# AnkiDecks: the Anki MCP server for Claude

**Turn lecture PDFs, PowerPoint slides, Word files, notes and YouTube videos into Anki flashcards, right inside Claude.**
Every card keeps the exact quote and page it came from, so you can check it against your lecture.

[Add to Claude](#add-it-to-claude) · [Website](https://ankidecks.ai/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme) ·
[How it works in Claude](https://ankidecks.ai/claude?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme) ·
[Plans](https://ankidecks.ai/pricing?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme)

```
https://ankidecks.ai/mcp
```

![A Claude chat: a cardiology lecture PDF becomes an Anki deck with the source page under each card](assets/ankidecks-in-claude.png)

AnkiDecks is a **hosted (remote) MCP server**. Nothing to install: no Anki running in the background, no AnkiConnect
add-on, no config file, no API key. Paste one address in Claude, sign in once, and ask for cards.

- **Card types:** basic (question and answer), cloze (fill in the blank) and image occlusion from the diagrams in your file
- **Source on every card:** the exact sentence and its page number. Cards whose quote isn't in your file are left out
- **Your files:** PDF, PowerPoint, Word, photos of handwritten notes, pasted text, YouTube links
- **Download:** a normal `.apkg` that opens in Anki, AnkiMobile and AnkiDroid, or CSV. Downloading is free on every plan
- **Made for:** medical, nursing and pharmacy students, USMLE and NCLEX prep, law, languages, the sciences, any subject

## Add it to Claude

1. In Claude, open **Customize › Connectors** ([open it](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors)).
2. Click **+ Add**, then **Add custom connector**.
3. Name it **AnkiDecks**, paste `https://ankidecks.ai/mcp` and click **Add**.
4. Ask: *"Use AnkiDecks to make cards from my lecture"*. Sign in once when Claude asks (Google or an email code). A free
   account is created on the spot.

Claude's free plan allows one custom connector. Add it on a computer once and it also works in the Claude phone app.

**Claude Team or Enterprise:** only an admin can add connectors. Ask them to add `https://ankidecks.ai/mcp` under
**Organization settings › Connectors**, then click **Connect** under **Customize › Connectors**.

### Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http ankidecks https://ankidecks.ai/mcp
```

Or install the plugin, which adds the connector plus a short skill that tells Claude when to use it:

