Anki MCP Server

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

Features

Tools

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

Resources

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

Anki installed on your system
AnkiConnect add-on installed in Anki

Configuration

Install via Desktop Extension (.mcpb)

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

Generate the .mcpb file locally using the provided script:

npm run pack

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.

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.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:

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

Configuration for Cline

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

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

Using Custom AnkiConnect Port

For Cline, you can also specify a custom port:

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

Development

Packaging a Desktop Extension (.mcpb)

Create a distributable Desktop Extension bundle for Claude Desktop:

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.

Publishing to MCP Registry

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

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

Manual Validation

You can validate the MCP server configuration locally:

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:

# 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

Setup

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

For development with auto-rebuild:

npm run watch

Testing

Run the test suite:

npm test

This executes tests for:

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

Debugging

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

npm run inspector

This provides a browser-based interface for:

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

Example Usage

Create a new deck:

Create a new Anki deck called "Programming"

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.

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

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch
Run tests: npm test
Submit a pull request

Star History

Credits

Icon courtesy of macOS Icons

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Anki MCP Server

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

Features

Tools

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

Resources

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

Anki installed on your system
AnkiConnect add-on installed in Anki

Configuration

Install via Desktop Extension (.mcpb)

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

Generate the .mcpb file locally using the provided script:

npm run pack

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

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.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:

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

Configuration for Cline

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

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

Using Custom AnkiConnect Port

For Cline, you can also specify a custom port:

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

Development

Packaging a Desktop Extension (.mcpb)

Create a distributable Desktop Extension bundle for Claude Desktop:

npm run pack

Publishing to MCP Registry

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

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

Manual Validation

You can validate the MCP server configuration locally:

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:

# 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

Setup

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

For development with auto-rebuild:

npm run watch

Testing

Run the test suite:

npm test

This executes tests for:

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

Debugging

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

npm run inspector

This provides a browser-based interface for:

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

Example Usage

Create a new deck:

Create a new Anki deck called "Programming"

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.

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

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch
Run tests: npm test
Submit a pull request

Star History

Credits

Icon courtesy of macOS Icons

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details