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anki-connect

Apps & Automation
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This skill is for interacting with Anki through AnkiConnect, and should be used whenever a user asks to interact with Anki, including to read or modify decks, notes, cards, models, media, or sync operations.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/mkurman/zorai/blob/HEAD/skills/productivity/agent-skills/anki-connect/SKILL.md

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AnkiConnect

Overview

Enable reliable interaction with Anki through the AnkiConnect local HTTP API. Use this skill to translate user requests into AnkiConnect actions, craft JSON requests, run them via curl/jq (or equivalent tools), and interpret results safely.

Preconditions and Environment

  • If Anki is not running, launch Anki, then wait until the AnkiConnect server responds at http://127.0.0.1:8765 (default). Verify readiness using curl, e.g. curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:8765 should return Anki-Connect.

Safety and Confirmation Policy (Critical)

CRITICAL — NO EXCEPTIONS

Before any destructive or modifying operation on notes or cards (adding, updating, deleting, rescheduling, suspending, unsuspending, changing deck, or changing fields/tags), request confirmation from the user. Use the AskUserQuestion tool if available; otherwise ask via chat. Only request confirmation once per logical operation, even if it requires multiple API calls (e.g., search + update + verify). Group confirmation by intent and scope (e.g., “Update 125 notes matching query X”).

Treat the following as confirmation-required by default:

  • Notes: addNote, addNotes, updateNoteFields, updateNoteTags, updateNote, updateNoteModel, deleteNotes, removeEmptyNotes, replaceTags, replaceTagsInAllNotes, clearUnusedTags.
  • Cards: setEaseFactors, setSpecificValueOfCard, suspend, unsuspend, forgetCards, relearnCards, answerCards, setDueDate, changeDeck.
  • Deck or model modifications that materially change cards/notes (deck deletion, model edits). Ask even if the action is not explicitly listed above.

API Fundamentals

Request Format

Every request is JSON with:

  • action: string action name
  • version: API version (use 6 unless user specifies otherwise)
  • params: object of parameters (optional)

Response Format

Every response is JSON with:

  • result: return value
  • error: null on success or a string describing the error

Always check error before using result.

Permissions

  • Use requestPermission first when interacting from a non-trusted origin; it is the only action that accepts any origin.
  • Use version to ensure compatibility; older versions may omit the error field in responses when version ≤ 4.

curl + jq Patterns

Prefer jq to build JSON and parse responses. Keep requests explicit and structured.

Minimal request template

jq -n --arg action "deckNames" --argjson version 6 '{action:$action, version:$version}' \
| curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:8765 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d @-

With params

jq -n \
	--arg action "findNotes" \
	--argjson version 6 \
	--arg query "deck:French tag:verbs" \
	'{action:$action, version:$version, params:{query:$query}}' \
| curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:8765 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d @-

Handling result/error

curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:8765 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d @- \
| jq -e 'if .error then halt_error(1) else .result end'

Batching multiple actions

Use multi to reduce round-trips and to group actions under a single confirmation when modifying data.

jq -n --argjson version 6 --arg query "deck:French" \
	'{action:"multi", version:$version, params:{actions:[
		{action:"findNotes", params:{query:$query}},
		{action:"notesInfo", params:{notes:[]}} 
	]}}' \
| curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:8765 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d @-

Replace the empty array with the result of the previous action when chaining; in CLI usage, split into two calls unless using a scripting language.

Core Workflow Guidance

1) Verify connectivity and version

  • Call requestPermission (safe).
  • Call version to confirm the API level and use version: 6 in requests.

2) Discover supported actions

  • Use apiReflect with scopes: ["actions"] to list supported actions.
  • Use this list to map user intent to action names.

3) Resolve user request into action sequence

  • Identify read-only vs destructive operations.
  • For destructive/modifying operations on notes/cards, request confirmation once with the scope and count.
  • Prefer findNotes/findCards + notesInfo/cardsInfo for previews before modification.

4) Execute and validate

  • Execute the call(s) in order.
  • Check error for each response.
  • Report summarized results and any IDs returned.

Common Task Recipes (CLI-Oriented)

List decks

  • Action: deckNames

Create deck

  • Action: createDeck
  • Confirmation required if the deck is being created as part of a card/note modification workflow.

Search notes / cards

  • Actions: findNotes, findCards
  • Use Anki search syntax (see “Search Syntax Quick Notes” below).

Preview note data

  • Action: notesInfo (note IDs)

Add notes

  • Actions: addNote, addNotes
  • Confirmation required.
  • Use canAddNotes or canAddNotesWithErrorDetail for preflight checks.