```bash
claude plugin marketplace add jjman2321/ankidecks-mcp
claude plugin install ankidecks@ankidecks
```

## What you can ask

- "Make Anki flashcards from my cardiology lecture PDF"
- "Turn these notes into cloze cards"
- "Make a deck from this YouTube lecture"
- "Show my AnkiDecks decks"

For a file, an upload box appears in the chat: pick the file, the pages and the card types. The deck is made in the
background. When it's ready, Claude shows the card count and a few example cards with their source page:

![The finished deck in Claude: three example cards, each with its quote and page](assets/deck-ready-in-claude.png)

Then review, edit and download the deck on [ankidecks.ai](https://ankidecks.ai/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme).

## AnkiDecks vs. other Anki MCP servers

Most Anki MCP servers drive the Anki app on your own computer. AnkiDecks runs online and reads your files.

| | AnkiDecks | Local Anki MCP servers (AnkiConnect) |
|---|---|---|
| Install | None: paste one URL | Anki open + AnkiConnect add-on + Node or Python + config |
| Works in the Claude web and phone apps | Yes | Desktop only, with Anki running |
| Makes cards from PDFs, slides, Word, photos, YouTube | Yes, with page and quote on every card | Claude writes cards from what's in the chat |
| Image occlusion from your diagrams | Yes | No |
| Adds cards straight into your Anki collection | No: you download a deck (.apkg) and import it | Yes |
| Price | Free plan, paid plans for more | Free (open source) |

If you want Claude to edit your existing Anki collection live, a local server fits better. If you want decks from your
lecture files with sources you can check, AnkiDecks does that.

## Plans

| | Free | Pro | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decks a month | 3 | 50 | Unlimited |
| Pages per file | 15 | 100 | 200 |
| Image occlusion, cloze, basic cards | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Download for Anki (.apkg) and CSV | Free | Free | Free |
| Price | $0 | $7.99 / month | $17.99 / month |

Decks made in Claude count toward your AnkiDecks plan. Current prices and full limits:
[ankidecks.ai/pricing](https://ankidecks.ai/pricing?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme).
[Start free](https://ankidecks.ai/signup?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme), no credit card needed.

## Tools

Tools Claude can call:

| Tool | What it does | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| `open_upload` | Shows an upload box for making an Anki deck from a file (PDF, PowerPoint, Word or photos). The deck starts when the student picks the file in the box. | read-only |
| `make_deck_from_text` | Makes an Anki deck from pasted notes, from the text of a short file attached in the chat (page by page, so cards keep their page numbers), or from a YouTube link. Optional: card types (`both`, `basic`, `cloze`, `vocabulary`), amount (`fewer`, `normal`, `more`), card language. | write (never deletes) |
| `deck_status` | Progress of a deck, its card count, 3 example cards with their source page, and the link to review and download it. | read-only |
| `list_decks` | The student's 10 most recent decks with their status and links. | read-only |

Used only by the upload box (hidden from Claude): `create_upload` (checks the plan, returns one-time upload links),
`start_file_deck` (starts the deck once the file is uploaded), `upload_state` (the box's current deck and plan numbers).

- Transport: Streamable HTTP · Sign-in: OAuth 2.1 with PKCE (dynamic client registration)
- The upload box is an [MCP App](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/); clients without MCP Apps can still make decks from
  pasted notes and YouTube links

## Privacy and security

- When you pick a file in the upload box, it goes straight to AnkiDecks over HTTPS. Claude only gets the deck name, the
  card count, a few example cards and the link.
- If you paste notes or attach a short file in the chat, Claude reads it and passes the text on to make the deck.
- The connector can't see payment details and never deletes anything. Disconnect it any time in Claude
  (**Customize › Connectors**) or on ankidecks.ai (**Account › Connected apps**).
- Uploaded files are deleted after 30 days. Details: [Privacy policy](https://ankidecks.ai/privacy#claude).
- Found a security problem? See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).

## FAQ

**Is there an Anki MCP server that works without Anki open?**
Yes, AnkiDecks. It runs online, so you don't need Anki, AnkiConnect or a config file. You download the finished deck
and open it in Anki.

**Does it work on Claude's free plan?**
Yes. Claude's free plan allows one custom connector, and AnkiDecks has a free plan too (3 decks a month).

**Can I use it with ChatGPT or other clients?**
It's built and tested for Claude. Other MCP clients that support remote servers with OAuth may work.

**Where do I edit the cards?**
On [ankidecks.ai](https://ankidecks.ai/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme). Claude gives you the link when the deck
is ready.

## About this repository

This repository holds the connector's documentation and a Claude Code plugin (`.claude-plugin/`, `.mcp.json`,
`skills/`). It contains no server code and no secrets. The server is closed source and run by Grasp Labs LLC at
`https://ankidecks.ai/mcp`.

Support: [support@ankidecks.ai](mailto:support@ankidecks.ai) ·
[ankidecks.ai/claude](https://ankidecks.ai/claude?utm_source=github&utm_medium=readme)

---

Anki is a trademark of Ankitects Pty Ltd. AnkiDecks is not affiliated with Anki or Ankitects.
Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. AnkiDecks is not affiliated with Anthropic.
Not to be confused with anki-decks.com, which is a different product.

© Grasp Labs LLC · [Privacy](https://ankidecks.ai/privacy) · [Terms](https://ankidecks.ai/terms) ·
[Contact](mailto:support@ankidecks.ai)