Anki CLI Skill

Capability

Complete command-line control over Anki flashcard application via AnkiConnect API. Supports all major operations: creating cards, managing decks/models, searching, tagging, suspending, reviewing, and automation.

Installation Prerequisites

1. Install Anki from https://apps.ankiweb.net/
2. Install AnkiConnect plugin from https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/2055492159
3. Install this CLI: pip install -e . in the anki-cli directory

Quick Start

# Check connection
anki-cli version

# List decks
anki-cli deck-list

# Add a flashcard
anki-cli add-note -d "English" -m Basic Front:Hello Back:你好 -t vocabulary

# Search for cards
anki-cli find-notes "deck:English"

# Start reviewing a deck
anki-cli gui-review "English"

All Available Commands

System & Connection

Command	Description
anki-cli version	Get AnkiConnect API version
anki-cli sync	Sync with AnkiWeb
anki-cli profiles	List all profiles
anki-cli check-database	Check database for corruption

Deck Management

Command	Description
anki-cli deck-list	List all decks
anki-cli deck-ids	List decks with IDs
anki-cli deck-stats DECK	Get deck statistics
anki-cli create-deck NAME	Create a new deck
anki-cli delete-deck DECKS...	Delete decks

Note Model Management

Command	Description
anki-cli model-list	List all note models
anki-cli model-fields MODEL	Get model field names
anki-cli create-model NAME FIELDS...	Create a new model

Search & Browse

Command	Description
anki-cli find-cards QUERY	Search for cards
anki-cli find-notes QUERY	Search for notes
anki-cli cards-info CARD_ID	Get card information
anki-cli notes-info NOTE_IDS...	Get note information
anki-cli gui-browser QUERY	Open Browser with search

Note Operations

Command	Description
anki-cli add-note -d DECK [fields...]	Add a new note
anki-cli add-notes -d DECK -f FILE	Add multiple notes from file
anki-cli update-note NOTE_ID [fields...]	Update note fields
anki-cli get-note-tags NOTE_ID	Get tags for a note
anki-cli add-tags NOTES... TAGS	Add tags to notes
anki-cli remove-tags NOTES... TAGS	Remove tags from notes
anki-cli clear-tags	Clear unused tags
anki-cli replace-tags NOTES OLD NEW	Replace tags
anki-cli delete-notes NOTES...	Delete notes

Card State Management

Command	Description
anki-cli suspend NOTES...	Suspend notes from reviews
anki-cli unsuspend NOTES...	Resume suspended notes
anki-cli are-suspended NOTES...	Check if notes are suspended
anki-cli are-due CARDS...	Check if cards are due
anki-cli set-due-date CARDS... DAYS	Set card due date
anki-cli forget CARDS...	Reset cards to new state
anki-cli relearn CARDS...	Set cards to relearning
anki-cli answer CARD_ID EASE	Answer a card (ease 1-4)

GUI Operations

Command	Description
anki-cli gui-add	Open Add Cards dialog
anki-cli gui-edit NOTE_ID	Open Edit Note dialog
anki-cli gui-current	Get current review card
anki-cli gui-question	Show question of current card
anki-cli gui-answer	Show answer of current card
anki-cli gui-timer	Start review timer
anki-cli gui-deck-browser	Open Deck Browser
anki-cli gui-deck-overview DECK	Open Deck Overview
anki-cli gui-review DECK	Start reviewing a deck
anki-cli gui-undo	Undo last action
anki-cli gui-exit	Close Anki

Statistics

Command	Description
anki-cli today-stats	Get today's review count
anki-cli reviews-by-day	Get reviews by day
anki-cli collection-stats	Get collection statistics

Media Operations

Command	Description
anki-cli media-list	List media files
anki-cli media-store FILENAME DATA	Store media file (base64)

Import/Export

Command	Description
anki-cli export DECK PATH	Export deck as .apkg
anki-cli import PATH	Import .apkg file
anki-cli multi FILE	Execute multiple actions

Anki Search Syntax

Basic Searches

• deck:English - Cards in English deck
• tag:vocabulary - Cards with vocabulary tag
• note:Basic - Notes using Basic model
• front:hello - Search in front field

Card States

• is:new - New cards
• is:due - Due cards (ready for review)
• is:suspended - Suspended cards
• is:buried - Buried cards
• is:learn - Learning cards
• is:review - Review cards
• is:filtered - Cards in filtered decks

Properties (prop:)

• prop:due<=1 - Due within 1 day
• prop:interval>7 - Interval greater than 7 days
• prop:lapses>2 - More than 2 lapses
• prop:reps<5 - Less than 5 repetitions

Time-based

• added:1 - Added today
• added:7 - Added in last 7 days
• edited:1 - Edited today
• rated:1 - Reviewed today

Combining Terms

• deck:English is:due - Due cards in English deck
• tag:vocabulary -is:suspended - Non-suspended vocabulary cards
• (deck:English or deck:French) is:new - New cards in either deck

Usage Examples

Create flashcards programmatically

# Single card
anki-cli add-note -d "Biology" -m "Basic" -t "chapter1" Front:"What is mitosis?" Back:"Cell division process"

# Multiple cards from file (notes.txt format: Front<TAB>Back)
anki-cli add-notes -d "Biology" -m "Basic" -t "chapter1" notes.txt

Manage a study session

# Check what's due
anki-cli find-notes "deck:Biology is:due"

# Start review session
anki-cli gui-review "Biology"

# Get current card info
anki-cli gui-current

# Answer with ease rating (1-4)
anki-cli answer <card_id> 3

Bulk tag operations

# Find all notes in a deck and tag them
notes=$(anki-cli find-notes "deck:OldDeck" | grep -E "^\s+-" | awk '{print $2}')
anki-cli add-tags $notes "archived"

# Replace a tag across all notes
anki-cli replace-tags $notes "old-tag" "new-tag"

Automated card management

# Suspend cards not reviewed in 90 days
anki-cli suspend $(anki-cli find-cards "rated:90 -prop:due<=90")

# Reset cards that failed
anki-cli forget $(anki-cli find-cards "prop:lapses>3") --delete-data

Deck statistics

# Get overview of all decks
anki-cli deck-list
for deck in $(anki-cli deck-list | grep "^\s*-" | awk '{print $2}'); do
    anki-cli deck-stats "$deck"
done

AI Agent Integration Patterns

Pattern 1: Create cards from content

# Extract terms and create cards
extract_terms() { ... }  # Your extraction logic
for term in $(extract_terms); do
    anki-cli add-note -d "Glossary" -m "Basic" \
        Front:"$term" Back:"$(define $term)" -t "auto-generated"
done

Pattern 2: Daily review automation

# Check if cards are due
due_count=$(anki-cli find-notes "is:due" | wc -l)
if [ $due_count -gt 0 ]; then
    anki-cli gui-review "Default"
fi

Pattern 3: Spaced repetition for learning

# Find cards to review based on interval
anki-cli find-cards "prop:due<=0 is:review"

Error Handling

All commands return:

• Success: Result data on stdout, exit code 0
• Failure: Error message on stderr, non-zero exit code

Common errors:

• Connection: "Cannot connect to AnkiConnect" - Ensure Anki + AnkiConnect running
• Not found: "Deck/Model/Note not found" - Verify names/IDs exist
• Invalid syntax: Check search query syntax

Related Resources

• AnkiConnect API: https://github.com/FooSoft/anki-connect
• Anki Search Syntax: https://docs.ankiweb.net/searching.html
• Anki Browsing: https://docs.ankiweb.net/browsing.html