Japanese Vocab Anki MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server implementation for interacting with Anki decks programmatically. This server allows Language Models to interact with Anki through a standardized interface, with special support for Japanese language learning.

This is vibe-coded with Cursor with Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

Features

- List available decks
- View cards in decks
- Add new cards
- Review cards with spaced repetition
- Import Japanese vocabulary with readings and meanings
- Add sample sentences to Japanese vocabulary cards
- Track review history and learning progress

End-to-End Example: Japanese Vocabulary Study with Claude

Here's a complete workflow showing how to use Claude to enhance your Japanese vocabulary cards with sample sentences.

Step 1: Generate Fill-in-the-Blank Exercises

First, ask Claude to create practice exercises using the study_japanese_vocab_prompt:

Claude will look through your recently reviewed vocabulary and create contextual sentences with blanks to test your understanding.

Step 2: Convert to Sample Sentences

Next, use the vocab_sentences_json_prompt to convert these sentences into a structured format:

Claude will transform the sentences into a JSON dictionary mapping each vocabulary word to its sample sentences.

Step 3: Update Anki Cards

Finally, use the update_notes_with_sentences tool to add these sentences to your Anki cards:

The sentences will be added to the reading field of each vocabulary card, providing more context for your studies.

Results in Anki

After the update, your cards will include the new sample sentences:

This workflow helps you:
1. Practice vocabulary in context through fill-in-the-blank exercises
2. Add natural example sentences to your cards
3. Build a more comprehensive understanding of each word's usage

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/vionwinnie/jap-vocab-anki-mcp-server.git

cd jap-vocab-anki-mcp-server

Usage

1. Make sure Anki is not running (to avoid database locks)

2. Set the path to your Anki collection (optional):

export ANKI_COLLECTION_PATH="/path/to/your/collection.anki2"

3. Run the server:

python -m anki_mcp.server

Available Resources

- anki://decks - List all available Anki decks
- anki://deck/{deck_name}/cards - List all cards in a specific deck
- anki://recent/reviewed - View cards reviewed in the last 24 hours
- anki://recent/learned - View cards learned (graduated from new) in the last 24 hours

Available Tools

Basic Card Management

- add_card(deck_name: str, front: str, back: str) - Add a new card to a deck - review_card(card_id: int, ease: int) - Review a card with a specific ease (1-4) - get_card_history(card_id: int) - Get detailed review history for a specific card

Japanese Vocabulary Features

- import_japanese_vocab(csv_path: str, deck_name: str, tags: str = None) - Import Japanese vocabulary from CSV - update_notes_with_sentences(vocab_sentences: Dict[str, List[str]], deck_name: str = "Try! N3 Vocab") - Add sample sentences to vocabulary notes

Review History

- get_deck_review_history(deck_name: str) - Get review history for all cards in a deck within the past 24 hours

Available Prompts

- create_deck_prompt(deck_name: str) - Get help creating a new deck
- review_history_prompt() - Get help analyzing review history
- study_japanese_vocab_prompt() - Get help with Japanese vocabulary study
- vocab_sentences_json_prompt() - Generate JSON dictionary mapping vocab to sample sentences

Japanese Note Type Requirements

The server expects a note type called "Japanese (recognition)" with the following fields:
1. Expression (Japanese word)
2. Meaning (English meaning)
3. Reading (with furigana and sample sentences)

License

MIT License