Update note fields or tags

  • Actions: updateNoteFields, updateNoteTags, or combined updateNote
  • Confirmation required.
  • Warning: Do not have the note open in the browser; updates may fail to apply.

Delete notes

  • Action: deleteNotes
  • Confirmation required.

Suspend/unsuspend cards

  • Actions: suspend, unsuspend
  • Confirmation required.

Move cards to a deck

  • Action: changeDeck
  • Confirmation required.

Set due date or reschedule

  • Action: setDueDate
  • Confirmation required.

Media upload/download

  • Actions: storeMediaFile, retrieveMediaFile, getMediaFilesNames, getMediaDirPath, deleteMediaFile
  • Use base64 (data), file path (path), or URL (url) for upload.

Sync

  • Action: sync

Search Syntax Quick Notes (for findNotes/findCards)

  • Separate terms by spaces; terms are ANDed by default.
  • Use or, parentheses, and - for NOT logic.
  • Use deck:Name, tag:tagname, note:ModelName, card:CardName.
  • Use front:... or other field names to limit by field.
  • Use re: for regex, w: for word-boundary searches, nc: to ignore accents.
  • Use is:due, is:new, is:learn, is:review, is:suspended, is:buried to filter card states.
  • Use prop: searches for properties like interval or due date.
  • Escape special characters with quotes or backslashes as needed.

Action Catalog (Use as a mapping reference)

Card Actions

  • getEaseFactors
  • setEaseFactors
  • setSpecificValueOfCard
  • suspend
  • unsuspend
  • suspended
  • areSuspended
  • areDue
  • getIntervals
  • findCards
  • cardsToNotes
  • cardsModTime
  • cardsInfo
  • forgetCards
  • relearnCards
  • answerCards
  • setDueDate

Deck Actions

  • deckNames
  • deckNamesAndIds
  • getDecks
  • createDeck
  • changeDeck
  • deleteDecks
  • getDeckConfig
  • saveDeckConfig
  • setDeckConfigId
  • cloneDeckConfigId
  • removeDeckConfigId
  • getDeckStats

Graphical Actions

  • guiBrowse
  • guiSelectCard
  • guiSelectedNotes
  • guiAddCards
  • guiEditNote
  • guiAddNoteSetData
  • guiCurrentCard
  • guiStartCardTimer
  • guiShowQuestion
  • guiShowAnswer
  • guiAnswerCard
  • guiUndo
  • guiDeckOverview
  • guiDeckBrowser
  • guiDeckReview
  • guiImportFile
  • guiExitAnki
  • guiCheckDatabase
  • guiPlayAudio

Media Actions

  • storeMediaFile
  • retrieveMediaFile
  • getMediaFilesNames
  • getMediaDirPath
  • deleteMediaFile

Miscellaneous Actions

  • requestPermission
  • version
  • apiReflect
  • sync
  • getProfiles
  • getActiveProfile
  • loadProfile
  • multi
  • exportPackage
  • importPackage
  • reloadCollection

Model Actions

  • modelNames
  • modelNamesAndIds
  • findModelsById
  • findModelsByName
  • modelFieldNames
  • modelFieldDescriptions
  • modelFieldFonts
  • modelFieldsOnTemplates
  • createModel
  • modelTemplates
  • modelStyling
  • updateModelTemplates
  • updateModelStyling
  • findAndReplaceInModels
  • modelTemplateRename
  • modelTemplateReposition
  • modelTemplateAdd
  • modelTemplateRemove
  • modelFieldRename
  • modelFieldReposition
  • modelFieldAdd
  • modelFieldRemove
  • modelFieldSetFont
  • modelFieldSetFontSize
  • modelFieldSetDescription

Note Actions

  • addNote
  • addNotes
  • canAddNotes
  • canAddNotesWithErrorDetail
  • updateNoteFields
  • updateNote
  • updateNoteModel
  • updateNoteTags
  • getNoteTags
  • addTags
  • removeTags
  • getTags
  • clearUnusedTags
  • replaceTags
  • replaceTagsInAllNotes
  • findNotes
  • notesInfo
  • notesModTime
  • deleteNotes
  • removeEmptyNotes

Statistic Actions

  • getNumCardsReviewedToday
  • getNumCardsReviewedByDay
  • getCollectionStatsHTML
  • cardReviews
  • getReviewsOfCards
  • getLatestReviewID
  • insertReviews

Notes and Pitfalls

  • Keep Anki in the foreground on macOS or disable App Nap to prevent AnkiConnect from pausing.
  • When updating a note, ensure it is not being viewed in the browser editor; updates may not apply.
  • importPackage paths are relative to the Anki collection.media folder, not the client.
  • deleteDecks requires cardsToo: true to delete cards along with decks.

Resources

No bundled scripts or assets are required for this skill.