Anki MCP Server (with Sync Support)

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

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 - NEW! Synchronize Anki collection with AnkiWeb server (useful for headless Anki deployments or programmatic workflows)

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

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.json:

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

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","@murphylo/anki-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Development

Setup

1. Install dependencies:

npm install

2. Build the server:

npm run build

3. 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

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}}.

4. Sync your collection with AnkiWeb:

Please sync my Anki collection with AnkiWeb

Contributing

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

Credits

Icon courtesy of macOS Icons

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details