Add to your application

Create a Rust application that writes spanish.apkg. These instructions use the current source checkout; they do not assume a package has been published. For other languages, use the Node quickstart or Python quickstart.

Requirements

Use Git and Rust 1.92 or later. Anki is only needed to import and study the result; the library can generate packages without an Anki installation.

Create your application

Run these commands in the directory where you keep your projects. The checkout and your application will be siblings. Skip cloning if you already have a checkout, and adjust the dependency path to its location.

git clone https://github.com/morehardy/anki-forge.git
cargo new my-decks
cd my-decks
cargo add anki_forge --path ../anki-forge/anki_forge
cargo add anyhow

Replace src/main.rs with this complete program:

use anki_forge::prelude::*;

fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
    let mut deck = Deck::new("Spanish");
    deck.basic()
        .note("hola", "hello")
        .stable_id("es:hola")
        .add()?;
    deck.write_apkg("spanish.apkg")?.ensure_success()?;
    Ok(())
}

Run it from my-decks:

cargo run

The first run compiles dependencies. It writes my-decks/spanish.apkg, containing one note and one card. Open the file with Anki and import it into your collection. The Spanish deck asks hola and reveals hello.

The crate includes its default resources. You do not need contract_tools, external contract files, or the internal-tools Cargo feature.

Keep your project reproducible

Commit your application source and Cargo.lock. A path dependency uses the local checkout, so record the Anki Forge commit you tested when sharing your application. Follow the release status before replacing it with a registry dependency.

If compilation fails, check the dependency path and rustc --version; see installation troubleshooting.

Continue with core concepts, Basic and Cloze cards, or custom note types. Before distributing an updated deck, read updates and baselines.