Anki MCP Addon: Native AI Integration Without AnkiConnect

Stop switching between terminals just to use AI with Anki. The Anki MCP addon runs an MCP server directly inside Anki - install once, connect your AI assistant, done.

Why a Native Anki MCP Addon?

Using AI with Anki previously meant:

• Installing Node.js
• Running a separate server process
• Keeping AnkiConnect installed
• Managing multiple terminal windows

The Anki MCP addon eliminates all of this. One addon install, zero external dependencies.

How the Addon Works

The MCP server runs in a background thread inside Anki. When Anki starts, the server starts. When Anki closes, it shuts down cleanly.

AI Assistant (Claude Desktop)
         ↓
    HTTP (port 3141)
         ↓
   AnkiMCP Server (inside Anki)
         ↓
   Your Collection

No middleman. Your AI talks directly to Anki.

Installation

From AnkiWeb (recommended)

1. In Anki: Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons…
2. Enter code: 124672614
3. Restart Anki

The server starts automatically on http://127.0.0.1:3141/.

From GitHub

Download .ankiaddon from Releases and double-click to install.

Connect Claude Desktop

Add to your config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anki": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3141/"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. You’re connected.

Tunnel Support

Need to access Anki remotely? The addon works out of the box with Cloudflare Tunnel, ngrok, and similar tools. Point your tunnel to http://127.0.0.1:3141/ and connect from anywhere.

This means you can use Claude.ai, ChatGPT, or any web-based AI assistant with your local Anki - no npm package required.

What You Can Do

The Anki MCP addon exposes 27 tools across these categories:

Collection Management

• Sync with AnkiWeb
• List, create, and manage decks

Notes & Cards

• Search using Anki’s query syntax
• Create, edit, and delete notes
• Get detailed note information

Review Sessions

• Get due cards
• Present card content
• Rate cards (Again/Hard/Good/Easy)

Note Types

• List and inspect models
• Create new note types
• Update CSS styling

Media

• Store images and audio
• List and delete media files

GUI Integration

• Open browser with search
• Launch add cards dialog
• Edit specific notes

Requirements

• Anki 25.x or later (uses Python 3.13)

That’s it. No Node.js, no npm, no AnkiConnect.

Configuration

Default port is 3141. To change it:

Tools → Add-ons → AnkiMCP Server → Config

{
  "http_port": 3141,
  "http_host": "127.0.0.1",
  "auto_connect_on_startup": true
}

Restart Anki after changing port.

Troubleshooting

Server not starting?

• Check Tools → AnkiMCP Server Settings… for status
• Verify Anki 25.x (older versions won’t work)

Port already in use?

• Change port in addon config (see above)
• Or stop other services using 3141

Claude Desktop not connecting?

• Verify config JSON syntax
• Restart both Anki and Claude Desktop
• Check URL matches your port setting

Addon vs npm Package

Both options remain available:

Get Started

Install from AnkiWeb →

Or enter code 124672614 in Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons…

Links

• AnkiWeb Page
• GitHub Repository
• Report Issues

More features coming as development continues.