Image Flashcards

Add Images to Anki Flashcards with AI - Visual Learning Cards

Learn how to add images to your Anki flashcards efficiently using Anki MCP’s mediaActions tool.

Overview

Anki MCP’s mediaActions tool lets you upload, manage, and delete image files in your Anki collection. You can add diagrams, photos, charts, screenshots, and any other visual content to enhance your flashcards.

Prerequisites

Anki MCP installed - Follow the installation guide
Anki running with AnkiConnect plugin
Optional but recommended: Filesystem MCP for Claude Desktop users

Three Methods to Add Images

Method 1: URL (Recommended for Web Images) ✅

Best for images already on the internet.

Example conversation:

User: Add this diagram to my physics card: https://example.com/diagram.png

AI: [Uses mediaActions to download and store]
    ✓ Successfully stored media file: diagram.png
    [Creates or updates card with <img src="diagram.png">]

Behind the scenes:

mediaActions({
  action: "storeMediaFile",
  filename: "diagram.png",
  url: "https://example.com/diagram.png"
})

Benefits:

Zero tokens used (AI doesn’t process the image)
Anki downloads directly from the URL
Instant, efficient processing

Method 2: File Path (Recommended for Local Files) ✅

Best for images saved on your computer.

Example conversation:

User: Add the image cat.jpg from my Desktop to this card

AI: [Uses Filesystem MCP to locate: /Users/username/Desktop/cat.jpg]
    [Uses mediaActions to upload]
    ✓ Successfully stored media file: cat.jpg
    [Adds <img src="cat.jpg"> to card]

Behind the scenes:

mediaActions({
  action: "storeMediaFile",
  filename: "cat.jpg",
  path: "/Users/username/Desktop/cat.jpg"
})

Benefits:

Zero tokens used
Efficient processing
Works with local screenshots, downloads, photos

Requirements:

Claude Desktop: Enable Filesystem MCP extension for automatic file location
Without Filesystem MCP: Provide full path manually (e.g., /Users/yourname/Desktop/image.jpg)
Other MCP clients: Configure filesystem access in your client

Method 3: Base64 (NOT Recommended) ❌

When you paste images directly into Claude.

What happens:

User: [Pastes image into Claude]
      Add this image to my card

AI: [Claude converts image to base64 - a huge text string]
    [This can take 30+ seconds even for small images]
    [Uses thousands of tokens]

Why to avoid:

⚠️ Even 4kb images are extremely slow
⚠️ Wastes thousands of tokens (expensive)
⚠️ Large images may fail or timeout
⚠️ Poor user experience

Better approach:

Save the pasted image to your computer first
Then use Method 2 (file path)

Basic Workflow

Step 1: Prepare Your Image

Choose one:

Web image: Copy the URL
Local image: Save to your computer (Desktop, Downloads, Pictures)
Screenshot: Save to a known location

Step 2: Upload to Anki

Tell the AI where the image is:

"Add https://example.com/diagram.png to my card"

"Add the image biology-cell.png from my Downloads folder"

Step 3: Create or Update Card

The AI will create a card with the image:

Create a flashcard in "Biology" deck:
- Front: What is this cell structure? <img src="biology-cell.png">
- Back: Mitochondria - the powerhouse of the cell

Step 4: Study

Open Anki and study your deck. The image will display on your card!

Conversation Examples

Example 1: Web Image

User: Create a flashcard about the Eiffel Tower with this image:
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Tour_Eiffel_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg/800px-Tour_Eiffel_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg

AI: I'll create a flashcard with that image.
    [Uses mediaActions to download and store as eiffel_tower.jpg]
    ✓ Successfully stored media file: eiffel_tower.jpg

    [Uses addNote to create card]
    ✓ Successfully created note in deck "Geography"
    Front: <img src="eiffel_tower.jpg">
    Back: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Built in 1889, stands 330m tall.

Example 2: Local Screenshot

User: I just took a screenshot of a Python error.
      It's on my Desktop as python_error.png
      Create a troubleshooting card with it

AI: [Uses Filesystem MCP to locate: /Users/username/Desktop/python_error.png]
    [Uses mediaActions to upload]
    ✓ Successfully stored media file: python_error.png

    [Uses addNote]
    ✓ Successfully created note in deck "Programming"
    Front: What's wrong with this code? <img src="python_error.png">
    Back: IndexError: list index out of range - accessing beyond list length

Example 3: Batch Upload

User: Add these anatomy diagrams to my Medical School deck:
      1. https://example.com/heart.png
      2. https://example.com/lungs.png
      3. https://example.com/brain.png

AI: [Downloads all 3 images using mediaActions]
    ✓ Successfully stored: heart.png
    ✓ Successfully stored: lungs.png
    ✓ Successfully stored: brain.png

    [Creates 3 flashcards]
    ✓ Created 3 anatomy cards in "Medical School"

Best Practices

File Naming

Use descriptive, consistent names:

✅ Good:

biology_cell_mitochondria.png
spanish_verb_conjugation_chart.jpg
math_pythagorean_theorem_diagram.png

❌ Bad:

image1.png
screenshot.png
temp.jpg

Organize with Prefixes

Group related images:

biology_cell_nucleus.png
biology_cell_mitochondria.png
biology_cell_membrane.png
spanish_map_spain.jpg
spanish_map_latin_america.jpg

Search by category:

List all media files matching "biology_cell_*.png"

Prevent Automatic Cleanup

Prefix with underscore to prevent Anki’s media cleanup:

_reference_periodic_table.png

Files starting with _ won’t be deleted when you run “Check Media” in Anki.

Reuse Images

Reference the same image in multiple cards:

Card 1: <img src="cell.png"> What is structure A?
Card 2: <img src="cell.png"> What is structure B?
Card 3: <img src="cell.png"> Label all parts

Troubleshooting

Images Loading Slowly

Problem: Claude takes forever to process images.

Solution:

Don’t paste images directly into Claude
Use URL or file path methods instead
Enable Filesystem MCP for Claude Desktop

Image Not Showing in Anki

Check:

Image was uploaded: Look in Anki’s media folder
Filename matches: <img src="filename.jpg"> uses exact filename
Sync if using AnkiWeb

File Path Not Found

For Claude Desktop:

Enable Filesystem MCP extension
Configure access to relevant folders (Desktop, Downloads, Pictures)

Manual path entry:

Use full absolute path: /Users/yourname/Desktop/image.jpg
Check spelling and spaces in filename

Large Images Breaking

Solutions:

Resize images before uploading (use image editor)
Compress JPEG images (reduce quality slightly)
Use PNG only for diagrams/screenshots, JPEG for photos
Keep images under 2MB if possible

Setup: Filesystem MCP for Claude Desktop

To enable automatic file location:

Open Claude Desktop
Settings → Extensions
Browse catalog → Find “Filesystem MCP”
Install the extension
Configure access to folders:
- Desktop
- Downloads
- Pictures
- Any other folders with images

Benefits:

Claude can automatically find images you mention
No need to type full file paths
Faster workflow

Example:

User: Add the screenshot from my Desktop

AI: [Automatically searches Desktop folder]
    Found: screenshot_2024-01-15.png
    [Uploads to Anki]

Video Tutorial

Watch a demonstration of adding images to Anki cards:

Need help? Check the FAQ or visit our Getting Help page.

Using Prompts Audio Flashcards