Cirello now has an MCP server. If you use an AI assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, you can connect it to your Cirello library and ask it to do the tedious parts of keeping a flashcard collection tidy - while reviewing stays where it belongs, in Cirello.
What MCP is, in one paragraph
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard that lets an AI assistant use tools provided by another product. Instead of copying text between a chat window and an app, the assistant can call the app directly, within limits you set. Cirello's server is a remote one: nothing to install, nothing to host, no API key. You give your assistant one URL, sign in, and approve what it may do.
Why we built it
Two parts of spaced repetition are more work than they should be, and neither is the review itself.
The first is getting material in. You can already paste a list of front::back pairs, or point a card at a book or website. But sometimes the material is messy: a page of lecture notes, a vocabulary list with inconsistent formatting, a chapter you want turned into small questions. An assistant is good at that kind of reshaping, and writing small, clear cards is exactly the craft it can help with.
The second is upkeep. Libraries grow. Duplicates creep in, cards that try to do too much pile up, and decks end up in the wrong folder. These are the jobs people put off, and a long to-do list in your library is a quiet reason to stop opening the app.
An assistant can handle both while you stay in charge of the decisions. It does not replace your judgment about what is worth remembering; it removes some of the typing.
What it enables
With a connection in place, you can ask for things in plain language. A few examples that map to real tools:
- "Turn these 20 vocabulary pairs into a deck called Spanish A2." The assistant creates the deck and the cards, up to 50 cards per request.
- "What is due today, and how is my streak?" It reads your review queue and statistics.
- "Find duplicate cards in my library and show me the groups." It lists groups of cards with the same front, back or both. You choose whether to merge them or tell Cirello they are not duplicates.
- "Split this overloaded card into three." A plain-text card becomes several smaller cards that keep its review progress.
- "Move my anatomy cards into a new deck." It moves cards, and creates folders and decks as needed.
In total there are 16 tools, covering reading your library and progress, creating and editing cards and decks, cleaning up duplicates, and deleting cards. Built-in decks are read-only through MCP.
What it does not do
It is worth being plain about the boundaries.
- It does not review for you. There is no review or grading tool. An assistant can see what is due and snooze a card, but the reviewing happens in Cirello, scheduled by FSRS-6. That matters: the scheduler learns from your honest answers, and the point of retrieval is that you do it.
- It does not see everything. Your password, email address, account settings, sign-in sessions and images are never sent to the assistant.
- It does not act without permission. Nothing is shared until you start a connection, sign in and approve it.
Setup in two minutes
The server URL is:
https://api.cirello.app/mcp
Claude: open Customize > Connectors, click + Add, choose Add custom connector, enter a name and the URL, and continue. Sign in to Cirello when the browser opens.
Claude Code: run this in your terminal, then type /mcp inside Claude Code and follow the browser steps to sign in.
claude mcp add --transport http cirello https://api.cirello.app/mcp
ChatGPT, Cursor and other clients: add a custom or remote MCP server, paste the URL, choose HTTP or Streamable HTTP if asked, and sign in when the browser opens. Menu names differ between products and change often, so the Cirello MCP page has the current steps we could verify, and your client's own documentation is the authority for the rest.
Permissions
When you approve a connection, you choose what the assistant may do. You can allow viewing folders, decks and cards; viewing due cards, statistics and streak; creating and editing cards; creating and editing decks and folders; merging and splitting cards; and deleting cards. Deleting is off unless you switch it on. Tools you did not permit are not exposed to the assistant at all.
A sensible first connection is read-only. Ask a few questions about your library, see what it can see, and add write permissions when you trust the workflow. If you do allow edits, skim what the assistant creates: changes are saved to your account exactly as if you made them yourself.
Once data reaches an assistant, the company that runs it handles it under its own terms, so check that provider's settings before connecting. Section 6 of the privacy policy covers what is sent, what is never sent and how long access tokens last.
You can disconnect at any time in the Cirello web app under Account - Security - Connected apps. Access ends immediately.
A word on restraint
Making cards faster is only useful if you do not end up with more cards than you can review. Every card you add comes back many times over the following weeks, so how many flashcards to review per day is worth keeping in mind before you ask an assistant for a hundred of them. Ask for fewer, better cards, and prune the rest.
Where to go next
The full setup guide, example prompts and FAQ are on the Cirello MCP page. If you want to know what else is live today, what Cirello can and can't do is the plain list, and the beta is free (beta pricing).