FSRS + AnKing + Step 1 → Step 2 Transition: Deck Separation, AnkiHub Overwrites, Retention Settings, and Vacation Mode — Need Architecture Advice

[mohammadzakriya]

I’m in a bit of a complex Anki situation and would really appreciate input from people who deeply understand FSRS + AnKing + AnkiHub workflows.

I’ll try to lay this out clearly.

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Background

• I’ve been doing AnKing Step 1 for a long time (~10k cards).

• Switched to FSRS a few months ago.

• Current desired retention: 0.85 (to reduce workload).

• I increased max interval to 1 year recently to spread load.

• I’m close to taking Step 1.

• Step 2 prep will start immediately after, and I want that to be high priority.

• I currently have Step 1 and Step 2 cards separated by tags, not decks.

• I downloaded an older AnKing version from AnkiHub, unsubscribed, and have been running it offline since. I’ve made edits to ~1000 cards (mostly Extra field, some main text).

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Current Problems

FSRS architecture: Step 1 vs Step 2

I want:

• Step 1 = background maintenance

• Step 2 = priority

• Step 2 retention ~90%

• Step 1 lower retention (0.80–0.85)

• Separate FSRS models ideally

I understand that:

• FSRS settings are per deck, not per tag.

• Tags alone cannot give different retention targets.

So I’m considering:

• Keeping Step 1 in current deck (preserve FSRS training)

• Moving Step 2 cards to a new deck

• Assigning a new preset with 0.90 retention for Step 2

Questions:

• Is this the cleanest approach?

• Does starting a new FSRS preset for Step 2 “lose” meaningful modeling from Step 1?

• Has anyone run dual-retention setups successfully long term?

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Max interval confusion

I raised max interval to 1 year during Step 1.

Some cards were reviewed under that regime and are now scheduled far out. Others haven’t yet resurfaced.

When I transition to Step 2 and reduce max interval (e.g., 180 days), is there any need to normalize those cards? Or will FSRS naturally correct over time without manual rescheduling?

I don’t want to artificially spike workload.

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AnkiHub Reconnection + Protecting Edits

I originally:

• Subscribed to AnKing via AnkiHub

• Downloaded the deck

• Unsubscribed

• Disabled the add-on

• Continued using it offline

I now want the latest Step 2 content after Step 1.

I edited ~1000 notes (various fields, mostly Extra, some main text).

My goal:

• Cards I edited → should NEVER be overwritten (any field)

• Cards I didn’t edit → can update freely

My understanding is that I should:

1. Reinstall AnkiHub

2. Log in

3. Resubscribe

4. Identify “Locally Modified Notes” (im not sure how to do this)

5. Protect Entire Note

6. Then sync

Questions:

• Is this the correct order?

• Is protection fully reversible?

• Will moving Step 2 cards to a different deck interfere with AnkiHub syncing?

• Does AnkiHub ever override deck placement?

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Deck movement safety

If I move Step 2 cards (via tag search) into a new deck for separate FSRS settings:

Will AnkiHub:

• Leave deck placement alone?

• Or move them back to original structure on sync?

From what I understand, AnkiHub updates content and tags, not scheduling/deck location — but I’d like confirmation from someone who has done this.

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My Core Goal

I want:

• Clean architecture going into Step 2

• 90% retention for Step 2

• Step 1 as background maintenance

• Zero loss of my 1000 edited cards

• No scheduling chaos

• No artificial workload spike

Basically, I want to do this once, correctly, and not fight my system for the next 6 months.

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If anyone has successfully:

• Split AnKing into Step 1/Step 2 decks under FSRS

• Protected edited notes during AnkiHub resubscription

• Or transitioned retention targets mid-prep

I’d really appreciate detailed insight.

Thanks in advance — I know this is a long post, but I’m trying to avoid making structural mistakes right before Step 2 prep.

[AnkiHub_AI_bot]

Thinking

Search
Found 0 results for ‘tags:official FSRS AnKing Step 1 Step 2 separate decks retention vacation mode AnkiHub protect locally modified notes category: Support order:latest max_posts:10 status:open’

Search
Found 2 results for ‘tags:official FSRS retention AnKing Step 1 Step 2 decks vacation mode order:latest max_posts:10 status:open’

You’re thinking about this very clearly already. I’ll go through your questions in the same order and keep it as practical as possible.

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FSRS architecture: Step 1 vs Step 2

Step 2 priority, ~90% retention; Step 1 background, lower retention.

You’re correct that FSRS options are per preset (deck), not per tag.

