anki-mcp

An MCP server that gives Claude Code direct access to a running Anki instance. The goal is to automatically generate flashcards from study materials (PDFs, Markdown, notebooks) and sort them into Anki decks — without any manual copying or formatting.

The included /anki-erstellen skill orchestrates the entire workflow: reading files, deriving the deck structure, detecting duplicates, creating cards, and tracking already-processed files.

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Tools

Tool	Description
anki_list_decks	Lists all available Anki decks.
anki_add_notes	Adds one or more cards to a deck. Supports Markdown (bold, italic, tables, code, MathJax) and optional media attachments (image, audio, video).
anki_get_deck_notes	Returns all existing cards in a deck (including sub-decks) — used to avoid duplicates before creating new cards.
anki_get_processed_files	Returns the list of files in a directory that have already been converted to Anki cards.
anki_mark_files_processed	Marks files as processed so they are skipped in future runs.

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Requirements

Anki with AnkiConnect

1. Install and open Anki.
2. In Anki: Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons → enter code 2055492159 → Install → restart Anki.
3. AnkiConnect then listens on http://localhost:8765. Anki must be running whenever the MCP server is used.

Python environment

Requires Python ≥ 3.13. Install dependencies:

uv sync

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Adding to Claude Code

Via CLI

claude mcp add anki -- uv run --directory /path/to/anki-mcp python server.py

To register it globally (available in all projects):

claude mcp add --scope user anki -- uv run --directory /path/to/anki-mcp python server.py

Via settings.json

Add the server to ~/.claude/settings.json (global) or .claude/settings.json (project-local):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anki": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/anki-mcp", "python", "server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Adjust the path, then restart Claude Code. The anki_* tools will be available in every session.

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Skill /anki-erstellen

The skill at .claude/commands/anki-erstellen.md guides Claude through the full workflow:

1. Read all files in the current directory (skip already-processed ones)
2. Derive the deck name from the directory path (Bachelor::Semester 2::ModuleName)
3. Check existing cards to avoid duplicates
4. Create cards organized in thematic sub-decks
5. Mark processed files as done
6. Print a summary report

Run it from your study directory:

/anki-erstellen

Or with an explicit deck name:

/anki-erstellen Master::Semester 1::Statistics::Distributions