5 ms·

Pro Tip , if you're using LLMs to learn, create an MCP tool for them to insert Anki cards on topics you're discussing in a csv on google drive, then sync that w

Pro Tip , if you're using LLMs to learn, create an MCP tool for them to insert Anki cards on topics you're discussing in a csv on google drive, then sync that with you anki decks on your phone. This was a game changer for me and working with LLMS, while I still think they make you dumb, and we essentially use them to offload critical thinking (almost only find myself using them when tired lazy, and just cant), if you must use them use them as a study tool.

maxwellg 1y ago
ChatGPT 4o's voice mode has been mindblowing for me for learning basic Mandarin. I'm sure I will hit the limits of the model sooner or later, but it has been so much fun bouncing around my apartment and asking what various objects are called / if words are related to other words. It is phenomenal for putting together short little sentences and getting immediate validation on grammar too. No MCP on ChatGPT yet, but I can ask chat to generate an output of what we reviewed in a structured format.
MostlyStable 1y ago
I created a python script that checks my anki deck for the cards that I'm scheduled to review the next day and asks an LLM to generate new sentences for the cards, so that every time I see them, I see them in a new context. I did this because I realized I was hitting an issue where I theoretically "knew" a word (would get it always correct on the card), but wouldn't always recognize it in a novel context. I'm hoping that having the context be variable when I'm learning it will help fix this issue.
- AlchemistCamp 1y ago
  > ”I realized I was hitting an issue where I theoretically "knew" a word (would get it always correct on the card), but wouldn't always recognize it in a novel context.” Some of the problem is due to the specificity of the training effect. I.e., if you mostly practice something through flash cards then you’re going to be training your ability to work with that on flash cards. With language, there’s an additional challenge—many if not most words have different meanings in different contexts.
  - MostlyStable 1y ago
    Yeah, I'm trying to spend a lot more of my language learning time just reading/listening to content in my target language, but it's actually pretty difficult to find enough content that is in the right difficulty band where it has some words/grammar etc. that I am still learning but not so much that I just can't understand it at all.
    - mrbombastic 1y ago
      Check out if there are comprehensible input sites for your target language if you haven’t already, for example fo spanish there is: https://www.dreamingspanish.com/ https://www.dreamingspanish.com/ which puts out videos labeled with various difficulties of speaking and listening
      - TechDebtDevin 1y ago
        How well does this work?
        mrbombastic 1y ago
        Pretty well in my experience if you are trying to build listening comprehension and pronunciation. But it is just one tool in tool belt would recommend just as augmenting other language learning tools.
        AlchemistCamp 1y ago
        Very well, but it's very slow compared to what you can do if you mix it up with some higher effort activities.
    - sasjaws 1y ago
      I'm building a reader app that tries to solve this exact problem by providing a range of gradually simplified versions of each article to match your proficiency. So you can stay in the sweet spot, or work your way up version by version. If your target language happens to be Chinese then you can give it a try at https://reader.longyan.io/landing https://reader.longyan.io/landing No login required, love your feedback.
- Llamamoe 1y ago
  That sounds like a really useful project!! Have you considered publishing it?
  - MostlyStable 1y ago
    I don't think what I wrote would be very generally useful, other than the basic idea of it. I wrote it with some pretty narrow assumptions about card layout etc that work for my exact deck, and it's not designed to be flexible. It wouldn't be hard to adjust it I don't think, but also it's such a simple script, that once you have gotten to the point of changing it, you aren't much beyond writing it from scratch either.
- bspammer 1y ago
  That’s a really clever use for LLMs, I have the exact same problem with my Anki deck. Do you store all the historical sentences for each card or is it just a destructive overwrite each time?
- fauxswede 1y ago
  [dead]
- bryanhogan 1y ago
  This sounds useful. Maybe someone could create an Anki plugin that does this. Or is there something similar already available?
udit99 1y ago
> f you're using LLMs to learn, create an MCP tool for them to insert Anki cards on topics you're discussing in a csv on google drive, then sync that with you anki decks on your phone. Speaking for myself, I’d love to see a blogpost detailing how this is done. At the very least, I’d love to know: How are you syncing csvs to anki cards and how does the MCP interaction look like for an LLMs response to the CSV creation
- collyw 1y ago
  Ask chatgpt how to do it
- TechDebtDevin 1y ago
  If I get time this week, I'll drop a README here that shows how to do it. Not too hard tho, read up how to build mcp with https://github.com/mark3labs/mcp-go https://github.com/mark3labs/mcp-go AnkiDroid has settings for linking a csv from google drive. Then just look up how to sync a local file/directory with Drive. Its just a matter of making sure the LLM knows the MCP Anki tool is available in every prompt (well I have a learning/Q&A prompt that uses this), then In the system prompt I tell it to make Anki cards whenever it seem like I'm having trouble with a concept, like asking a question twice, and to make sure the card doesn't exist already.
  - udit99 1y ago
    Thank you!