Cleanest setup for what you want:

• Keep current deck as Step 1 deck with:
  • Existing preset
  • Desired retention ~0.80–0.85
• Move Step 2 cards (by tag search) into a new Step 2 deck with:
  • Its own preset
  • Desired retention ~0.90
  • Optionally its own FSRS optimization later

About “losing” FSRS modeling:

• FSRS parameters are preset-specific, not card-specific.
• If you use the default FSRS parameters for the new Step 2 preset:
  • You are not using the Step 1-trained parameters, but the defaults are already well-tuned for most people.
• If you have lots of reviews overall and want to reuse history:
  • You can initially use the same parameters in both presets.
  • Later, when you have enough Step 2 reviews, you can run Optimize specifically for the Step 2 preset (using a search that restricts to Step 2 cards if you want).

People do run dual-retention setups successfully:

• One preset for “core/high‑stakes” material (higher retention).
• One preset for “maintenance”/less critical (lower retention).

Your plan (separate Step 2 deck + 0.90 retention) is aligned with how FSRS and presets are designed to be used.

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Max interval confusion

Raised max interval to 1 year; later want to reduce (e.g., 180 days).

• Changing max interval from 365 → 180 does not retroactively reschedule existing cards.
• Cards that already have a long interval will keep that interval until:
  • You review them again and FSRS computes a new interval, but that new interval will be capped by the current max interval.

In practice:

• You don’t need to normalize those cards manually.
• FSRS will “correct” over time as cards come due and get new intervals under your new settings.
• Manual bulk rescheduling would risk big workload spikes and is typically not recommended unless something went seriously wrong.

Given that you want no artificial spike: just change the max interval and let FSRS handle the future.

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AnkiHub reconnection + protecting edits

Your goal: ~1000 edited notes must never be overwritten.

You already found the right general idea. The official FAQ you’ll want to review:

• Can I protect my own edits when subscribing to the AnKing Step Deck?
• Also see the main Step Deck FAQ: AnKing Step Deck FAQs

Safe order of operations:

1. Backup your collection (File → Export → Anki Collection Package with scheduling).
2. Install/update AnkiHub add‑on.
3. Log in to AnkiHub.
4. Resubscribe to the AnKing Step deck you use.
5. In the AnkiHub add‑on:
   • Run “Find locally modified notes”.
   • For all notes you know you’ve edited, choose “Protect entire note” (not just selected fields).
6. Then sync with AnkiHub to pull in updates for non‑protected notes.

About protection:

• Protection is effectively a flag that tells AnkiHub not to overwrite that note’s fields from the shared deck.
• It is reversible: you can later unprotect a note (or just individual fields) if you decide you do want updates.
• With your requirement (“never overwrite any field”), protect entire note is the right choice.

Deck movement & syncing:

• AnkiHub does not manage your deck tree or scheduling.
• It updates:
  • Note fields
  • Tags
  • (Sometimes note types/templates, depending on the deck)
• So:
  • Moving cards between decks does not interfere with AnkiHub syncing.
  • AnkiHub will not move your cards back to a different deck.

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Deck movement safety (Step 2 deck)

Move Step 2 cards to a new deck for separate FSRS settings.

From how AnkiHub works:

• It does not override deck placement.
• It does not touch intervals or other scheduling data.

So you can:

1. Search Step 2 cards by tag (e.g. tag:Step::2 or the Step‑specific tags used in the Step deck).
2. Move them to a new deck AnKing Step 2 (or similar).
3. Assign that deck a distinct preset (FSRS 0.90 desired retention).

AnkiHub will:

• Still update those notes’ fields and tags.
• Leave them in whatever deck you put them in.

Your plan is compatible with syncing.

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Vacation mode before Step 1

You can only handle 50–60 reviews/day and want to protect weaker cards.

FSRS + v3 scheduler is well‑suited to this.

Reasonable pre‑exam approach:

1. Lower daily limits to what you can actually handle:
   • Reviews/day ~50–60.
   • Consider also lowering or pausing new cards entirely before the exam.
2. Display order:
   • Switching to ascending retrievability (showing cards you’re more likely to forget first) is a good idea to protect weak cards within your limited review budget.
3. FSRS Vacation Mode (1–2 days before exam):
   • This is specifically designed to “freeze” things and avoid punishment for a short pause.
   • A 1–2 day vacation with FSRS vacation mode is very unlikely to “destabilize” your deck; FSRS will spread the resulting load.
4. After the exam:
   • Turn off vacation mode.
   • Gradually bring your review limits back up as you transition into Step 2.

This is a sane and conservative plan that fits with FSRS’ design. The main thing is being honest with the review limit and not letting due cards massively outstrip what you can actually do in the days before the exam.

