Tools

AnkiMCP Add-on Tool Reference: Every MCP Tool, Resource and Prompt

This page lists everything the AnkiMCP add-on offers your AI assistant: the tools it can call, the read-only resources it can look up, and the ready-made prompts it can start from. You don’t need to memorise any of it — your assistant discovers these automatically. This page is here for when you want to check exactly what exists, or decide what to switch off.

This documents the Anki add-on, the version that runs inside the Anki desktop app. The AnkiMCP CLI is a separate product with its own tool list, documented separately — nothing on this page describes it. See Add-on vs CLI if you’re unsure which you have.

At a glance

	Count
Tools	42
…of which are multi-action tools	4 (`card_management`, `tag_management`, `filtered_deck`, `model_fields`), 24 actions between them
…of which are destructive and hidden by default	1 whole tool + 1 action
Resources	7
Prompts	2

Documented against add-on v0.27.0. Any tool or action can be switched off with disabled_tools, and the destructive ones stay hidden until you list them in enabled_destructive_tools.

Destructive tools (hidden by default)

Two things are classified as destructive — high-risk operations that rewrite or delete data across many notes at once. The add-on removes them from the tool list entirely unless you opt in. Your AI assistant cannot see them, so it cannot call them by accident.

Entry	Type	Why it’s destructive
`change_note_type`	Whole tool	Rewrites every selected note’s field layout.
`model_fields:remove`	Single action	Permanently deletes a field and its content on every note of that note type.

To expose either one, add it to enabled_destructive_tools — see the configuration reference. Opting in a whole tool does not implicitly opt in its destructive actions; list tool:action separately.

Essential tools

The main working set. These are the tools your assistant reaches for most.

Decks and search

Tool	What it does
`list_decks`	List all decks. Returns `deck_id`, `name`, `is_filtered`; `include_stats=true` adds per-deck counts.
`create_deck`	Create a new empty deck. Supports `parent::child` nesting, up to 2 levels. Won’t overwrite an existing deck.
`find_notes`	Search for notes using Anki’s search syntax. `include_first_field=true` adds a `noteLabels` array (`noteId`, `firstField`, `truncated`, `fullLength`) so you can search and label in one call.
`notes_info`	Get detailed information about specific notes — fields, tags, note type, CSS. `excerpt_chars` caps every field value at that many characters and marks it `truncated`/`fullLength`, a cheap way to survey many notes.
`sync`	Synchronise the collection with AnkiWeb. Asynchronous job: `sync()` starts one, `sync(job_id)` polls its status, `sync(job_id, resolve=...)` resolves a full-sync conflict.

Notes

Tool	What it does
`add_note`	Add a single note to a deck.
`add_notes`	Batch-add up to `max_notes_per_batch` notes (default 100) sharing one deck and note type. Uses Anki’s native batch API for atomic undo. Partial success — one failure doesn’t sink the rest.
`update_note_fields`	Update the fields of an existing note. Two modes: full replace, or patch via `old_str`/`new_str` (find-and-replace within a field; must match exactly once or nothing is written).
`update_notes`	Batch-update fields on many notes in one atomic undo step. Validates every entry first; partial success, up to `max_notes_per_batch`.
`delete_notes`	Delete notes by ID, removing all their cards. Requires `confirmDeletion=true` as a safeguard; `dry_run=true` previews what would go.

Cards, review and stats

Tool	What it does
`get_due_cards`	Get the next card due for review, in true scheduler order. `skip_images`/`skip_audio` support voice-mode review.
`present_card`	Get a card’s content for review — question first, then the answer with `show_answer=true`.
`rate_card`	Rate a card after review (Again / Hard / Good / Easy) and update its scheduling.
`cards_stats`	Bulk per-card scheduling stats for a deck and its subdecks: type, queue, interval, tags, due-today. Paginated (max 1000 per page), FSRS-independent, compact payload for analytics.

Note types (models)

Tool	What it does
`model_names`	List all available note types, plus `commonTypes` shortcuts (basic, basicReversed, cloze).
`model_field_names`	Get the field names and descriptions for one note type.
`create_model`	Create a new note type.
`model_styling`	Read the CSS for a note type. `include_latex=true` also returns the LaTeX preamble (`latex_pre`, `latex_post`, `latex_svg`).
`update_model_styling`	Update that CSS — full replace, or patch via `old_str`/`new_str` (must match exactly once). Can also write the LaTeX preamble.
`model_templates`	Read the Front/Back HTML templates for each card type in a note type.
`update_model_templates`	Update template HTML — full replace, or patch via `old_str`/`new_str`. Rejects unknown keys (case-sensitive) and unknown template names up front and applies all edits atomically; a failed call leaves the note type unchanged.
`change_note_type`	Move existing notes to a different note type, remapping fields by name (`{old field: new field or null}`). Destructive — hidden unless opted in. Two-step flow: `dry_run=true` returns the resolved plan (mapping, dropped fields, cards removed), then the same call with `dry_run=false` and `confirm=true` applies it. All notes must share one source note type.

Media

Tool	What it does
`store_media_file`	Store an image, audio or other media file via base64 data, a local file path, or a URL. File paths are checked against a media-type allowlist; URLs are checked for SSRF.
`get_media_files_names`	List media files matching a pattern, e.g. `*.mp3`.
`delete_media_file`	Move a media file to Anki’s trash — recoverable via Anki’s Check Media dialog until the trash is emptied.

Multi-action tools

Four tools bundle several related operations behind one action parameter. That keeps the tool list short, which keeps your assistant’s token usage down. Each action can be switched off individually with "tool:action" in disabled_tools.

