I am developing an Anki add-on and encountering a problem where none of my plugin’s code appears to run when Anki starts, even though the plugin is listed in the Anki Add-ons Manager. I have tried multiple debugging methods, including logging, print statements, and message popups, but nothing executes, and no errors appear in Anki’s debug console.
Problem Details
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Anki recognizes the add-on:
○ The add-on appears in Tools → Add-ons and is listed under its correct folder name.
○ The manifest.json is structured correctly.
○ The “package” name in manifest.json correctly matches the plugin folder name. -
However, no code from main.py executes:
○ I tried placing a simple print() statement in main.py, but it does not appear in Anki’s console or logs.
○ I attempted to use showInfo(“Hello World”) in main.py, but no pop-up appears.
○ I tested using multiple Anki hooks (profileLoaded, profile_did_open, profile_did_login), but still no execution. -
No error logs appear in Anki’s debug console:
○ I enabled Anki’s debug mode (-b), but no errors related to the add-on appear.
○ I checked addons.log and addon-errors.log, but they don’t exist, or they do not contain any errors about the plugin.
○ Even a minimal test plugin does not run any code at all.
Steps Taken to Diagnose the Issue
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Created a minimal test add-on (hello_world_guihook)
○ Used gui_hooks.profile_did_open.append(…) to trigger a pop-up message when Anki fully loads.
○ Expected behavior: A pop-up should appear when Anki finishes loading.
○ Result: Nothing happens—no pop-up, no logs, no execution. -
Checked Add-ons Folder Structure
○ Confirmed the plugin exists at:
C:\Users<User>\AppData\Roaming\Anki2\addons21\hello_world_guihook
○ Confirmed manifest.json correctly references “package”: “hello_world_guihook”. -
Tested Multiple Execution Methods
○ Tried placing showInfo(“Test”) directly inside main.py → no effect.
○ Tried print(“Test”) at the top of main.py → does not appear in debug logs.
○ Tried various Anki hooks (profileLoaded, profile_did_open, startup) → no execution. -
Disabled all other add-ons & restarted Anki
○ Only kept hello_world_guihook enabled.
○ Still no execution.
The Core Issue: Anki Is Ignoring main.py Completely
• The plugin is recognized by Anki (it appears in the Add-ons Manager),
• But none of its Python code executes when Anki starts.
• No logs, no pop-ups, no errors—it’s as if main.py is not being executed at all.
Possible Causes (Seeking Expert Advice)
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Could this be an Anki environment issue?
○ Is there a setting or configuration that blocks certain add-ons from running?
○ Could this be related to a permissions issue in Windows? -
Does Anki have a known issue where add-ons are listed but do not execute?
○ Is there a bug that prevents main.py from being recognized in some cases?
(3. Is there another way to force execution of a plugin’s main.py?
○ Could we try manually executing an Anki add-on script from within the debug console?)
If anyone can help me with any of the above problems or can direct me,
- Verifying whether Anki is blocking the execution of main.py.
- Forcing an add-on to run manually (to see if it’s an Anki issue or a plugin issue).
- Other debugging methods to trace why an add-on is not running, even though it is recognized.
• Have you seen a similar issue where an Anki add-on appears in the list but doesn’t execute at all?
• Any ideas on diagnosing whether Anki itself is preventing the plugin from running?
• Could this be a problem with installing Anki? It should be noted that I uninstalled and reinstalled. But the problem remains as it was.
The version I have installed is the most updated and stable:
anki-25.02-windows-qt6
I’m mainly looking to understand the root of the problem and less for a specific solution that can specifically cancel/pause the problem.
Thank you very much in advance.