Use case · Anki

Keep Anki. Add reading.

You already have the review habit and the collection to prove it. Lector gives you the reading that fills it, then syncs both ways: cards go out, and your Anki grades come back as mastery. Your collection stays yours.
Start on Lector CloudGet Lector Sync on AnkiWeb

Add-on code 1098736891 · two-way sync is in beta

The problem

Most reading apps keep your cards.

A reading app that holds your vocabulary asks you to run two review systems, or to abandon the one that works. The usual answer is an export, which is a copy and not a connection.

LingQ

Exports a CSV or an Anki file, sent to you by email.

Full comparison

Clozemaster

No documented Anki export.

Full comparison

Lute

One-way through AnkiConnect. Nothing comes back.

Full comparison

LinguaCafe

One-way through AnkiConnect. Nothing comes back.

Full comparison

Every claim here is checkable, and each card links to the full comparison. Tell us when one goes out of date.

The loop

Read in Lector. Review in Anki. Both stay true.

The Lector Sync add-on runs inside Anki Desktop and talks to your Lector server with a personal token. That is what makes the second direction possible.

1. Mine while you read

Tap a word in the reader and save it. Lector keeps the sentence it came from, so the card carries its context instead of a bare word pair.

2. Push to your collection

Words and cloze phrases arrive as Lector and Lector Cloze notes, in a deck named Lector and one subdeck per language. Each note carries a stable id, so a second push updates the note instead of making a duplicate.

3. Review in Anki, as always

Your scheduler, your deck options, your add-ons, your habit. Lector does not ask you to review anywhere else, and it does not need you to open it.

4. Grades come back

When you grade a card in Anki, the next sync sends that grade to Lector, and the mastery of that word updates. Your reading statistics stay true to the work you did in Anki.

Two connections

Pick the one that matches your setup.

The add-on is the route we recommend, because it is two-way and it works across machines. AnkiConnect stays supported for a setup that already uses it.

Lector Sync add-on (beta)

  • Two-way. Reviews in Anki update mastery in Lector.
  • Works across machines, because the add-on calls the server itself.
  • Needs Anki 2.1.50 or later, and a personal token with the anki scopes.
  • Syncs when your profile opens, and on demand from the Tools menu.
  • Beta. Report anything odd, and the sync tooltip text helps most.

AnkiConnect

  • One-way. Lector pushes cards, and nothing returns.
  • Needs Anki Desktop on the same machine as your browser.
  • Needs your Lector origin in the AnkiConnect CORS list.
  • No token, and no add-on from us.
  • Stable, and older than the add-on.
Five minutes

Set up the two-way sync.

The add-on is on AnkiWeb as Lector Sync, code 1098736891. The documentation covers every field.

Prefer to install by hand? Every release ships a .ankiaddon file.

  1. 1In Anki, open Tools, then Add-ons, then Get Add-ons. Enter the code and restart Anki.
  2. 2In Lector, open Settings, then API Tokens. Mint a token with the anki scopes.
  3. 3In Anki, open the Lector Sync config. Set api_url to your server and paste the token.
  4. 4Run Tools, then Lector: Sync now. Check that a Lector deck appears.
  5. 5Grade one card in Anki. Sync again, and watch that word change mastery in Lector.
Straight answers

What an Anki user asks first.

Mostly: will this make a mess of a collection I spent years on. The short answer is no, and here is exactly why.
Will this touch my existing decks or note types?

No. A note joins the sync only when two things are true. Its note type must be Lector or Lector Cloze. It must also carry a Lector id or the lector tag. A note type of your own that happens to be named Lector is left alone. Your other decks, note types, and cards are never read and never written.

Can I sync cards I made myself?

Yes, and this is deliberate. Add the lector tag to a hand-made note of the Lector or Lector Cloze type, and the add-on takes it into the sync. That is the documented way to opt a card in.

Will I get duplicates?

No. Every note the add-on creates carries a stable Lector id, and a push looks for that id before it writes. The same word pushed twice updates one note. If you do see a duplicate, that is a bug worth reporting on GitHub or Discord.

Does Anki have to run on the same machine as Lector?

It depends on the connection. The add-on talks to your server directly, so Anki can run anywhere with a route to it. AnkiConnect runs through your browser, so Anki Desktop must be on the machine you browse from.

What comes back from Anki?

The grades. When the add-on syncs, it sends the reviews you did on Lector notes, and Lector updates the mastery of each word. Nothing else in your collection is uploaded.

Do I need Lector Cloud for this?

No. Point api_url at any Lector server, including your own. A self-hoster can use the add-on or AnkiConnect, and picks the connection under Settings, then Anki Integration. See the Anki documentation.

Does the sync work with no internet connection?

Yes, when both halves are yours. The add-on calls your own server, so a self-hosted Lector and Anki on the same network sync with no route to the internet. Read offline and remote use for the rest of what runs with the network off.

It is beta. What does that mean here?

It means the sync works and the edges are still moving. Duplicate notes, deck placement, and sync errors are the reports we want. Send them with the sync tooltip text to GitHub or Discord. Every release also ships a .ankiaddon file if you prefer to install by hand.

What does it cost?

The add-on is free, and so is self-hosting Lector. Lector Cloud starts at $5 a month, for anybody who prefers not to run a server.

Your cards. Your scheduler.

Nothing about your Anki habit has to change. Lector just gives it something real to feed on.

Start on Lector CloudAsk on Discord

Self-hosting is free forever, and the add-on works against your own server.