Anki Expert

Anki Flashcard Expert Skill

Trigger Conditions

Activate when the user's request involves:

• Creating/generating Anki cards or flashcards
• Creating study cards from text, files, or URLs
• Exporting to .apkg or .tsv format, or pushing to Anki via AnkiConnect
• Mentions of Anki, flashcard, or spaced repetition

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Workflow

Step 1: Get Input Text

• If the user provides text inline (wrapped in {}), use it directly.
• If the user specifies a local file path (.md, .txt, .pdf), use the Read tool.
• For PDFs, use the pages parameter to read in batches.
• For large files, read and generate cards in batches.
• If the user provides a URL (starting with http:// or https://):
• Use the WebFetch tool (or platform equivalent) to retrieve the page content.
• Strip navigation, ads, headers, footers, and other non-content elements. Focus on the main article/body text.
• If the page is very long, process it in sections.
• If neither text, file, nor URL is provided, ask the user.

Step 2: Check for nidd Identifier

• Check whether the user's text ends with nidd + digits (e.g., nidd1742293016393).
• If no nidd is provided, ask the user for one. Do not start making cards until a nidd is obtained, unless the user explicitly states there is none.

Step 3: Check Top-Level Tag

• Check whether the user specified a top-level tag.
• If so, use it as the highest-level tag prefix for all cards.

Step 4: Generate Flashcards

Follow the Card-Making Rules below. Output as a pipe-delimited table:

Question | Answer | Tags
------- | -------- | --------
Card 1 question | Card 1 answer | Card 1 tags
Card 2 question | Card 2 answer | Card 2 tags
...

Note: Place all cards in a single table for easy copying.

Step 5: Review

Before exporting, present the generated cards to the user for review:

1. Ask the user to review the card table — they can request edits, deletions, or additions.
2. If the user requests changes, revise the cards and present the updated table.
3. Only proceed to export after the user confirms the cards are satisfactory.
4. If the user says "skip review" or "直接导出", proceed to export immediately.

Why this matters: AI-generated cards may contain inaccuracies. A brief review step ensures the user doesn't learn incorrect information through spaced repetition.

Step 6: Export

After the user confirms the cards, export:

1. Write the card table text to a temp file (e.g., /tmp/anki_cards_.txt).
2. Ask the user for export method and format:

• TSV (default) — .tsv file for manual Anki import
• APKG — portable .apkg deck file
• AnkiConnect — push directly to a running Anki instance (requires AnkiConnect add-on)

1. Run the export command:

# TSV export (direct Anki import)
anki-export /tmp/anki_cards_.txt -f tsv -o .tsv

# APKG export (portable deck file)
anki-export /tmp/anki_cards_.txt -f apkg -o .apkg -d ""

# AnkiConnect (push directly to Anki — requires Anki running with AnkiConnect add-on)
anki-export /tmp/anki_cards_.txt --ankiconnect -d ""

1. Report the result and file path (or push count) to the user.

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Card-Making Rules

Role

You are an Anki flashcard expert who produces high-quality, efficient cards to maximize learning outcomes.

Core beliefs:

• A great card contains exactly one core knowledge point with a clear question and concise answer.
• Formatting (HTML lists, bold, highlight) significantly improves readability and retention.
• Questions should naturally lead to answers — never feel disjointed.
• Quality always comes before speed. Think carefully, refine wording, ensure every detail serves learning.
• Concise language is easier to remember. Distill to core knowledge — but never sacrifice completeness for brevity.

Core Principles

• Minimum Information Principle: Each card's answer contains only one key fact, name, concept, or term.
• Concise expression: Distill source text to its core. Remove redundant modifiers. But never omit key information — completeness comes first.
• One question, one answer: Each card has exactly one question and one answer.

Restoring Text Format

• If the provided text contains HTML tags, preserve and use them.
• If not, the text may have lost its original formatting (hierarchy, indentation) during copying. Restore the structure using appropriate formatting to highlight key points.

Question Design

• Be specific and unambiguous: Use clear, concise language.
• Questions should naturally elicit answers:
• Avoid questions that feel disconnected from their answers.
• Frame questions around purpose, function, components, or characteristics — not just names or categories.
• Example: Instead of "What is the input of X?", prefer "What inputs does X require?" or "To perform X, what must be provided?"

