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AnkiMCP for AnkiDroid
Remote access

How to Connect Claude to AnkiDroid with Remote Access

Connect Claude to AnkiDroid on your phone through the AnkiMCP tunnel. Claude can reach your decks from anywhere: the web, the desktop app, or the Claude app on your phone.

The AnkiMCP app opens a secure connection from your phone to AnkiMCP’s relay. When Claude needs your decks, the relay wakes your phone with a push message, the app answers, and the connection closes again when you’re done.

What you need

  • Android 8.0 or later, with AnkiDroid 2.24 or later, opened at least once.
  • The AnkiMCP app for Android.
  • An AnkiMCP account. You can create one while signing in. The free tier is enough to start.
  • A Claude account.

Time: about 5 minutes.

Step 1: Give the app access to AnkiDroid

  1. Open AnkiMCP. The Set up AnkiMCP screen checks that AnkiDroid is installed.
  2. Under Access to AnkiDroid, tap Grant access.
AnkiMCP's Set up AnkiMCP screen: step 1 confirms AnkiDroid is installed, step 2 Access to AnkiDroid has a Grant access button.
  1. AnkiDroid asks whether AnkiMCP may access your notes, cards, note types, and decks. Tap Allow.
AnkiDroid's permission dialog asking to allow AnkiMCP to access existing notes, cards, note types, and decks, and create new ones.

Step 2: Sign in

  1. On the Status tab, open Remote. Remote access is on by default. Tap Sign in.
The Remote tab with the Remote access switch on and a Not signed in card with a Sign in button.
  1. The app shows Your code. Tap Open sign-in page.
The Remote tab showing Your code, a sign-in page address, and Open sign-in page and Copy code buttons.
  1. Check that the page shows the same code, then sign in with email and password, Google, or GitHub. New here? Tap Register.
The AnkiMCP sign-in page in the phone's browser, with email and password fields and Google and GitHub buttons.
  1. On Grant Access, tap Yes.
AnkiMCP's Grant Access page listing user profile, offline access, user roles, and email address, with Yes and No buttons.
  1. When you see Device Login Successful, close the browser tab and go back to the AnkiMCP app. It finishes signing in on its own, but you only see that when you return to it.
The Device Login Successful page saying you may close the browser window and go back to your device.
  1. On Android 13 and later, the app asks to send notifications. Tap Allow. The app works without it, but you won’t see when Claude wakes your phone, you won’t be told when you need to sign in again, and Android may deliver wake-ups late.
Android's prompt asking to allow AnkiMCP to send notifications.

The Remote tab now shows Signed in with your email and plan.

The Remote tab signed in, showing the account email, the current plan, and a Sign out button.

Step 3: Connect and copy the URL

  1. Scroll down to the Tunnel card and tap Connect.

  2. Tap Copy URL to copy the MCP server URL. It’s the same for everyone:

    https://ankidroid.ankimcp.ai/mcp
The Tunnel card showing Not connected with a Connect button and the MCP server URL for Claude with a Copy URL button, and below it the Connection card with Disconnect when idle for 15, 30, or 60 minutes.

When it’s connected, the dot turns green and the card says Connected: Claude can reach your decks.

The Tunnel card connected, with a green dot, the text Connected: Claude can reach your decks, the time it will disconnect, and a Disconnect button.

You don’t need to stay connected. Later, Claude wakes your phone whenever it needs your decks.

Step 4: Add the connector in Claude

  1. In Claude, go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. You can do this on claude.ai or in the desktop app; the connector then works in the Claude app on your phone too.
  2. Paste the URL and sign in with the same AnkiMCP account you used in the app.
  3. Start a chat and ask: “list my Anki decks”.
  4. The first time Claude uses a tool, it asks for permission. Tap Allow once, or Always allow so it stops asking.
The Claude Android app after the message list my Anki decks, asking: Claude wants to use List Decks from AnkiMCP, with Allow once, Always allow, and Decline.

If Claude names your decks, you’re set. For more on adding connectors, see Connect Claude to Anki.

Step 5: Let the app run in the background

Many phones pause background apps soon after the screen turns off. This is common on Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco, Realme, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, iQOO, Huawei, and Honor. Claude’s requests then time out.

On these phones, the app shows a Battery card with the exact steps for your phone. Do them for both apps: tap AnkiMCP info, follow the steps, then AnkiDroid info, and do the same.

The Battery card on a Realme phone: both AnkiMCP and AnkiDroid must be allowed to run in the background, with steps for App info, Battery usage, and AnkiMCP info and AnkiDroid info buttons.

How it works day to day

  • Waking up. When Claude needs your decks, nothing pops up. The app connects in the background, and a notification shows Connected: Claude can reach your decks with a Disconnect button.
The AnkiMCP notification: Connected: Claude can reach your decks, with a Disconnect action.
  • Disconnecting. The connection closes when the screen turns off, or after a set time without requests. Choose 15 min, 30 min (the default), or 60 min under Disconnect when idle for.
  • Turning it off. Switch Remote access off at the top of the Remote tab. The app disconnects and stops receiving wake-ups, and Claude tells you AnkiMCP on your phone is turned off. Switch it back on when you want Claude to reach your decks again.
The Remote tab with Remote access off: Claude can't reach this phone through ankimcp.ai until you turn Remote access on.

Fix common problems

Claude’s requests time out. Your phone is pausing the app. Set up the Battery card for both AnkiMCP and AnkiDroid.

Claude says AnkiMCP on your phone is turned off or not signed in. Open AnkiMCP, check that you’re signed in, and switch Remote access on. You also get this message if Claude’s connector and the app are signed in to different AnkiMCP accounts. Sign both in to the same one.

A notification says “Sign in again to AnkiMCP”. Claude tried to reach your decks, but your sign-in expired. Open the app and sign in again. Nothing else is lost.

Claude sees old cards. The app reads the collection on your phone. If you study on other devices too, sync AnkiDroid first. When Claude asks to sync, the app shows a Tap to sync AnkiDroid notification.

Something else. Open the Log tab, tap Share log, and post it on the community forum. Your email and tokens are removed from the log.

The Log tab with a Detailed logging switch, Share log, Copy, Clear, and Share detailed log buttons, and recent events such as Tunnel established.

Next steps

Disclaimer: “Anki” is a registered trademark of Ankitects Pty Ltd. AnkiMCP is an independent, community-built project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ankitects or the AnkiDroid project. Android is a trademark of Google LLC. MCP is an open standard originated by Anthropic; AnkiMCP is likewise not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

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