2 · Getting started

Install

alix is a single Rust binary, built from source — you need a Rust toolchain (install rustup if you don’t have one):

git clone <repo-url> alix
cd alix
make install        # or: cargo install --path .

That puts alix on your PATH. Check it:

alix --help

The flashcard core — reviewing, scheduling, every answer mode, browse, the terminal UI and the web app — runs with nothing else installed, no accounts, no network. The AI features (deck generation, the exam, traces, explore, and the ask-Claude tutor) shell out to the Claude Code CLI, so for those you need it installed and logged in — run claude once to authenticate (it needs a Claude subscription or API access). You can use the entire core without ever touching the AI layer.

Your first deck

A deck is a plain .txt file. A card is a # line — the question — with its answer on the indented lines beneath it:

# What does SRS stand for?
    Spaced repetition system.
    ! It schedules each card just before you'd forget it.

# Which scheduler does alix use by default?
    Leitner — a six-stage box with growing cooldowns.

Save it as srs.txt. Indentation is optional (lines are trimmed) — it’s just for readability. A line starting with ! is a note, shown after you answer.

Review it

alix srs.txt

alix shows the question; you recall the answer, press a key to reveal it, then grade yourself — again (you missed it), good, or easy. Your grade moves the card along its schedule, so cards you know come back rarely and cards you miss come back soon. That self-graded reveal is flip mode, the default; later chapters cover the modes that make you type the answer, pick from choices, or reveal it line by line.

When nothing is due, alix says so and exits — come back when cards mature, or pass --cram to review everything regardless of cooldowns.

The deck picker

Run alix with no arguments to open the picker over your decks directory (~/decks by default; change it with decks_dir in the config). It groups your decks into Workspaces, Recent, and Folders and is driven by Vim-style keys (j/k to move, Enter to open, / to filter by name). This is what the desktop launcher opens.

The everyday commands

alix browse srs.txt    # read through the cards — no grading, no scheduling
alix stats srs.txt     # a progress overview
alix list srs.txt      # every card with its stage and due time
alix check srs.txt     # lint the deck (syntax errors, duplicate cards)
alix reset srs.txt     # clear stored progress (also --card / --all)

Give several decks at once and their due cards merge into one session. From here the book goes deep: the next chapter is the deck format in full, then the answer modes and scheduling.