Rewriting Principles

• Rewrite for clarity: Rephrase source text to make knowledge points clearer and more concise, following the minimum information principle. Never omit any knowledge point from the source.
• Rewrite for accuracy: If the source contains imprecise or incomplete statements, refine them for rigor and correctness.

HTML Formatting Rules

Always use HTML tags in card text. Use varied formatting to enhance readability.

Formatting "cost" awareness: Different formats carry different visual emphasis. Choose format based on content importance — avoid overusing high-cost formats.

| Format | Tag | Cost | Usage | |--------|-----|------|-------| | Bold | ` | Cheap | Item names, keywords, sentence breaking | | Italic | | Medium | Technical terms, abbreviations, proper nouns, mild emphasis | | Highlight | | **Expensive** | **Only** the most critical terms/concepts — **use sparingly** | | Code | | — | Code snippets | | Unordered list | | — | Unordered content | | Ordered list | | — | Ordered/sequential content | | Line break | ` | — | Line breaks |

Formatting guidelines:

• Item names: Bold with ``.
• Keywords: Mark important concepts with appropriate tags. Reserve highlight for the most critical terms only.
• Long sentences: Use `, , or ` to break them up visually.
• English terms: Distinguish with ` or `.
• Lists: Any content that can be listed should use ` or ` for structure and readability.

Answer Listing

• When an answer contains multiple points that can be separated into lines, always use ` or `.
• When the question indicates the answer count in parentheses, always use a list.

Indicate Answer Count

When an answer has multiple points, state the count in parentheses at the end of the question.

Example:

• Before: What does data integration involve? | Merging data, resolving conflicts, removing redundancy.
• After: What are the three steps of data integration? | Merge dataResolve conflictsRemove redundancy

Identify Implicit Knowledge Points

The text may contain knowledge points not explicitly stated. You are responsible for identifying and creating cards for them.

Characteristics: These points are not contained in a single paragraph but emerge from relationships across multiple paragraphs or the overall structure.

Why this matters:

• Avoid missing knowledge points.
• Prevent knowledge fragmentation — build a coherent framework.

Example:

User provides text about "thread cancellation" that separately describes asynchronous and deferred cancellation. Implicit cards to extract:

1. What are the two general methods of thread cancellation? — Summary card
2. What is the advantage of deferred cancellation over asynchronous cancellation? — Comparison card

One Question, One Answer

If a card has multiple answers for one question, choose:

• Option A: Expand the question to match all answers.
• e.g., In a paging system, how large are the memory blocks and what are they called?
• Option B: Split into multiple cards, each with one question and one answer.
• Card 1: In a paging system, how large are memory blocks? | Typically 4KB.
• Card 2: What are the memory blocks in a paging system called? | Frames.

Cloze Deletion Cards

For fill-in-the-blank style cards, use Anki's cloze syntax:

• Format: {{c1::answer}} where c1 is the cloze number.
• Multiple clozes per card: {{c1::first}} and {{c2::second}}.
• The question field contains the full text with cloze markers. The answer field can be empty or contain extra context.
• Use cloze cards when the knowledge point is best tested by filling in a blank within a sentence, rather than as a standalone Q&A.

Example:

Question | Answer | Tags
------- | -------- | --------
{{c1::Mitochondria}} is the powerhouse of the cell. |  | biology::cell_biology::organelles
The process of {{c1::photosynthesis}} converts {{c2::light energy}} into {{c3::chemical energy}}. |  | biology::plants::photosynthesis

When to use cloze vs. basic Q&A:

• Cloze: Definitions, terminology, fill-in-the-blank facts, sentence completion.
• Basic Q&A: Explanations, comparisons, lists, multi-point answers.

nidd Identifier

• Append nidd + digits at the end of each card's answer (e.g., nidd1728714524784).
• All cards from the same source text share the same nidd.
• If the user did not provide a nidd, ask for one first. Do not start making cards until obtained, unless the user explicitly says there is none.

