# Create cards with Prior AI or Claude

> Turn a PDF, some text or a note into flashcards with Prior AI, or let Claude write a whole course through MCP. What each does and when to use it.

Source: https://priortasks.com/docs/flashcards/write-cards-with-ai/
Last updated: 2026-11-05

Writing cards takes longer than reviewing them. Prior can write them for you from a course, in three ways.

> [!pro] Prior AI needs Pro, or your own key
> **Create from a course** and the chat assistant use Prior AI, which comes with Pro. Without Pro they work with your own OpenRouter key (**Settings → Prior AI**, see [Bring your own key](https://priortasks.com/docs/prior-ai/bring-your-own-key/)). Claude through MCP uses your own Claude subscription and works on every plan.

## Create from a course with Prior AI

1. On the Flashcards page, choose **+** then **Create from a course**. In a deck, the **From a course** button adds the cards to that deck.
2. Pick a source. **PDF**: drop a file or click to choose one. It must contain text: a scanned page has none. **Text**: paste at least 120 characters. **Note**: pick one of your notes, or a shared project note.
3. If you want other card types than **Basic** and **Cloze**, open **Card types**.
4. Choose **Create cards**. The cards appear as Prior AI writes them, part by part. **Stop and review** keeps what exists so far.
5. Review the list. Untick a card to drop it, or open its pencil to edit it. **Keep all** and **Drop all** switch every card. Pick the deck, or **New deck**, then choose **Add N cards**.

Nothing is added before you choose **Add**. A long course is cut into parts at its headings, and each part gives about one card for every 450 characters, between 5 and 40. Cards that repeat a card already in the deck, or one from another part, are dropped. A part that fails is skipped, and Prior tells you how many.

If you see "The Prior AI limit for today is reached.", the daily limit is used up: see [AI limits](https://priortasks.com/docs/prior-ai/ai-limits/).

## Ask the assistant

Open Prior AI (<kbd>Cmd</kbd>+<kbd>J</kbd> or <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>J</kbd>), paste a text or write "make cards about photosynthesis". It proposes one review card with the deck, the number of cards and a preview. The cards are saved only when you choose **Add**. An answer holds about 30 cards, so for a long course use **Create from a course**. See [Review cards](https://priortasks.com/docs/prior-ai/review-cards/).

## Let Claude write a whole course

With Prior connected to Claude, Claude Code or another assistant ([Use Prior from your AI assistant](https://priortasks.com/docs/integrations/mcp/)), the assistant can read a course and write the whole deck itself. It uses your own subscription, so it costs no Prior AI quota.

1. Connect your assistant to Prior.
2. Start the prompt **Turn a course into flashcards**. In Claude Code, type `/mcp__prior__make_flashcards`. It takes the **course** (pasted text, a file, a web address or only a topic), an optional **deck** name and an optional **focus**, such as the level or the language.
3. Without the prompt, ask the assistant to read Prior's flashcard guide first, then give it the course.

For example: "Turn this chapter into flashcards for a first-year student, in French. Put them in the pack Statistics, in a subdeck for chapter 2."

The guide has the assistant read the whole source and list what is worth learning first. It then creates one pack for the course with a subdeck per chapter, reusing decks that exist. It writes one idea per card, with cloze for lists, type-the-answer for exact words, image occlusion for labelled diagrams and figures where the knowledge is visual. It saves in batches, reads the deck back to add what is missing, and reports the cards per section and anything it left out.

Your open apps show the new cards right away. Cards that repeat a card of the deck are skipped. The assistant can also rename, move and delete decks and cards, and set a [study plan](https://priortasks.com/docs/flashcards/study-plans/).

> [!note] Claude writes straight into your decks
> Unlike **Create from a course**, there is no review step. Look at the result in the [card browser](https://priortasks.com/docs/flashcards/card-browser/), and ask the assistant to fix or remove what you do not want. Most assistants ask before each change: see [How it stays safe](https://priortasks.com/docs/integrations/mcp-security/).

## Which one to use

| Situation | Use |
| --- | --- |
| One PDF, text or note, and you want to approve each card | **Create from a course** |
| A few cards on a topic, in passing | The assistant chat |
| A whole course with chapters, figures and labelled diagrams | Claude through MCP |

## Good to know

- Cards written by AI are normal cards. You can edit, move and delete them like any other.
- Good source text gives good cards. Headings and short paragraphs help. For what makes a card work, read [Write better flashcards](https://priortasks.com/guides/write-better-flashcards/).