chanki

v2.1.2

Published

7 months ago

A powerful, local-first tool to sync notes from Joplin to Anki flashcards.

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Chanki - The Ultimate Joplin ↔ Anki Sync

The only bidirectional sync tool built for Medical Students, Devs, and Polymaths.

🎯 What is Chanki?

Chanki connects your Joplin notes and Anki flashcards into a single, breathing ecosystem.

Most tools are one-way streets. You write notes, they become cards, but if you edit the card during a review, your notes get outdated.

Chanki is a two-way bridge.

Write in Joplin: Turn lecture notes into flashcards automatically.
Edit in Anki: Fix typos or add details while reviewing—changes flow back to Joplin.
Sync Existing Decks: Have a massive Anki collection? Sync it into Joplin to create searchable notes from your flashcards.

👥 Who is this for?

🏥 Medical Students: From Pre-med to Boards (USMLE, COMLEX, PLAB). Turn high-yield lecture slides into Anatomy, Pharm, and Pathology cards instantly.
💻 Developers & CS: Master algorithms and syntax. Full support for code blocks and LaTeX.
⚖️ Law & Polymaths: Memorize case law, history dates, or languages with structured data.

⚡ Quick Start

# 1. Install
npm install -g chanki

# 2. Configure
chanki config set joplinToken YOUR_TOKEN

# 3. Sync
chanki run

⚠️ Important: Legacy (Free) Limitations

The Free version is robust but designed for a specific workflow: Simple, "Write-Once" Note Taking. Before you start, please understand these trade-offs.

1. The "Moving Card" Risk 🚨

Legacy mode tracks cards based on their line number in your note.

The Problem: If you insert a new question at the top of your note, every question below it shifts down. Anki sees them as "new" lines and resets your study progress for all of them.
The Fix: In Legacy, always add new questions to the bottom of your note.
Premium Solution: Premium assigns a permanent ID to every card. You can cut, paste, and reorganize your notes freely without ever losing your Anki streaks.

2. Deck Organization 🔒

Legacy: All cards go into a single "Default" deck.
Premium: Cards are automatically sorted into decks matching your Joplin Notebooks (e.g., Medicine::Cardiology) or via Tags (e.g., deck::Step1).

3. Sync Speed 🐢

Legacy: "Dumb" sync. It re-reads every single note you have, every time you run it. As your collection grows, this gets slower.
Premium: "Smart" sync. It only checks notes that have changed since the last run. Syncing 5,000 cards takes seconds.

4. One-Way Only ➡️

Legacy: Changes in Joplin overwrite Anki. Edits made in Anki are lost.
Premium: True Two-Way Sync. Edit anywhere.

📝 Use Cases & Card Templates

Chanki Premium supports Advanced Models designed for complex topics. Below are real examples of how to write them in Joplin.

Note: The content inside <details class="answer"> appears on the Back of the card. Content outside appears on the Front.

1. Basic Enhanced (Standard Q&A)

Best for: General concepts, Law, History, Definitions.

<span class="jta">
  <div class="header">Cardiology • Hypertension</div>
  <div class="question">
    What are the three major classes of drugs used as first-line therapy for hypertension in non-black patients?
  </div>
  
  <details class="answer">
    <div class="answer-text">
      1. Thiazide diuretics<br>
      2. ACE inhibitors / ARBs<br>
      3. Calcium channel blockers
    </div>
    <div class="explanation">
      Beta-blockers are no longer considered first-line for uncomplicated HTN.
    </div>
    <div class="correlation">
      <b>Clinical:</b> In patients with CKD, ACE inhibitors are preferred due to renal protective effects.
    </div>
    <div class="footer">First Aid 2024, pg. 312</div>
  </details>
</span>

2. MCQ Enhanced (Multiple Choice)

Best for: Boards Prep (USMLE, Bar Exam), Testing differentials.

<span class="jta">
  <div class="header">Pharm • Anti-arrhythmics</div>
  <div class="question">Which anti-arrhythmic drug has a side effect of pulmonary fibrosis?</div>
  
  <div class="option-a">A) Digoxin</div>
  <div class="option-b">B) Amiodarone</div>
  <div class="option-c">C) Verapamil</div>
  <div class="option-d">D) Lidocaine</div>

  <details class="answer">
    <div class="correct-answer">B</div>
    <div class="explanation">
      <b>Amiodarone</b> toxicity includes Pulmonary fibrosis, Hepatotoxicity, and Thyroid dysfunction (PHT).
    </div>
    <div class="sources">Sketchy Pharm</div>
  </details>
</span>

3. Image Enhanced (Anatomy Mode)

Best for: Anatomy, Histology, Art History, Geography.

