playbooks

home / mcp / clanki mcp server

Clanki MCP Server

An MCP server for connecting Claude Desktop with Anki Flashcards.

Installation
Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jasperket-clanki": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/clanki/build/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Clanki MCP Server lets you control Anki flashcard decks through the Model Context Protocol. You can create decks and cards, update existing notes, manage tags, and view deck contents, all from your AI assistant via MCP. This makes it easy to build study workflows, generate new cards on the fly, and keep your Anki collection synced with intelligent prompts.

How to use

You use Clanki by talking to an MCP client that connects to the local Clanki server. The server exposes a set of actions you can invoke to manipulate Anki decks and cards. Typical workflows include creating a new deck, adding basic or cloze cards, updating existing notes, and tagging cards for organization. You can also inspect deck contents to verify what you have in Anki.

How to install

Prerequisites you must have before running Clanki:

  • Anki is installed and running with the AnkiConnect plugin enabled
  • Node.js 16 or higher

Install and run Clanki locally with the following steps. Copy and paste each command into your terminal in order.

git clone https://github.com/jasperket/clanki.git
cd clanki
npm install
npm run build

Configure your MCP client (Claude Desktop) to connect to the local server. Create or edit the client configuration to point to the Clanki MCP instance using a stdio connection. The example below assumes the server will be started locally and accessible via a built index script.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "clanki": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/clanki/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /absolute/path/to/clanki with the actual path to your Clanki installation. After this, start the server if it does not auto-start with the client, and ensure AnkiConnect remains enabled in Anki.

Configuration and usage notes

The Clanki MCP server exposes a set of actions you can invoke from your MCP client. Each action corresponds to a deck or card operation inside Anki.

  • create-deck: creates a new Anki deck with a given name
  • create-card: adds a new basic flashcard to a deck with front and back content and optional tags
  • create-cloze-card: adds a cloze-deletion card to a deck using cloze syntax
  • update-card: updates the front, back, or tags of an existing basic card
  • update-cloze-card: updates the text, backExtra, or tags of an existing cloze card
  • view-deck: lists deck contents and card information
  • add-tags: manage tags associated with cards

Available tools

create-deck

Creates a new Anki deck with a specified name.

create-card

Adds a new basic flashcard to a given deck using front and back content and optional tags.

create-cloze-card

Creates a cloze deletion card in a specified deck using cloze syntax like {{c1::text}} and optional back content.

update-card

Updates an existing basic flashcard by note ID, with optional new front, back, and tags.

update-cloze-card

Updates an existing cloze deletion card by note ID, with optional new text, backExtra, and tags.

view-deck

Views the contents of a deck and shows card information such as IDs, fronts, backs, and tags.

tag-management

Manages tags on cards, including adding or removing tags for organization.