EtchMind Docs

Stable 1.1.18

Stable includes safer migrations, backup and restore handling, more reliable review history, better Markdown links and extraction, predictable Study priorities, and consistent reading appearance controls across readers and reviews.

Beta 1.1.18

The beta channel currently matches Stable 1.1.18 while the next opt-in beta is prepared. The separate Stream Deck plugin remains a public beta.

Internet is required for

• Purchasing, downloading, and initially activating a paid license.
• Checking for, downloading, and installing app updates.
• Fetching URL/article content and YouTube or Vimeo metadata and playback.
• Optional OpenRouter OCR and card-quality checks that you explicitly start.

After activation

• The app attempts a lightweight license validation no more than once every seven days when online.
• A network failure or staying offline does not lock an activated installation.
• If an Annual plan lapses, the activated app remains usable; delivery of new updates stops.
• An offline update check fails quietly and leaves the installed version working.

When Study shows a topic

A topic means EtchMind wants you to read, watch, or inspect a piece of source material.

• Next rep schedules it to come back after the shown interval.
• Skip hides it briefly and shows something else.
• Mark done removes it from future study.
• Next & Priority changes its next due date and importance.
• New card creates a recall card from the current idea.

When Study shows a card

A card means EtchMind wants active recall.

• Show answer reveals the back or hidden part.
• Again means you missed it.
• Hard means you remembered with effort.
• Good means you remembered normally.
• Easy means it was immediate.
• Bury hides the card until tomorrow without grading it.

A-Factor

A-Factor belongs to topics. It controls how quickly a topic's next interval grows when you press Next rep. A higher A-Factor means "bring this back later next time." A lower A-Factor means "bring this back sooner because it still needs attention."

FSRS

FSRS belongs to cards. It uses your Again, Hard, Good, and Easy grades to estimate when a card is likely to be forgotten, then schedules it before that point. You do not need to tune it to start: honest grades are the important part.

Priority

Priority decides what competes harder for your attention. High-priority material rises sooner when several things are available. Low-priority material still exists, but it is easier for more important work to appear first.

Due

Due means "ready to appear again." A topic can be due for another reading step. A card can be due for memory review. Changing a due date changes timing, not the content.

Plan Modes

• Percentage mix: EtchMind rotates between targets by share. A 70/30 plan serves the first target about twice as often as a 35/15 plan.
• Time blocks: EtchMind works through blocks in order, using each block's minute cap as the main stopping point.

Plan Targets

• Autopilot: everything due in the normal queue.
• Deck: one subject bucket.
• Source: one imported PDF, book, article, audio, or video.
• Course / topic: one part of the Contents tree.
• Cards only: recall without reading topics.
• Topics only: reading/watching without flashcards.

Tree View

• Browse folders, concepts, source roots, extracts, and cards.
• Search contents with the search box or Ctrl+F.
• Open a source in its reader.
• Open linked Obsidian notes back in Obsidian when a synced note or card came from a vault.
• Add flashcards or sub-topics under a selected node.
• Drag nodes to reorganize them.
• Right-click for actions like drill section, set section priority, and delete.

Cards View

• Create a new card.
• Filter cards by tag.
• Sort by newest, due soonest, or A to Z.
• Edit card content without changing its review schedule.
• Reschedule due date or delete selected cards.

Views

• All: topics and cards together in the same order Study uses.
• Topics: reading/watching items only, with priority sliders and topic editing.
• Cards: flashcards only, sorted by due or creation date.
• Active / Suspended / Done: switch between what is in rotation, hidden, or completed.

Common Actions

• Search by title, content, or source.
• Change priority with the slider or priority menu.
• Change the next due date.
• Suspend or reactivate topics and cards.
• Move selected topics into a deck.
• Create a freeform topic or new flashcard.

Card Editor Power Features

• Ctrl+Enter saves the card.
• Esc cancels the editor.
• Tab moves from front to back in Q/A and type-answer cards.
• Paste or drop images inserts a portable Markdown image token.
• Drop audio attaches a front or back clip.
• Live / Source switches between rendered editing and the underlying Markdown.
• Preview shows how Markdown, math, images, audio, and cloze deletions will render.