<span class="jta">
  <div class="image-question">Identify the highlighted muscle:</div>
  <!-- data-jta-image-type="question" maps to QuestionImagePath -->
  <img src=":/biceps_scan" alt="Muscle Diagram" data-jta-image-type="question">

  <details class="answer">
    <div class="answer-text">Biceps Brachii</div>
    <div class="origin">Short head: Coracoid process<br>Long head: Supraglenoid tubercle</div>
    <div class="insertion">Radial tuberosity</div>
    <div class="innervation">Musculocutaneous nerve (C5-C6)</div>
    <div class="action">Supination of forearm, Flexion of elbow</div>
    <div class="comments">"Corkscrew" muscle</div>
  </details>
</span>

4. Cloze Enhanced (Fill-in-the-blank)

Best for: Memorizing lists, statutes, or biological pathways.

<span class="jta">
  <div class="header">Pathology • Inflammation</div>
  <!-- .question maps to the Text field -->
  <div class="question">
    {{c1::Neutrophils}} are the primary leukocytes recruited during {{c2::acute}} inflammation, whereas {{c1::Macrophages}} dominate in {{c2::chronic}} inflammation.
  </div>

  <details class="answer">
    <div class="extra">
      Neutrophils arrive within 6-24 hours; Macrophages arrive after 48 hours.
    </div>
    <div class="explanation">
      Recruitment is mediated by IL-8, C5a, and Leukotriene B4.
    </div>
  </details>
</span>

5. LaTeX Problem (Math/Physics)

Best for: Calculus, Physics, Chemistry.

<span class="jta" data-note-type="LaTeX Problem">
  <div class="header">Calculus • Derivatives</div>
  <!-- .question maps to the Problem field -->
  <div class="question">
    Find the derivative of: $$f(x) = x^2$$
  </div>

  <details class="answer">
    <!-- .answer-text maps to the Solution field -->
    <div class="answer-text">
      $$f'(x) = 2x$$
    </div>
    <div class="footer">Power Rule</div>
  </details>
</span>

6. Code Snippet (CS/Dev Mode)

Best for: Algorithms, API signatures, Syntax memorization.

<span class="jta" data-note-type="Code Snippet">
  <!-- .header maps to the Title field -->
  <div class="header">Binary Search</div>
  <!-- .question maps to the Description field -->
  <div class="question">Implement an iterative binary search in Python.</div>

  <details class="answer">
    <!-- .answer-text maps to the Code field -->
    <div class="answer-text">
```python
def binary_search(arr, target):
    low, high = 0, len(arr) - 1
    while low <= high:
        mid = (low + high) // 2
        if arr[mid] == target:
            return mid
        elif arr[mid] < target:
            low = mid + 1
        else:
            high = mid - 1
    return -1

</div>
<!-- .footer maps to the Language field -->
<div class="footer">Python 3</div>

🆓 Free vs Premium

Get Premium ($49/yr) → | Student Discount ($29/yr) →

🔧 Configuration

Essential Settings

# Joplin token (required)
chanki config set joplinToken YOUR_TOKEN

# Custom ports (if needed)
chanki config set joplinURL http://localhost:41184
chanki config set ankiURL http://localhost:8765

Premium: Deck Organization

Option 1: Folder Hierarchy (Auto-enabled)

Joplin: Medical School → Year 1 → Anatomy
Anki:   Medical School::Year 1::Anatomy

Option 2: Tag-Based (Flexible)

Tags: deck::USMLE, subdeck::Step1, subdeck::Cardio
Anki: USMLE::Step1::Cardio

🎓 About the Creator

Hi, I'm Cindy - a broke medical student who got tired of manually syncing 500+ flashcards every week.

What started as "I'll just fork that old Anki tool" turned into a complete rewrite with:

Bidirectional sync (because I edit in BOTH apps)
Medical-specific features (MCQs, anatomy images)
Smart conflict resolution (so I never lose work)

If you're drowning in lectures and Anki reviews, this tool was built for you. ❤️

💖 Support the Project

This tool is the result of hundreds of hours of work to save you thousands of hours of studying.