Remote Driver for Anki

Control Anki flashcard reviews with a wireless remote, touchpad, or presentation clicker.

Features

• ✅ Auto-reconnect: Plug/unplug your remote anytime without restarting Anki
• ✅ Gesture support: Use swipe gestures on touchpad remotes
• ✅ Button mapping: Configure discrete button presses
• ✅ Multiple input methods: HID, UDP network, or keyboard
• ✅ Silent operation: No logging by default, runs completely in the background
• ✅ Debug mode: Enable detailed logging only when troubleshooting

Supported Devices

• Touchpad presentation remotes (tested with VID 0x0e05, PID 0x0a00)
• USB/Bluetooth HID remotes
• Keyboard-style presentation clickers
• Phone apps that can send UDP packets

Installation

1. Install hidapi Python package:

   • Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons
   • Or manually install the hidapi package

2. Install this add-on from AnkiWeb or manually:

   • https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/306050281?cb=1770654300015

3. macOS users: Grant Input Monitoring permission:

   • System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring
   • Enable Anki
   • Restart Anki

Quick Start

First-Time Setup

1. Find your remote's device IDs:

   • Tools → Add-ons → Remote Driver → Config
   • Set "hid_scan_mode": true
   • Set "debug": true
   • Restart Anki
   • Press buttons on your remote
   • Check remote_driver.log in the addon folder for lines like:

     Trying device #X: vid=0x0e05 pid=0x0a00 path=...
     📡 DATA RECEIVED: [6, 7, 239, 3, 160, 6]
     

2. Configure your remote:

   • Copy the vendor_id and product_id (in decimal) to the config
   • Set "hid_scan_mode": false
   • Set "debug": false
   • Restart Anki

3. Test it:

   • Start a flashcard review
   • Press buttons or swipe on your remote
   • It should control the cards!

Default Controls

For Touchpad Remotes (Gesture Mode)

• Center button press: Flip card (show answer)
• Swipe LEFT: Again (button 1)
• Swipe UP: Hard (button 2)
• Swipe RIGHT: Good (button 3)
• Swipe DOWN: Easy (button 4)

Customization

All controls can be customized via: Tools → Add-ons → Remote Driver → Config

See config.md for detailed configuration options.

Troubleshooting

Remote not connecting

1. Enable debug mode in config: "debug": true
2. Restart Anki
3. Check remote_driver.log in the addon folder
4. Look for connection attempt logs

macOS: "open failed" error

Grant Input Monitoring permission:

• System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring → Enable Anki
• Restart your Mac (not just Anki)

Buttons not working

1. Enable "hid_scan_mode": true and "debug": true
2. Restart Anki
3. Press each button multiple times
4. Check remote_driver.log for the HID sequences
5. Copy the sequences to your config as seq_flip, seq_again, etc.

Gestures too sensitive/insensitive

Adjust gesture_threshold in the config:

• Increase (e.g., 500) if accidental triggers occur
• Decrease (e.g., 200) if swipes don't register

Configuration Examples

Example 1: Keyboard-style remote

{
    "use_hid": false,
    "use_keyboard": true,
    "key_actions": {
        "Key_Space": "flip",
        "Key_1": "again",
        "Key_2": "hard",
        "Key_3": "good",
        "Key_4": "easy"
    }
}

Example 2: Phone app via UDP

{
    "use_hid": false,
    "use_udp": true,
    "udp_host": "0.0.0.0",
    "udp_port": 50505
}

Configure your phone app to send hex strings like "06 07 ef 03 a0 06" to your computer's IP on port 50505.

Support

• Report issues on the GitHub repository
• Check the remote_driver.log file (when debug is enabled) for diagnostic info
• Include your Anki version, OS, and remote model when reporting issues

License

MIT License - Free to use and modify

Credits

Created for Anki users who want hands-free flashcard review.

Anki-Remote-Driver