Decks is a spaced repetition flashcard plugin for Obsidian that helps you learn and memorize information using the FSRS algorithm.
If you like this plugin, consider buying me a coffee and I will add more features.
- Install the plugin: Download and enable Decks in your Obsidian plugins
- Open the panel: Click the brain icon in the ribbon or use the command palette
- Create your first deck: Follow the guide below to create flashcards
- Start learning: Click on any deck to begin reviewing flashcards
Create a markdown file and tag it with #flashcards:
---
tags: [flashcards/spanish-basics]
---
# What does "Hola" mean in English?
Hello
# How do you say "Thank you" in Spanish?
Gracias
# What is the Spanish word for "water"?
Agua- Each header becomes the front of a flashcard
- All content until the next header becomes the back
- The filename becomes your deck name
- Cards are automatically extracted and synced
Create flashcards using a two-column table:
---
tags: [flashcards/vocabulary]
---
## Concepts
| Question | Answer |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| What is photosynthesis? | The process by which plants convert sunlight into energy |
| Define gravity | The force that attracts objects toward each other |
| What is DNA? | Deoxyribonucleic acid - carries genetic information |- First column = front of flashcard
- Second column = back of flashcard
- Header row is ignored
- Tables need to be inside a header with header level specified in the settings to be parsed.
- There should not be any other paragraphs in the header together with the table, because then it will be parsed as a Header+Paragraph Block
- Use descriptive tags:
#flashcards/spanish-verbsinstead of#flashcards/deck1 - Keep cards atomic: One concept per card
- Use images and formatting: Markdown formatting is fully supported
- Organize by topic: Group related concepts in the same deck
- New: Cards you have never seen before
- Learning: Cards in short-term review cycle with short intervals
- Due: Cards scheduled for long-term spaced repetition review
- Mature: Cards with an interval of 21 days or more
Decks uses the Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler (FSRS), a modern algorithm that adapts to your performance, optimizes retention, and predicts when you are about to forget. Two built-in profiles are available:
- Standard: Balanced scheduling for everyday learning
- Intensive: Shorter intervals for aggressive memorization
When reviewing flashcards you rate each card:
- Again: I don't remember this at all. Resets the card to learning state.
- Hard: I struggled but got it eventually. Shorter than normal spacing.
- Good: I remembered it correctly. Normal interval increase.
- Easy: Too easy, I know this well. Longer interval increase.
Create custom profiles with configurable daily limits for new and review cards, retention targets, and FSRS algorithm selection. Profiles are assigned to tags so all decks under a tag share the same settings. Each deck in a tag group enforces its own daily quota.
Browse all cards in a deck or tag group without affecting their scheduling state. Navigate forward and backward through the full card list.
Timed review sessions with a configurable duration (default 25 minutes). A progress bar tracks how many cards you have reviewed toward the session goal, which respects your daily limits.
During review:
- Space: Show answer or move to next card
- 1: Again
- 2: Hard
- 3: Good
- 4: Easy
Track your learning with detailed analytics:
- Study time (today, this week, this month, all time)
- Card state breakdown (new, learning, review, mature)
- Review heatmap calendar
- Charts: reviews over time, stability distribution, future due forecast, maturity progression, hourly breakdown, answer button stats
- Per-deck and overall statistics
Export flashcards to Anki-compatible format with configurable deck names and note types.
Works with Dropbox, iCloud, or any file sync service. When the database is modified on multiple devices, Decks merges the changes automatically — review history is preserved from both sides and cards use the most recently modified version.
Fully responsive design for Obsidian mobile with touch-friendly buttons and safe-area handling.
Access settings from Obsidian Settings > Decks.
Open the Profiles Manager from the deck list panel to create and edit profiles. Each profile controls:
- New cards per day: Limit how many new cards are introduced daily (per deck)
- Review cards per day: Limit how many review cards are shown daily (per deck)
- Retention target: How well you want to remember cards (default 90%)
- FSRS profile: Standard or Intensive algorithm weights
- Header level: Which header level to use for parsing flashcards
- Review order: Oldest due first or random
Assign a profile to a tag from the gear icon on any deck or tag group in the deck list.
- Session duration: How long each review session lasts (1-60 minutes)
- Next day starts at: When the study day rolls over (default 4:00 AM)
- Keyboard shortcuts: Enable or disable keyboard shortcuts during review
- Search path: Scan the entire vault or restrict to a specific folder
- Background refresh: Automatically refresh the deck list on an interval
- Automatic backups: Keep up to N database backups
- Debug logging: Enable detailed logging for troubleshooting
Release notes for each version are in the release-notes/ folder.