maxwellg 1y ago

ChatGPT 4o's voice mode has been mindblowing for me for learning basic Mandarin. I'm sure I will hit the limits of the model sooner or later, but it has been so much fun bouncing around my apartment and asking what various objects are called / if words are related to other words. It is phenomenal for putting together short little sentences and getting immediate validation on grammar too. No MCP on ChatGPT yet, but I can ask chat to generate an output of what we reviewed in a structured format.

MostlyStable 1y ago

I created a python script that checks my anki deck for the cards that I'm scheduled to review the next day and asks an LLM to generate new sentences for the cards, so that every time I see them, I see them in a new context. I did this because I realized I was hitting an issue where I theoretically "knew" a word (would get it always correct on the card), but wouldn't always recognize it in a novel context. I'm hoping that having the context be variable when I'm learning it will help fix this issue.

AlchemistCamp 1y ago
> ”I realized I was hitting an issue where I theoretically "knew" a word (would get it always correct on the card), but wouldn't always recognize it in a novel context.” Some of the problem is due to the specificity of the training effect. I.e., if you mostly practice something through flash cards then you’re going to be training your ability to work with that on flash cards. With language, there’s an additional challenge—many if not most words have different meanings in different contexts.
- MostlyStable 1y ago
  Yeah, I'm trying to spend a lot more of my language learning time just reading/listening to content in my target language, but it's actually pretty difficult to find enough content that is in the right difficulty band where it has some words/grammar etc. that I am still learning but not so much that I just can't understand it at all.
  - mrbombastic 1y ago
    Check out if there are comprehensible input sites for your target language if you haven’t already, for example fo spanish there is: https://www.dreamingspanish.com/ https://www.dreamingspanish.com/ which puts out videos labeled with various difficulties of speaking and listening
    - TechDebtDevin 1y ago
      How well does this work?
      - mrbombastic 1y ago
        Pretty well in my experience if you are trying to build listening comprehension and pronunciation. But it is just one tool in tool belt would recommend just as augmenting other language learning tools.
      - AlchemistCamp 1y ago
        Very well, but it's very slow compared to what you can do if you mix it up with some higher effort activities.
  - sasjaws 1y ago
    I'm building a reader app that tries to solve this exact problem by providing a range of gradually simplified versions of each article to match your proficiency. So you can stay in the sweet spot, or work your way up version by version. If your target language happens to be Chinese then you can give it a try at https://reader.longyan.io/landing https://reader.longyan.io/landing No login required, love your feedback.
Llamamoe 1y ago
That sounds like a really useful project!! Have you considered publishing it?
- MostlyStable 1y ago
  I don't think what I wrote would be very generally useful, other than the basic idea of it. I wrote it with some pretty narrow assumptions about card layout etc that work for my exact deck, and it's not designed to be flexible. It wouldn't be hard to adjust it I don't think, but also it's such a simple script, that once you have gotten to the point of changing it, you aren't much beyond writing it from scratch either.
bspammer 1y ago
That’s a really clever use for LLMs, I have the exact same problem with my Anki deck. Do you store all the historical sentences for each card or is it just a destructive overwrite each time?
fauxswede 1y ago
[dead]
bryanhogan 1y ago
This sounds useful. Maybe someone could create an Anki plugin that does this. Or is there something similar already available?

udit99 1y ago

> f you're using LLMs to learn, create an MCP tool for them to insert Anki cards on topics you're discussing in a csv on google drive, then sync that with you anki decks on your phone. Speaking for myself, I’d love to see a blogpost detailing how this is done. At the very least, I’d love to know: How are you syncing csvs to anki cards and how does the MCP interaction look like for an LLMs response to the CSV creation

collyw 1y ago
Ask chatgpt how to do it
TechDebtDevin 1y ago
If I get time this week, I'll drop a README here that shows how to do it. Not too hard tho, read up how to build mcp with https://github.com/mark3labs/mcp-go https://github.com/mark3labs/mcp-go AnkiDroid has settings for linking a csv from google drive. Then just look up how to sync a local file/directory with Drive. Its just a matter of making sure the LLM knows the MCP Anki tool is available in every prompt (well I have a learning/Q&A prompt that uses this), then In the system prompt I tell it to make Anki cards whenever it seem like I'm having trouble with a concept, like asking a question twice, and to make sure the card doesn't exist already.
- udit99 1y ago
  Thank you!