Anki add-on: Easy Search

Easy Search: Offline AI Semantic & Hybrid Search Have you ever forgotten the exact word on an Anki card but remembered the general concept? Traditional search only works if you type the exact letters. Easy Search solves this by understanding the meanings and concepts behind your cards making finding cards as intuitive as searching the web. Leveraging recent AI advancements this model runs entirely offline on your local CPU, enabling easy setup and 100% privacy. How it works (The AI Under the Hood) Easy Search uses modern local machine learning models (similar to the technologies powering search engines like Google) to index your collection: Dense Semantic Search (Embeddings) : The add-on uses a highly optimized local neural network to convert your cards' text into Embeddings (mathematical patterns representing meaning). When you search, it compares the meaning of your query to the meaning of your cards. Sparse Keyword Search (BM25) : It simultaneously runs a fast keyword search to ensure that if you do remember the exact word, those cards are instantly prioritized. Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF) : A mathematical fusion algorithm that combines the semantic results and the keyword results together so you get the best of both worlds. Cross-Encoder Reranking : To deliver pinpoint accuracy, the top matching candidates are re-graded by a second, highly accurate model (a Reranker ) that fine-tunes the order, ensuring the most relevant cards bubble to the very top. On-Device Execution (ONNX Runtime) : All models are run locally on your computer's CPU using the ONNX engine. It does not require a fancy graphics card (GPU) and consumes minimal RAM. Features Semantic Prefix in Browser : Type semantic:your search query (e.g., semantic:screening guidelines for healthy patients in primary care ) directly in the main Anki browser search bar to filter cards conceptually. Interactive Search Dialog : Access the clean, dark-themed GUI via Tools → Easy Search... to search, preview card text, and bulk unsuspend/suspend results. Automatic Setup : Keeps the add-on download size tiny (~1.5 MB). The first time you click Sync Index , it automatically downloads the required local models from HuggingFace.