# Markdown to Anki Flashcards Turn Markdown notes into an Anki-importable flashcard deck. Headings, Q/A lines, tables or cloze — with deck, tags, note type and TSV/CSV controls. ## Run it - **CLI:** `gizza tool markdown-flashcards "## What is mitosis? Cell division that makes two identical cells. ## What is meiosis? Cell division that makes gametes."` - **Web:** https://gizza.ai/tools/markdown-flashcards/ - **Agents:** machine-readable descriptor (parameters JSON Schema) at https://gizza.ai/tools/markdown-flashcards/tool.json ## Inputs - `markdown` — Markdown notes _(field)_ - `mode` — Card format _(field)_ - `separator` — Line delimiter (one-card-per-line mode) _(field)_ - `heading_level` — Heading level for the question (0 = auto) _(field)_ - `field_separator` — Field separator _(field)_ - `field_format` — Field formatting _(field)_ - `notetype` — Note type _(field)_ - `deck` — Deck name (optional) _(field)_ - `tags` — Tags for every card (optional) _(field)_ - `tags_from_headings` — Tag each card with its heading path _(field)_ - `include_headers` — Include Anki #header lines _(field)_ - `dedupe` — Drop duplicate questions _(field)_ - `output` — Output _(field)_ ## Output - Anki import file (text) ## Query parameters Open the tool pre-filled and auto-run via URL: - `markdown` — Markdown notes - `mode` — Card format - `separator` — Line delimiter (one-card-per-line mode) - `heading_level` — Heading level for the question (0 = auto) - `field_separator` — Field separator - `field_format` — Field formatting - `notetype` — Note type - `deck` — Deck name (optional) - `tags` — Tags for every card (optional) - `tags_from_headings` — Tag each card with its heading path - `include_headers` — Include Anki #header lines - `dedupe` — Drop duplicate questions - `output` — Output Example: `https://gizza.ai/tools/markdown-flashcards/?markdown=%23%23%20What%20is%20mitosis%3F%0ACell%20division%20that%20makes%20two%20identical%20cells.%0A%0A%23%23%20What%20is%20meiosis%3F%0ACell%20division%20that%20makes%20gametes.&mode=auto&separator=auto&heading_level=0&field_separator=tab&field_format=html¬etype=Basic&deck=Biology%3A%3ACells&tags=exam%20week1&tags_from_headings=true&include_headers=true&dedupe=true&output=anki` --- ## What this tool does Paste **Markdown notes** and get back a **flashcard deck file you can import into Anki** — or into any app that reads tab/comma-separated cards (Quizlet, RemNote, Mochi, Memrise). It runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, it works offline once loaded, and there's no account. The parser understands the shapes real notes are already written in: | Card format | What it reads | | --- | --- | | **Headings** | `## Question` on one line, the text underneath is the answer. Nested headings become the answer's context. | | **Q: / A: blocks** | `Q: …` starts a card, `A: …` starts its answer (multi-line answers welcome). `Question:` / `Answer:`, `**Q:**` and bulleted variants work too. | | **One card per line** | `term :: definition`, `term - definition`, `term => definition`, `term; definition`, `term: definition` or a tab. Bullets and numbering are stripped. | | **Table rows** | `\| question \| answer \|` rows; the `\| --- \|` row and the header above it are dropped, and an optional **third column becomes tags**. | | **Cloze** | Every `**bold**` or `==highlighted==` span becomes `{{c1::…}}`, `{{c2::…}}`, … on one cloze note. | **Auto-detect** picks the format for you (and tells you which one it chose in the *Readable preview* output), so most notes convert with a single paste. ## Worked example Input — Markdown notes: ``` ## What is mitosis? Cell division that makes **two identical** cells. ## What is meiosis? Cell division that makes gametes. ``` Output — the Anki import file (tab-separated, HTML fields): ``` #separator:Tab #html:true #notetype:Basic #columns:Front Back What is mitosis? Cell division that makes two identical cells. What is meiosis? Cell division that makes gametes. ``` Save that as a `.txt` file and use **File → Import** in Anki. The `#` lines are Anki's own header directives, so the separator, note type, deck and tags are set for you — you don't have to configure the import dialog by hand. A vocabulary list works the same way. `gato :: cat` on each line, deck name `Spanish::Week 1`, and every line becomes one card in that subdeck. ## Options | Option | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Card format** | Auto-detect (default), or force headings / one-card-per-line / `Q:`-`A:` / table / cloze. | | **Line delimiter** | One-card-per-line mode only. `auto` picks whichever of `::`, `=>`, tab, `\|`, `;`, ` - `, `:` splits the most lines; or pass a name (`tab`, `colon`, `dash`, `arrow`, …) or any literal text. | | **Heading level** | `0` (default) auto-picks the level with the most answers under it; `1`–`6` pins `#`…`######` as the question. | | **Field separator** | `Tab` (default — what Anki recommends), `Comma`, `Semicolon` or `Pipe`. Fields containing the separator, a quote or a newline are quoted RFC-4180 style. | | **Field formatting** | `HTML` (default) converts bold, italics, `code`, links, lists and fenced code blocks to HTML and line breaks to `
`; `Keep raw Markdown` leaves the source untouched; `Plain text` strips all markup. | | **Note type / Deck / Tags** | Written as `#notetype:`, `#deck:` and `#tags:` header lines. Use `::` in a deck name for a subdeck (`Biology::Cells`). | | **Tag from heading path** | Heading mode: each card is tagged with its parent headings as one hierarchical tag, e.g. `Biology::Cell_Parts`. | | **Include Anki #header lines** | On by default. Turn it off for a bare CSV/TSV for another app — deck-wide tags then move into each row's Tags column instead of being dropped. | | **Drop duplicate questions** | On by default; keeps the first card when a question repeats (case-insensitive). | | **Output** | The import file (default), a readable numbered preview (shows the detected format and card count), or JSON. | ## Limits & edge cases - **Up to 1,000,000 characters and 5,000 cards** per run — past either limit you get a clear error asking you to split the notes, not a truncated deck. - **Answers must have text.** A heading with nothing under it, a `Q:` with no `A:`, or a table row with an empty cell is skipped rather than exported blank. - **Cloze needs emphasis.** In cloze mode a line with no `**bold**` or `==highlighted==` span produces no card; if nothing in the notes has emphasis you get an error explaining that. - **HTML formatting is deliberately small** — bold, italic, `code`, links, images, bullet/numbered lists and fenced code blocks. Tables, blockquotes and nested lists inside an answer are kept as text, not rebuilt as HTML. - **Import HTML on.** With HTML field formatting, tick *Allow HTML in fields* in Anki's import dialog (the `#html:true` header sets this automatically in recent Anki versions). - **Images are referenced, not bundled.** `![alt](cell.png)` becomes ``; copy the file into Anki's `collection.media` folder yourself. This tool exports text, never a `.apkg` archive. ## FAQ
How do I import the result into Anki? Copy the output (or use the download link), save it as a `.txt` file, then in Anki choose **File → Import** and pick that file. The `#separator:`, `#notetype:`, `#deck:` and `#tags:` header lines configure the import dialog for you, so you normally just press Import.
Can it export a .apkg deck file? No — a `.apkg` is a zipped SQLite collection, which a browser-local tool can't build safely. The tab-separated text file this tool produces is Anki's own documented import format and covers the same job: it carries the deck name, note type, tags and HTML flag with it.
How do cloze deletions work? Choose **Cloze from bold text**. Each `**bold**` or `==highlighted==` span in a line becomes a numbered deletion, so `The **mitochondrion** is the **powerhouse** of the cell.` exports as `The {{c1::mitochondrion}} is the {{c2::powerhouse}} of the cell.` — one note with two cards. The note type is switched to `Cloze` automatically.
My notes use `-` or `=>` between term and definition. Does that work? Yes. In one-card-per-line mode the delimiter defaults to `auto`, which tries `::`, `=>`, tab, `|`, `;`, ` - ` and `:` and uses whichever splits the most lines. If your notes mix several, set **Line delimiter** explicitly — you can type a name (`dash`, `arrow`, `tab`, `colon`) or any literal string.
Why did it pick the wrong card format? Auto-detect prefers `Q:`/`A:` blocks, then tables, then whichever of headings or line-splitting yields more cards — so a vocabulary list under a `# Title` still converts line by line. When a document is ambiguous, set **Card format** explicitly and, for headings, pin the **Heading level**.
Can I put every card in a specific deck with tags? Yes. Fill in **Deck name** (use `::` for subdecks, e.g. `Biology::Cells`) and **Tags** (space- or comma-separated). Both are written as header lines, so they apply to every card in the file. In heading mode you can also tag each card with its own heading path.
Is it free, and do my notes leave my device? It's free and your notes stay local. The conversion runs in your browser through WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded, there's no account, and the page keeps working offline once it has loaded.
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