Anki MCP Server

local-only server

The server can only run on the client’s local machine because it depends on local resources.

Integrations

  • Connects to a locally running Anki application through the Anki-Connect add-on, providing tools for card review and creation, including retrieving due and new cards, updating card ease ratings, and adding new flashcards.

Anki MCP Server

An MCP server implementation that connects to a locally running Anki, providing card review and creation.

This server is designed to work with the Anki desktop app and the Anki-Connect add-on.

Make sure you have the add-on installed before using.

Resources

  • anki://search/deckcurrent
    • Returns all cards from current deck
    • Equivalent of deck:current in Anki
  • anki://search/isdue
    • Returns cards in review and learning waiting to be studied
    • Equivalent of is:due in Anki
  • anki://search/isnew
    • Returns all unseen cards
    • Equivalent of is:new in Anki

Tools

  • update_cards
    • Marks cards with given card IDs as answered and gives them an ease score between 1 (Again) and 4 (Easy)
    • Inputs:
      • answers (array): Array of objects with cardId (number) and ease (number) fields
  • add_card
    • Creates a new card in the Default Anki deck
    • Inputs:
      • front (string): Front of card
      • back (string): Back of card
  • get_due_cards
    • Returns n number of cards currently due for review
    • Inputs:
      • num (number): Number of cards
  • get_new_cards
    • Returns n number of cards from new
    • Inputs:
      • num (number): Number of cards

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

For development with auto-rebuild:

npm run watch

Configuration

To use with Claude Desktop, add the server config:

On MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json On Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{ "mcpServers": { "anki-mcp-server": { "command": "/path/to/anki-mcp-server/build/index.js" } } }

Debugging

Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, debugging can be challenging. We recommend using the MCP Inspector, which is available as a package script:

npm run inspector

The Inspector will provide a URL to access debugging tools in your browser.

You must be authenticated.

A
security – no known vulnerabilities
A
license - permissive license
A
quality - confirmed to work

A server implementation that connects to a locally running Anki, enabling card review and creation through the Model Context Protocol.

  1. Resources
    1. Tools
      1. Development
        1. Configuration
          1. Debugging