Where Cards Come From

• Readers: press c to make a card from the current selection, page, timestamp, or extract.
• Add: make a quick standalone card or image occlusion card.
• Study: make a card while a topic is open.
• Contents: add a card under a source, topic, folder, or concept.
• Anki import: bring in .apkg or .colpkg decks with media, tags, cloze cards, and optional scheduling.

Where It Works

• Basic Q/A fronts and backs.
• Cloze passages, including hidden text.
• Multiple-choice and true/false prompts.
• Type-answer prompts and answers.
• Custom template fields and rendered templates.
• The Why / reasoning field.
• Topic bodies in Contents and reader-less Study topics.
• Imported Markdown sources and their extracts.

What To Type

• **bold**, *italic*, headings, lists, links, quotes, code, and tables.
• $x^2 + y^2 = r^2$ for inline math.
• $$E = mc^2$$ for display math on its own line.
• ![](media:images/file.png) for collection images inserted by paste or drop.
• {{c1::hidden answer}} for cloze deletions.

Automatic Direction

• Each paragraph follows its first strong letter, so RTL and LTR paragraphs can live in the same field.
• Numbers, formulas, code blocks, tables, and Markdown syntax keep their expected layout.
• Mixed-language questions and answers keep punctuation and embedded English terms readable.

Editor Preference

• Open Settings > Markdown editor to choose automatic, left-to-right, or right-to-left direction for new editors.
• Automatic is recommended when a collection contains more than one language.
• The preference changes editing direction; saved study content remains portable Markdown.

Review Controls

• Space reveals a card.
• 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 grades Again, Hard, Good, Easy after reveal.
• b buries a card until tomorrow without grading it.
• e edits the current card content without changing its schedule.
• z undoes the last grade, bury, or topic repetition.
• p opens Next & Priority for a topic.

Linked Source Memory

• Cards made from readers keep a source link.
• PDF cards can remember a page or region.
• Video and audio cards can remember a timestamp.
• Article, book, and Markdown cards can remember the selected passage or topic.
• Use the source link when you fail a card and need the original context.

Reader Shortcuts

• e extracts the current selection or range.
• c makes a card from the current place.
• b bookmarks a page or reading position where supported.
• t toggles the contents panel in text readers.
• + and - adjust font or playback speed depending on the reader.
• Change shortcuts in Settings → Shortcuts.

Video And Audio Ranges

• Mark start or e starts a range; press e again to close it and extract.
• i and o are explicit in/out keys for range start and end.
• c creates a card at the current moment.
• Set or m marks the reading endpoint; Go or g jumps back to it.
• Drag a saved range on the timeline to move it, drag its edges to trim it, or use Edit times for exact start/end values.
• Local video supports frame stepping with comma and period.
• Audio uses 10-second jumps; video uses shorter jumps.

Smart Card Cleanup

• Repeated misses can auto-suspend a hard card so it stops wasting reviews.
• The rewrite prompt lets you fix the card and reactivate it.
• Weak Areas lists the weakest tags and leeches.
• Drill practice is read-only; it never poisons FSRS history.
• Sibling burying can hide near-duplicate cards from the same extract until tomorrow.

Organization Extras

• Ctrl+F searches Contents.
• Right-click Contents nodes for section actions.
• Drag topics and cards onto other topics to reorganize them.
• Ctrl+Z can undo recent structural edits like move, delete, create, and import.
• Deck weights and per-deck new-card caps control subject mix.

Per-tag Recall

Tags are ranked weakest first. Use Drill on a tag or Drill my weak areas to practice the lowest-recall cards.

Repeated Misses

Cards with many lapses show up for rewriting. The best fix is often a clearer prompt, smaller card, or split into multiple cards.

Beta: Weak Points

Beta builds are expanding weak-point views so repeated misses, weak tags, and cards that need cleanup are easier to find.

Beta: Retention Recommendations

CMRR-style recommendations use review history to suggest a target retention setting, while keeping the final change under your control.

Stats

Stats has 7-day, 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year views. It shows review count, average per day, retention, best day, streak, collection size, answer breakdown, review volume, retention by week, due forecast, memory strength, and hardest cards.

Decks

Decks are attention buckets. Turn on deck mixing, set each deck's weight, mute decks with weight 0, choose a default deck, and set per-deck new-card limits.