generates the CSS:

"Dark blue background, mint green accents, smooth fade-in animation"

All custom CSS is validated to block javascript: URLs, <script> tags, and inline event handlers before being sent to Anki.

Project Structure

anki-mcp-server/
├── anki_server.py      # MCP tool definitions and AnkiConnect client
├── config.py           # Constants: URL, API version, media limits
├── instructions.py     # LLM system instructions for conversational behavior
├── templates.py        # Built-in CSS themes, CSS validation, HTML generators
└── tests/
    ├── test_anki_server.py   # Tests for all tools (mocked AnkiConnect)
    └── test_templates.py     # Tests for template logic and CSS validation

Copy & paste — that's it

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anki-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/anki_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Requirements

Python 3.9 or higher
Anki 2.1.x or higher
AnkiConnect add-on
Claude Desktop (or any MCP-compatible client)

Installation

1. Set up Anki and AnkiConnect

Install Anki.
Install the AnkiConnect add-on:
- In Anki, go to Tools > Add-ons > Get Add-ons
- Enter code 2055492159 and click OK
- Restart Anki
Verify it works by visiting http://localhost:8765 — you should see AnkiConnect v.6.

2. Install anki-mcp-server

git clone https://github.com/dhkim0124/anki-mcp-server.git
cd anki-mcp-server

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Edit your Claude Desktop config file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anki-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/anki_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Usage

With Anki running in the background, you can ask Claude things like:

"Create a Python deck with Code style and add 10 cards about decorators"
"Show me my decks and their stats"
"Search for cards tagged 'sql' and update the one about indexes"
"Create a custom dark-mode deck with fields: Word, Definition, Example, Audio"
"Upload this image and attach it to a new card in my Biology deck"
"Sync my collection with AnkiWeb"

The server guides the conversation — it asks clarifying questions about deck, style, and card type before creating anything, and always asks for confirmation before destructive operations.

Running Tests

pip install pytest pytest-asyncio
pytest tests/ -v

All tests mock AnkiConnect via httpx — no running Anki instance required.