anki-mcp

An MCP server that lets AI assistants (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and other MCP clients) manage your Anki collection — decks, note types, notes, cards, tags and media — through the AnkiConnect add-on.

It is a thin, local wrapper: each MCP tool maps to one or more AnkiConnect actions over http://127.0.0.1:8765. Nothing leaves your machine and no telemetry is collected — requests are proxied straight to your local Anki.

Unofficial project. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anki / AnkiWeb. "Anki" is a trademark of its respective owner. AnkiConnect is a separate third-party add-on. See Prior art for similar tools.

Prerequisites (one-time)

1. Install Anki Desktop — https://apps.ankiweb.net

2. Install the AnkiConnect add-on: Anki → Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons… → paste code 2055492159 → OK → restart Anki.

3. Keep Anki Desktop running whenever you use the tools.

AnkiConnect only talks to Anki Desktop. To get cards onto your phone, use the sync tool (or Anki's own sync) and pull them in AnkiDroid via AnkiWeb.

Related MCP server: AnkiMCP Server

Install

Requires Python 3.10+.

git clone https://github.com/kazim4uk/anki-mcp.git
cd anki-mcp
python -m venv .venv

Install into the venv:

# Windows (PowerShell)
.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install -e .

# macOS / Linux
.venv/bin/python -m pip install -e .

Smoke test (optional, verifies the connection)

With Anki running:

# Windows
.venv\Scripts\python.exe scripts\smoke_test.py
# macOS / Linux
.venv/bin/python scripts/smoke_test.py

Expected: AnkiConnect version: 6 and a list of your decks. With Anki closed you'll get a friendly "cannot reach AnkiConnect" message — that confirms the error handling works.

Register the server

Use the absolute path to the venv's console script (installed as anki-mcp). It works from any working directory.

• Windows: <repo>\.venv\Scripts\anki-mcp.exe

• macOS / Linux: <repo>/.venv/bin/anki-mcp

Claude Code

claude mcp add anki -s user -- "/absolute/path/to/anki-mcp/.venv/bin/anki-mcp"

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json (%APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS), then restart Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anki": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/anki-mcp/.venv/bin/anki-mcp"
    }
  }
}

On Windows use the .exe and escaped backslashes, e.g. "C:\\path\\to\\anki-mcp\\.venv\\Scripts\\anki-mcp.exe".

Tools

Search syntax

find_notes / find_cards use Anki's native search syntax, e.g.:

• deck:Default

• tag:new -is:suspended

• deck:"My Deck" front:*hello*

Configuration

Environment variables (see .env.example) — all optional:

Troubleshooting

• "Cannot reach AnkiConnect" — Anki Desktop isn't running, or the add-on isn't installed. Start Anki; verify 2055492159 is under Tools → Add-ons.

• Tool calls hang / time out — Anki is showing a modal dialog (e.g. a sync prompt). Dismiss it in Anki.

• duplicate error on add_note — pass allow_duplicate=true, or change a field so the first field is unique.

Prior art

Several other open-source Anki MCP servers exist — worth a look if you want different trade-offs (TypeScript, read-only, extra features): ankimcp/anki-mcp-server, nailuoGG/anki-mcp-server, CamdenClark/anki-mcp-server.

Credits

Built on AnkiConnect and the Model Context Protocol.

License

MIT