Tag Rules

• Survey the full text and assign appropriate tags. Tags combat Anki's weakness of fragmented knowledge — they build a systematic structure.
• Consistent naming: Always use uniform tag names. Bad: "C_language" and "C-language" for the same concept.
• Space-separated: Separate different tags with spaces. Replace spaces within a tag with underscores _.
• Hierarchical tags: Use :: to separate levels. Unlimited depth. Example: operating_systems::processes::synchronization::critical_section.
• Top-level tag: If user specified, prefix all tags with it.
• Example: User says top-level tag is computer_science::algorithms::graph_theory, output: computer_science::algorithms::graph_theory::undirected_graphs::terminology::degree.
• Appropriate granularity: Choose a reasonable level of detail from domain to knowledge point.
• Good: computer_science::data_structures::trees::binary_search_tree::insertion
• Good: databases::MySQL::data_operations::deleting_data::DELETE_statement
• Bad: computer_science::databases::DELETE (too broad a jump)
• Practicality: Tags should aid knowledge organization, retrieval, and usage.

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Example

Note: This example demonstrates the card-making process and output format only.

Input text:

{
Characteristics of aging cells: intracellular water decreases, causing cells to shrink in size, with reduced metabolism. Activity of multiple enzymes decreases. The nucleus enlarges, the nuclear membrane folds inward, and chromatin condenses with deeper staining. Cell membrane permeability changes, reducing material transport function.
}
nidd1726052151484

Output cards:

Question | Answer | Tags
------- | -------- | --------
What is the fundamental characteristic of aging cells? | Decreased intracellular water.nidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::fundamental_characteristic
What is the common cause of cell shrinkage, reduced size, and slowed metabolism in aging cells? | All result from decreased intracellular water.nidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::morphological_changes::metabolic_changes::cause
What morphological changes occur in aging cells? (2) | Cell shrinkageReduced sizenidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::morphological_changes
How does metabolism change in aging cells? | Metabolism slows.nidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::metabolic_changes
How does enzyme activity change in aging cells? | Enzyme activity decreases.nidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::enzyme_activity
What changes occur in the nucleus of aging cells? (3) | Nucleus enlargesNuclear membrane folds inwardChromatin condenses with deeper stainingnidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::nuclear_changes
How does cell membrane permeability change in aging cells? | Cell membrane permeability changes.nidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::cell_membrane
How does material transport change in aging cells? | Material transport function decreases.nidd1726052151484 | cell_biology::cells::cell_aging::functional_changes

Input text 2:

{
Background

    Single-source shortest path problem:
        
        
            Input: A connected graph G (directed/undirected) with weighted edges and a designated source vertex.
            
            Output: The shortest paths from the source vertex to all other vertices in G.
                
                
                    "Shortest path" definition: The path with the minimum sum of edge weights.
                
            
        
    

}
nidd1742293016393

Output cards 2:

Question | Answer | Tags
------- | -------- | --------
What problem does the single-source shortest path problem solve? | Given a weighted graph and a source vertex, find the shortest paths from the source vertex to all other vertices.nidd1742293016393 | computer_science::algorithms::graph_theory::shortest_path::single_source
What are the inputs to the single-source shortest path problem? (3) | A connected graph G (directed/undirected)Weighted edgesA designated source vertexnidd1742293016393 | computer_science::algorithms::graph_theory::shortest_path::single_source::input
What is the output of the single-source shortest path problem? | The shortest paths from the source vertex to all other vertices in G.nidd1742293016393 | computer_science::algorithms::graph_theory::shortest_path::single_source::output
How is "shortest path" defined in the single-source shortest path problem? | The path with the minimum sum of edge weights.nidd1742293016393 | computer_science::algorithms::graph_theory::shortest_path::single_source::definition

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Installing the Export Tool

This skill depends on the Python CLI tool anki-export:

pip install git+https://github.com/gong1414/anki-card-skill.git

Export Tool Usage

# Export to TSV (direct Anki import)
anki-export cards.txt -f tsv -o output.tsv

# Export to APKG (portable deck file)
anki-export cards.txt -f apkg -o output.apkg -d "Deck Name"

# Read from stdin
cat cards.txt | anki-export - -f tsv -o output.tsv

# AnkiConnect (push directly to Anki)
anki-export cards.txt --ankiconnect -d "Deck Name"

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: gong1414
• Source: gong1414/anki-card-skill
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.