Aura — Minimalistic Pomodoro Timer for Anki

Aura is a lightweight Pomodoro timer and focus HUD for Anki designed to help you maintain a steady study rhythm without distracting you from your cards.

It combines a minimal study timer, optional Focus Rhythm feedback, automatic study and break cycles, and a simple session summary in a small floating HUD.

<p align="center"> <img src="https://i.postimg.cc/1zwkC2Qs/Ready-ezgif-com-video-to-gif-converter.gif" width="100%"> </p>

<p align="center"> <b>A minimal focus HUD during an Anki review session</b> </p>

Overview

Aura stays in the background while you review your cards and provides the information you need without turning the review screen into a large dashboard.

During a session, Aura can display:

• Study timer
• Focus Rhythm
• Remaining cards
• Current study cycle
• Pause/resume controls
• Break status

When a study cycle ends, Aura can automatically start a short or long break and return to studying when the break is finished.

Focus Rhythm

Aura includes an optional Focus Rhythm system that provides lightweight feedback about your review rhythm.

It can take into account:

• Again / Hard / Good / Easy answers
• Response time
• Answer consistency
• Custom answer weights
• Calibration
• Configurable sensitivity
• Warning thresholds

Focus Rhythm is optional and can be adjusted or disabled.

Pomodoro Sessions

Aura can manage complete study and break cycles directly inside Anki.

A typical session can work like this:

1. Study for the configured duration.
2. Take a short break.
3. Start the next study cycle.
4. After the configured number of cycles, take a long break.
5. Continue studying when the break ends.

Study and break durations can be customized in the settings.

Display Modes

Aura supports different ways to use the HUD depending on how much information you want visible.

Aura HUD

The full HUD can show:

• Timer
• Focus Rhythm
• Rhythm indicator
• Cards remaining
• Session controls

Pomodoro Only

Use Aura as a straightforward Pomodoro timer without Focus Rhythm tracking.

Custom

Choose which HUD elements you want to display.

This allows Aura to remain minimal whether you want only a timer or additional study feedback.

Study HUD

<p align="center"> <img src="https://i.postimg.cc/Bn1vLGTG/Tool-Bar.png" width="100%"> </p>

<p align="center"> <b>A small floating HUD designed to stay out of the way during review</b> </p>

The HUD is draggable and provides quick access to the most important session information without covering the card content unnecessarily.

Automatic Breaks

Aura supports automatic short and long breaks as part of the Pomodoro cycle.

Breaks can be configured independently from the study duration, allowing you to create a study rhythm that fits your workflow.

You can also pause and resume an active session without losing its current state.

Session Summary

<p align="center"> <img src="https://i.postimg.cc/xTGXtQkW/7.png" width="100%"> </p>

<p align="center"> <b>A simple summary after completing a study session</b> </p>

When a session ends, Aura provides a compact summary of the activity and Focus Rhythm information collected during the session.

The goal is to give useful feedback without turning Aura into a full statistics dashboard.

Features

Pomodoro

• Custom study duration
• Custom short break duration
• Custom long break duration
• Automatic study/break cycles
• Short and long breaks
• Break notifications
• Pause and resume
• Preserved session state

Focus Rhythm

• Optional Focus Rhythm score
• Again / Hard / Good / Easy weights
• Response-time influence
• Calibration
• Adjustable sensitivity
• Warning thresholds

HUD

• Minimal floating HUD
• Live study timer
• Focus Rhythm indicator
• Remaining cards
• Draggable position
• Pause/resume controls
• Light and dark mode support

Display

• Aura HUD mode
• Pomodoro Only mode
• Custom display mode
• Configurable HUD elements

Session Feedback

• End-of-session summary
• Study cycle information
• Focus Rhythm information
• Lightweight session feedback

How to Use

1. Install Aura from AnkiWeb.
2. Start reviewing cards normally.
3. Aura starts the study session and displays the HUD.
4. Use the timer and optional Focus Rhythm feedback during review.
5. Pause the session whenever needed.
6. Complete your configured study cycles.
7. Take the scheduled short or long breaks.
8. Continue reviewing when the break finishes.
9. Review the session summary when you finish.

Installation

AnkiWeb

Install Aura directly from AnkiWeb:

https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/928234906

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest .ankiaddon file.
2. Open Anki.
3. Go to Tools → Add-ons.
4. Select Install from File.
5. Select the downloaded Aura file.
6. Restart Anki if required.

Requirements

Aura is an Anki Desktop add-on.

Compatibility can depend on changes in Anki and Qt. If you encounter a problem after an Anki update, please report it through GitHub.

Support

Bug reports, feature requests, and suggestions are welcome.

GitHub Issues:

https://github.com/Doummar/Aura/issues

When reporting a problem, please include:

• Anki version
• Operating system
• Aura version
• Steps to reproduce the problem
• Relevant error messages or screenshots

Design Philosophy

Aura is built around a simple idea:

Keep the timer and useful feedback visible without turning the review screen into another dashboard.

It is designed for users who want a lightweight Pomodoro timer inside Anki, with optional study-rhythm feedback and automatic breaks.

Aura works alongside Anki's existing review system rather than replacing it.

Related Add-ons

You may also be interested in these Anki productivity add-ons:

• FocusFlow — study activity, focus sessions, progress tracking, and statistics
• Focus Mode Suite — hide Anki interface elements for a more focused review workspace
• Minimalistic Typing Panel — a lightweight scratchpad for typing during reviews
• Minimalistic Drawing Panel — draw and write directly on Anki cards

License

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Adel Aitah