Anki Flashcard Generator

Generate Anki flashcards from any source material. Produces TSV files ready for direct import.

Reference Files

File	Read When
references/card-design-rules.md	Default: card construction, anti-patterns, bidirectional rules
references/tsv-format-spec.md	Formatting output as TSV
references/difficulty-calibration.md	Applying difficulty and quantity settings

Parameters

Ask the user for these before generating. Default to Standard / Medium if not specified.

Number of cards

Setting	Cards	Strategy
Fewer	15-25	High-priority concepts only. Every card earns its place.
Standard	30-50	Balanced coverage. Core concepts plus important supporting detail.
More	60-100+	Comprehensive. Includes nuance, edge cases, and worked examples.

Difficulty

Level	Cognitive task	Card style
Easy	Recognition, definition, identification	"What is X?", "Define X", single-fact cloze
Medium	Application, comparison, analysis	"Why does X matter?", "Compare X and Y", multi-cloze
Hard	Synthesis, evaluation, multi-step reasoning	"How would you apply X to Y?", scenario-based, chained cloze

Workflow

- [ ] 1. Collect source material
- [ ] 2. Confirm parameters
- [ ] 3. Identify key concepts
- [ ] 4. Assign topics and priorities
- [ ] 5. Choose card types
- [ ] 6. Draft cards
- [ ] 7. Format as TSV
- [ ] 8. Self-review
- [ ] 9. Output

1. Collect source material

Read the provided content (transcript, document, skill, etc.). Every card must trace to the source material. Do not generate cards from general knowledge.

2. Confirm parameters

Ask the user for card count and difficulty if not specified. Default to Standard / Medium.

3. Identify key concepts

Extract core facts, definitions, relationships, formulas, benchmarks, and frameworks from the source. Group by topic.

4. Assign topics and priorities

Map each concept to a topic tag (kebab-case). Assign priority levels:

• priority::high — Core concepts that appear repeatedly or underpin other ideas
• priority::medium — Supporting detail that strengthens understanding
• priority::low — Reference knowledge, nice to have

5. Choose card types

Select the card type based on what is being tested:

Basic — Direct Q&A for explanations, reasoning, comparisons, processes.

• Front: A specific question. Never yes/no. Never vague ("Tell me about X").
• Back: Concise answer with <b>bold</b> on the key phrase the learner must recall.

Reversed (bidirectional) — For terminology, translations, concept ↔ example pairs.

• Generate two separate Basic cards: Term → Definition AND Definition → Term.
• Only reverse when both directions produce useful recall. Do NOT reverse explanatory or reasoning cards.
• Tag both cards with reversed modifier.

Cloze — For port numbers, specific values, command syntax, formulas, numeric benchmarks.

• Text: Complete sentence with {{c1::blanks}} replacing key values.
• Use multiple deletions (c1, c2, c3...) when values belong to one coherent fact.
• Tag with formulas for formulas, benchmarks for numeric thresholds.

6. Draft cards

Write each card following the design rules in references/card-design-rules.md. Apply difficulty calibration from references/difficulty-calibration.md.

7. Format as TSV

Format cards following the exact specification in references/tsv-format-spec.md.

8. Self-review

Check every card against the quality checklist below. Remove or rewrite any that fail.

9. Output

Present Basic cards and Cloze cards as separate TSV code blocks. Include count summary and import instructions:

1. Open Anki → File → Import
2. Select the TSV file
3. Set note type to "Basic" or "Cloze" as appropriate
4. Map fields: Field 1 → Front/Text, Field 2 → Back/Extra, Field 3 → Tags

Quality Checklist

Every card must pass all of these:

• Atomic — Tests exactly one fact. If you need "and" to describe what it tests, split it.
• 8-second rule — A prepared learner can answer in under 8 seconds.
• Source-grounded — The answer comes from the provided source material, not general knowledge.
• Useful for recall — Tests meaningful knowledge, not trivial facts.
• No orphans — The learner can understand this card without needing another card first.
• Bold highlight — The answer has at least one <b>bold</b> phrase marking the key recall target.
• Specific question — The front asks a precise question, not "Tell me about X".
• No yes/no — Never a question answerable with yes or no.
• No shopping lists — Never "List the 7 types of..." (break into individual cards or use cloze).
• Tagged — Has exactly one topic tag and one priority level.
• Difficulty-appropriate — Matches the requested difficulty level.

Tag Syntax

Tags are space-separated within the Tags field. Order: topic tag, then priority, then modifiers.

topic-name priority::high
topic-name priority::medium formulas
topic-name priority::low reversed

• Topic tags: kebab-case (python-basics, web-security)
• Hierarchical topics: use :: separator (networking::protocols)
• Priority: priority::high, priority::medium, priority::low
• Modifiers: formulas, benchmarks, reversed

Output Format

Basic cards:

Question text here	Answer with <b>bold</b> key terms	topic-tag priority::level

Cloze cards:

Text with {{c1::blanks}} for key values		topic-tag priority::level formulas

Note: Cloze cards have an empty second field (two consecutive tabs).