`card_management` — 9 actions

Manage card organisation.

Action	What it does
`reposition`	Set the position of new cards in the learning queue.
`change_deck`	Move cards between decks.
`bury`	Hide cards until tomorrow.
`unbury`	Un-hide buried cards.
`suspend`	Exclude cards from review indefinitely.
`unsuspend`	Return suspended cards to review.
`set_flag`	Set a colour flag, 0–7 (0 clears it).
`set_due_date`	Reschedule cards using Anki’s days DSL.
`forget_cards`	Reset cards to new.

`tag_management` — 6 actions

Manage tags on notes.

Action	What it does
`add_tags`	Bulk-add tags to notes.
`remove_tags`	Bulk-remove tags from notes.
`replace_tags`	Swap one tag for another.
`get_tags`	List all tags, or scope to a deck with the optional `deck` parameter — the distinct tags on notes that have a card in that deck, subdecks included.
`clear_unused_tags`	Remove orphaned tags no longer used by any note.
`batch_tags`	Apply several add/remove operations in one call, with partial success.

`filtered_deck` — 5 actions

Filtered (cram) deck lifecycle.

Action	What it does
`create_or_update`	Create a filtered deck, or modify an existing one’s search terms, limits and order.
`rebuild`	Repopulate a filtered deck from its search terms.
`empty`	Return all cards to their home decks, leaving the deck in place.
`delete`	Delete the filtered deck (cards return to their home decks).
`get_info`	Inspect decks by ID: search terms, limits, order, reschedule setting and card count. Non-filtered decks come back with `is_filtered=false`; unknown IDs are skipped and counted in `not_found`. Max 50 deck IDs per call.

`model_fields` — 4 actions

Manage the fields on an existing note type.

Action	What it does
`add`	Add a field, optionally at a 0-based index.
`rename`	Rename a field, preserving its content. Card templates are not updated automatically — you have to fix references yourself.
`reposition`	Reorder fields.
`remove`	Delete a field and its content on every note of that type. Destructive — hidden unless opted in via `enabled_destructive_tools`.

One-way full sync warning: add, remove and reposition change field ordinals and force a one-way full sync; a pure rename does not. Every result carries will_force_full_sync, reflecting the collection’s actual (sticky, collection-wide) state after the write.

FSRS tools

FSRS is Anki’s modern scheduling algorithm. These four tools read and tune it.

Tool	What it does
`get_fsrs_params`	Get FSRS scheduler parameters for deck presets. With an empty `deck_name`, returns every preset and the decks using it.
`set_fsrs_params`	Update FSRS parameters on a preset: weights, desired retention (0.70–0.99), max interval. Returns an old/new diff for each changed field.
`get_card_memory_state`	Get FSRS memory state — stability, difficulty, retrievability — for one or more cards. Requires FSRS to be enabled; `recompute=True` recalculates from review history.
`optimize_fsrs_params`	Run Anki’s built-in FSRS optimizer over your review history. `apply_results=False` (the default) is a dry run that shows what it would change.

GUI tools

These drive Anki’s own windows — useful when you want to see something happen on screen, rather than have it done silently in the background.

Tool	What it does
`gui_browse`	Open the card browser with a search query. Returns the matching card IDs.
`gui_add_cards`	Open the Add Cards dialog (it does not pre-fill fields).
`gui_edit_note`	Open the note editor for a specific note ID.
`gui_current_card`	Get the card currently on screen in the reviewer: question and answer HTML, fields, note and card IDs, deck, note type, and the interval behind each answer button.
`gui_show_question`	Show the question side of the card on screen.
`gui_show_answer`	Flip the card on screen to its answer side.
`gui_select_card`	Select a specific card in an already-open card browser.
`gui_deck_browser`	Navigate to the deck browser.
`gui_undo`	Undo the last operation in Anki.

Resources

Resources are read-only lookups. Your assistant fetches them by URI instead of calling a tool.

Resource	URI	What it returns
`system_info`	`anki://system-info`	Anki version, current profile, scheduler info.
`query_syntax`	`anki://query-syntax`	Anki’s search query syntax reference.
`schema`	`anki://schema`	The Anki data model: entities, fields, relationships, key concepts.
`stats_today`	`anki://stats/today`	Today’s study statistics — cards studied, time spent, ratings breakdown.
`stats_forecast`	`anki://stats/forecast`	30-day review forecast of expected due cards per day.
`stats_collection`	`anki://stats/collection`	Overall collection statistics: total notes, cards, state breakdown.
`fsrs_config`	`anki://fsrs/config`	FSRS status, version, preset count and parameter overview.

Prompts

Prompts are ready-made workflows. In most AI clients they appear as something you pick from a menu rather than type out.

Prompt	What it does
`review_session`	Runs a structured review session — presents cards, collects your answers, suggests ratings. Interactive, quick, or voice mode.
`twenty_rules`	Applies Dr Piotr Woźniak’s twenty rules of formulating knowledge, so the cards your assistant writes are actually good cards.

Turning tools off

Every tool and every action can be hidden from your AI client. Reasons you might: fewer tools means fewer tokens per request, and some people simply don’t want an assistant able to delete notes.

{
  "disabled_tools": [
    "sync",
    "card_management:bury",
    "card_management:unbury"
  ]
}

"tool_name" disables the whole tool; "tool_name:action" disables one action inside a multi-action tool. Disabled entries are stripped from the MCP schema entirely, so clients never see them. Full syntax and the opt-in list for destructive tools are on the configuration reference.

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. MCP is an open standard originated by Anthropic; AnkiMCP is likewise not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

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