Flashcards

Create Anki flashcards in Obsidian with normal Markdown. Review them in Anki and keep Obsidian as the source of truth.

This README describes Flashcards v2. The previous implementation and its documentation remain available on the legacy v1 branch.

How it works

You write and organize cards in Obsidian. The plugin creates or updates the matching notes in Anki.

• Obsidian owns card content, card type, deck, and authored tags.
• Anki owns review history and scheduling.
• Cards created directly in Anki are not changed.
• Each Anki card links back to its exact source in Obsidian.

This is one-way authoring, not two-way editing. If you change a linked card in Anki, the next update restores the content from Obsidian.

Requirements

• Obsidian 1.13.0 or newer.
• The desktop version of Anki.
• The AnkiConnect add-on.
• Anki running when you update cards. If it is closed, Flashcards starts it for you and waits — see Starting Anki.

Install

1. In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins.
2. Select Browse, search for Flashcards, and install the plugin.
3. Enable Flashcards.
4. In Anki, open Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons.
5. Enter the AnkiConnect code 2055492159 and restart Anki.
6. Keep Anki open while updating cards from Obsidian, or let Flashcards start it for you.

Flashcards 2.0.1 and later work with AnkiConnect's default settings. You do not need to add app://obsidian.md to webCorsOriginList.

AnkiConnect uses http://127.0.0.1:8765 by default. If you set an AnkiConnect API key, select the secret containing that key in the Flashcards settings.

Starting Anki

If Anki is closed when you update cards, Flashcards starts it and continues the update as soon as AnkiConnect answers — no need to re-run the command. Click the waiting notice to cancel.

Settings live under Anki connection:

• Start Anki automatically — on by default. Turn it off to be prompted to start Anki yourself instead; the update still resumes once Anki is up.
• Anki launch command — leave empty to use the standard install location (/Applications/Anki.app on macOS, %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Anki\anki.exe on Windows, anki on PATH or the flatpak export on Linux). Set it for an AppImage, a custom prefix, or flatpak (flatpak run net.ankiweb.Anki). Quote paths containing spaces.
• Wait for Anki — how long an update waits before giving up. Default 60s.
• Test — checks the connection, starting Anki if needed, and reports what happened. Use it after changing the launch command.

A profile password prompt or Anki's own AnkiWeb sync dialog holds AnkiConnect back until you dismiss it; if that takes longer than the wait, run the command again once Anki is ready.

AnkiConnect connection problems

If Flashcards cannot reach AnkiConnect:

1. In Obsidian → Settings → Community plugins, check for updates and update Flashcards to 2.0.1 or later. Restart Obsidian after updating.
2. Open Anki and confirm that AnkiConnect appears under Tools → Add-ons.
3. Restart Anki if you installed or changed AnkiConnect.
4. Open http://127.0.0.1:8765 in a browser. It should show Anki-Connect. This checks that AnkiConnect is running. Then try updating your cards again.

Quick start

Write a basic card in any Markdown note:

What is the capital of France?::Paris

Keep Anki open. Then run Flashcards: Update Anki from current note from the Obsidian command palette. You can also use the Flashcards button in the left sidebar.

The plugin adds a small ^q-xxxx anchor and a managed flashcards property. They connect the Obsidian card to its Anki note. Do not edit them by hand.

Card types

Basic

What does HTTP mean?::Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Reversed

TCP:::Transmission Control Protocol

A reversed note creates cards in both directions. Use it only when both directions are useful.

Cloze

The mitochondria is the ==powerhouse== of the cell.
The {1:heart} pumps blood through the {1:circulatory system}.

==text== creates numbered clozes in source order. {N:text} lets you choose the number. Reuse a number when several parts should be hidden together.

Heading card

## What is recursion? #card

A function that calls itself and has a base case.

A heading card can contain several paragraphs, lists, code blocks, and lower headings. The next heading at the same or a higher level ends the answer.

Reminder

Prefer reversible decisions when uncertainty is high. #card-reminder

A reminder has one piece of content and no answer. It returns through Anki's normal schedule.

Explicit multi-line card

```flashcard
front: What does CSS stand for?
back: Cascading Style Sheets
type: reversed
```

The default type is basic. Other values are reversed, cloze, and reminder. Reminder blocks use content: instead of front: and back:.

The plugin also supports card callouts, cards in lists, and atomic note cards. See the v2 wiki for their exact rules and examples.

Markdown content

Cards can contain:

• emphasis, links, lists, quotes, and code;
• LaTeX math;
• Obsidian wikilinks, including heading and block links;
• images and audio attachments.

Card markers inside code, math, HTML comments, and ordinary blockquotes are not parsed as new cards.

Decks, tags, and context

Set a deck for one note with frontmatter:

---
cards-deck: Knowledge::Biology
tags:
  - biology
  - exam
---

By default:

• the note folder selects the deck when cards-deck is absent;
• the fallback deck is Default;
• every card gets the obsidian tag;
• parent headings appear as context above the review question;
• removing a linked card asks for confirmation before Anki deletes it.

You can change these defaults in the Flashcards settings.

Commands

• Flashcards: Update Anki from current note updates the active note.
• Flashcards: Update Anki from vault updates every eligible Markdown note in the vault.
• Flashcards: Check vault for v2 syntax migration reports old syntax in eligible notes and opens its source without changing files.
• Flashcards: Apply v2 Anki card style previews, backs up, and updates compatible managed Anki note types.

Running an update again does not duplicate unchanged cards. Vault updates keep a disposable index to skip unchanged notes, verifying existing cards against Anki before reusing their cached state. Deleting the index is safe; the next update rebuilds it.

Choose which notes sync

Under Settings → Flashcards → Sync scope, choose included folders, excluded folders, and excluded notes. Empty included folders means the whole vault; folder rules cover descendants, and exclusions always win.

Exclusions apply to both update commands and the ribbon button. Right-click a note to Exclude from Flashcards sync, or use the searchable settings picker to add several notes at once. Excluded notes are grouped by folder in settings. An attempted update of an excluded note explains the reason and offers access to the scope editor.

Existing Anki cards are kept when a note is excluded. Explicit rules follow renames and moves made while the plugin is running in Obsidian. See the sync scope guide for examples, rule precedence, and missing-path handling.

Existing cards and v1 notes

Normal updates preserve Anki scheduling and review history when the note can be changed in place. Destructive changes ask first by default.

V2 uses one strict syntax. Run Flashcards: Check vault for v2 syntax migration to find old markers and open each source location. The report is read-only.

Documentation

• V2 wiki: complete syntax, defaults, and edge cases.
• Usage guide: setup and detailed update behavior.
• Syntax gallery: visual reference for authoring forms, parsed fields, card counts, and source boundaries.

Optional agent skill

The repository includes $create-obsidian-flashcards for compatible coding agents. It can turn source notes into a selective set of retrieval cards, choose supported v2 syntax, and revise weak cards. It does not write the plugin's managed IDs or update Anki unless you ask.

Support

If Flashcards is useful to you, you can support its development: