AnkiTextLayer: Manage Anki decks as Markdown files (two-way sync)

Anki Add-ons
1

Hi all — I just published AnkiTextLayer (ATL), a small CLI that lets you write and maintain Anki decks in Markdown, then sync changes both ways (Markdown → Anki and Anki → Markdown).

Why it’s useful

  • Edit hundreds of cards quickly in your editor (search/replace, refactors, reordering)
  • Keep everything in Git (ATL auto-creates a commit before each sync so you can roll back)
  • Markdown is AI-friendly for drafting/rephrasing while you keep final control

How it works (high level)

  • Each Markdown file represents an Anki deck
  • On first sync, ATL adds HTML comment IDs to track decks/cards
  • After that, it detects what’s new/changed/moved/deleted and syncs accordingly
  • It only manages its own provided note types, so your existing collection isn’t touched

Included note types + format

  • Note types: LayerQA and LayerCloze
  • Fields are written as simple prefixed lines: Q:, A:, T: (cloze text), optional E: and M:
  • Cards are separated by a blank line, ---, blank line

Requirements

Install + quick start

pipx install ankitextlayer
cd into-any-empty-folder-path
ankitextlayer init --tutorial 
ankitextlayer ma   # markdown-to-anki (conversly am)
# If it worked there should be a new deck in your Anki

Repo for more information: https://github.com/visserle/AnkiTextLayer

Issues/feedback welcome — This is only tested on a Mac and I expect some rough edges.

Cheers