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
• sync - Trigger AnkiWeb sync (fire-and-forget; success means Anki accepted the request, not that AnkiWeb received the data — a blocking dialog in Anki can silently keep the sync queued)

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

1. Anki installed on your system
2. 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.

1. Generate the .mcpb file locally using the provided script:

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.

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"]
    }
  }
}

Agent Skills (Claude Code)

Install the Anki skill to give Claude Code built-in knowledge of all Anki tools and workflows:

npx skills add nailuoGG/anki-mcp-server@anki

Once installed, Claude Code will automatically use the skill when you ask it to create flashcards, manage decks, or batch import notes.

Note: Do not use the .mcpb packaged version as the MCP server — it outputs Electron metadata to stdout which breaks the MCP stdio protocol. Use npx -y anki-mcp-server instead.

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 installat

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