Anki MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables LLMs to interact with Anki flashcard software through AnkiConnect.

!Anki Icon

Features

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- list_decks - List all available Anki decks
- create_deck - Create a new Anki deck
- create_note - Create a new note (Basic or Cloze)
- batch_create_notes - Create multiple notes at once
- search_notes - Search for notes using Anki query syntax
- get_note_info - Get detailed information about a note
- update_note - Update an existing note
- delete_note - Delete a note
- list_note_types - List all available note types
- create_note_type - Create a new note type
- get_note_type_info - Get detailed structure of a note type

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- anki://decks/all - Complete list of available decks
- anki://note-types/all - List of all available note types
- anki://note-types/all-with-schemas - Detailed structure information for all note types
- anki://note-types/{modelName} - Detailed structure information for a specific note type

Prerequisites

1. Anki installed on your system
2. AnkiConnect add-on installed in Anki

Configuration

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This repository supports Anthropic Desktop Extensions (MCPB). The easiest way to use this server in Claude Desktop is by installing the packaged .mcpb bundle.

1. Generate the .mcpb file locally using the provided script:
``bash
npm run pack
`

2. Open Claude Desktop Settings → Extensions and drag the generated .mcpb file in, then click Install.

This validates manifest.json and outputs a .mcpb archive you can install as above. Learn more about Desktop Extensions in Anthropic's announcement: Desktop Extensions: One-click MCP server installation for Claude Desktop.

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Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.json:

`json
{
"mcpServers": {
"anki": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["--yes", "anki-mcp-server"]
}
}
}
`

#### Using Custom AnkiConnect Port

If your AnkiConnect is running on a different port, you can specify it using the --port parameter:

`json
{
"mcpServers": {
"anki": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["--yes", "anki-mcp-server", "--port", "8080"]
}
}
}
`

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Add the server to your Cline MCP settings file inside VSCode's settings cline_mcp_settings.json

`json
{
"mcpServers": {
"anki": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["--yes", "anki-mcp-server"]
}
}
}
`

#### Using Custom AnkiConnect Port

For Cline, you can also specify a custom port:

`json
{
"mcpServers": {
"anki": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["--yes", "anki-mcp-server", "--port", "8080"]
}
}
}
`

Development

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Create a distributable Desktop Extension bundle for Claude Desktop:

`bash
npm run pack
`

This will build the project and generate a .mcpb archive from the current repository, validating manifest.json. Test by dragging it into Claude Desktop's Extensions settings. Reference: Desktop Extensions: One-click MCP server installation for Claude Desktop.

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This server is automatically published to the MCP Registry when a new version is released. The publishing process includes:

1. Automated CI/CD: GitHub Actions automatically publishes to both NPM and MCP Registry on successful releases
2. Schema Validation: The server.json file is validated against the MCP schema before publishing
3. Version Synchronization: Versions are kept in sync between package.json, manifest.json, and server.json
4. Comprehensive Testing: Multi-version Node.js testing, linting, and validation before publishing
5. Beta Support: Automated beta releases for testing new features

#### Manual Validation

You can validate the MCP server configuration locally:

`bash
npm run validate-mcp
`

This will download the latest MCP schema and validate your server.json file.

#### Manual Publishing

If you need to publish manually, you can use the MCP Publisher CLI:

`bash


Install MCP Publisher

curl -L "https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/releases/download/v1.1.0/mcp-publisher_1.1.0_$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')_$(uname -m | sed 's/x86_64/amd64/;s/aarch64/arm64/').tar.gz" | tar xz mcp-publisher
chmod +x mcp-publisher
sudo mv mcp-publisher /usr/local/bin/

Login to MCP Registry

mcp-publisher login github-oidc

Publish to MCP Registry

mcp-publisher publish
`

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1. Install dependencies:

`bash
npm install
`

2. Build the server:

`bash
npm run build
`

3. For development with auto-rebuild:

`bash
npm run watch
`

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Run the test suite:

`bash
npm test
`

This executes tests for:

- Server initialization
- AnkiConnect communication
- Note operations (create/read/update/delete)
- Deck management
- Error handling

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Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, we recommend using the MCP Inspector:

`bash
npm run inspector
`

This provides a browser-based interface for:

- Monitoring MCP messages
- Testing tool invocations
- Viewing server logs
- Debugging communication issues

Example Usage

1. Create a new deck:

`
Create a new Anki deck called "Programming"
`

2. Add a basic card:

`
Create an Anki card in the "Programming" deck with:
Front: What is a closure in JavaScript?
Back: A closure is the combination of a function and the lexical environment within which that function was declared.
`

3. Add a cloze deletion card:

`
Create a cloze card in the "Programming" deck with:
Text: In JavaScript, {{c1::const}} declares a block-scoped variable that cannot be {{c2::reassigned}}.
`

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch
3. Run tests: npm test`
4. Submit a pull request

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Credits

Icon courtesy of macOS Icons

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details