AnkiAPI

A VS Code extension that turns a Markdown file into a live-synced Anki deck.

Write your flashcards as plain Markdown headings, hit one command, and the extension creates/updates the matching notes in Anki through AnkiConnect — including LaTeX with reusable macros, tables for bulk card creation, and per-folder configuration.

Features

• One command sync — Sync file with Anki creates a deck (or binds to an existing one) from the file's top-level heading, then creates/updates one Anki note per heading.
• Round-trip IDs — deck and note IDs are written back into the Markdown as <!--id: ...--> comments, so re-running the sync always updates the same cards instead of duplicating them.
• Orphan detection — if a note exists in the deck but no longer has a matching heading (e.g. you renamed one), you're asked whether to bind it to an existing heading or generate a new one from its content.
• LaTeX macros — define \newcommand-style macros once in ankiconfig.json and use them in any $...$ / $$...$$ block; only the macros actually used in a given card are injected into it.
• Nested, mergeable config — ankiconfig.json files can live in parent folders and are merged down to the file being synced (closer folders override further ones), so a whole notes tree can share defaults while subfolders override the deck name or template.
• Bulk cards via Markdown tables — a table under a heading generates one card per row instead of one card for the whole section.
• Editor-only extras — while editing, the extension also registers a markdown-it plugin that expands your macros in the built-in Markdown preview, so what you see while writing is closer to what Anki will render.

Requirements

• Anki with the AnkiConnect add-on installed, running in the background.
• A note type whose first two fields (by field order) are the card's front and back — for heading-based cards, only those two fields are filled; the rest are left blank. Table-based cards (see below) fill every column you provide.

Configuration

Drop an ankiconfig.json next to your notes (or in a parent folder):

{
  "root": "Maths",                 // deck name prefix for files in this folder
  "template": "Basic",              // Anki note type to use
  "templateNameAsHeader": true,     // wrap the front field in <h2>...</h2>
  "parseMd": false,                 // render fields as full Markdown instead of the built-in renderer
  "macros": [
    {
      "name": "set",
      "arguments": 1,
      "content": "\\left\\{ [#1](https://github.com/Lucasbk38/Anki-API/issues/1) \\right\\}"
    },
    {
      "name": "setWhere",
      "arguments": 2,
      "content": "\\set{#1\\;|\\;#2}"
    }
  ]
}

Config files merge from the filesystem root down to the synced file, so a subfolder only needs to override what's different (e.g. its own root to nest decks, or extra macros).

Each macro supports:

Writing notes

# Linear Algebra <!--id: 1724861543064-->

## Vector space <!--id: 1724920554608-->

A set $E$ with an addition and a scalar multiplication...

## Practice <!--ignore-->

Not synced — skipped entirely.

## Definitions <!--table-->

| Term | Definition |
| ---- | ---------- |
| Basis | A linearly independent spanning family |
| Rank | The dimension of the image of a linear map |

Heading metadata lives in an HTML comment right after the heading text:

• id: <number> — Anki deck/note ID, added automatically after the first sync.
• ignore — skip this heading (and its content) entirely.
• name: <text> — use this as the card's front instead of the heading text.
• group — fold nested sub-headings into this card's back instead of treating them as separate cards.
• table — treat the section's Markdown table as one card per row instead of one card for the whole section; column headers must match the note type's field names.

Metadata is comma-separated (<!--id: 1, ignore-->), and array values use [a, b, c].

Usage

1. Open a .md file.
2. Run Sync file with Anki from the command palette (F1).
3. First run: pick or create the deck to bind the file to.
4. Every run after: notes are created/updated/matched automatically.

Links

Source, issue tracker, and build/dev instructions live on GitHub.

License

MIT