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Putting it all together (minimal “once and done” plan)

Now / pre‑Step 1:

1. Keep current deck as Step 1; desired retention 0.80–0.85.
2. Adjust review limit to ~50–60/day, no/very few new cards.
3. Use ascending retrievability.
4. 1–2 days pre‑exam: enable Vacation Mode.

After Step 1, starting Step 2:

1. Backup collection.
2. Reinstall + log into AnkiHub, resubscribe to AnKing Step deck.
3. Run Find locally modified notes → Protect entire note for all ~1000 edited notes.
4. Sync with AnkiHub to pull updates for everything else.
5. Create new Step 2 deck, move Step 2 cards there by tag.
6. Assign:
   • Step 1 deck → FSRS preset A (retention 0.80–0.85).
   • Step 2 deck → FSRS preset B (retention 0.90).
7. Optionally:
   • Start Step 2 preset with same FSRS parameters as Step 1.
   • Later, when you have enough Step 2 reviews, run Optimize FSRS parameters for the Step 2 preset only.

This gives you:

• Different retention targets per step.
• Stable protection of your edited notes.
• No artificial rescheduling spike.
• A structure you shouldn’t need to fight for the next 6+ months.

If you’d like, you can paste a screenshot of your current deck tree + presets, and I can suggest exact preset assignments and a concrete search for selecting/moving Step 2 cards.

[MarcosZan]

Hello,

1. Yes, that would work, but I recommend copying the preset from step one and renaming it to step 2 so you do not have to start with a new, default FSRS profile. If you start from scratch, the settings will revert to the default and won’t be optimized for you. Copying your step one settings and simply adjusting your desired retention will be much more accurate for your needs. Just as a heads-up, there isn’t a significant difference in workload between a 0.80-0.85 and a 0.90 retention rate.
   
   

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2. FSRS will do its best to reschedule these cards efficiently. However, if you have a significant number of cards with an interval of over 180 days, you will likely notice an increase in your workload. Reducing the maximum interval from 365 days to 180 days can bring a lot of cards into your daily reviews. There isn’t really a way around this, as it acts as a hard cap on the maximum interval, but I think it should still be very manageable.

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3. There are two main ways to protect fields in AnkiHub:

• On the AnkiHub Website (Protects a field for all cards):

This method protects a specific field across your entire deck. It’s best for fields like “Lecture Notes,” as that field does not typically receive updates from our team. We recommend making your personal annotations there.

Here’s a tutorial: How to Manage Protected Fields

• Within Anki (Protects a field for a single card):

This method protects a field on a specific card only. It is recommended for fields like “Text" and “Extra”, which often receive updates. However, keep in mind that you need to do this manually for each specific card.

To do this:

1. Go to the Anki Browser, right-click on the desired card, and select the “Protect Fields” option.
2. Choose the field you want to protect, and then click “OK”.

Unfortunately, as you can see, there is no way to automatically filter the cards you’ve edited. You have to search for them manually and protect them individually. We also run into a minor conflict here: the Text and Extra fields are the ones that receive content updates. If you protect them globally, you will not receive any content updates for those fields on any card. If you protect them for specific cards, you will not receive content updates for those specific cards either. If you want the most up-to-date content, it is incompatible with protecting the Text and Extra fields.

If you’d like, you can follow either of these steps to protect your fields, but you must do this as soon as you subscribe to the deck on AnkiHub and before syncing anything on your local Anki app.

• Is this the correct order? The correct order is to first log in to ankihub.net, subscribe to the deck, and protect the fields there (or protect them individually in Anki before syncing with AnkiHub). Then, you go to your Anki app, download the AnkiHub add-on, log in, and sync.

• Is protection fully reversible? Yes, you can unprotect fields at any time.

• Will moving Step 2 cards to a different deck interfere with AnkiHub syncing? No. Content updates are made based on the card’s ID, so you can organize your subdecks however you want.

• Does AnkiHub ever override deck placement? No.

• Leave deck placement alone? Yes.
• Or move them back to the original structure on sync? No, AnkiHub does not mess with your deck or subdeck organization. Once you have installed the AnkiHub add-on, click on it on the main Anki screen and go to Deck Management. There, you can select a destination deck for any new cards that are downloaded for the deck. This is the only setting that dictates deck placement.

Let me know if you need help with anything else!

[mohammadzakriya]

Hi Marcos
I am very very grateful for the time you took to give such a comprehensive response. Thank you!

I want to know just a few more things:

1. You suggested to leave the deck placement alone. Will that counteract my aim to have a different FSRS setup than the one I had for step 1? Because last I recall, the decks were separated into lolnotacop and zanki and some more stuff, and I never really was able to follow that level of organization. Ive always used tags

2. I was thinking of moving everything in the step2v12 tag to a new deck named Step 2 (including the cards overlapping with step 1), and then moving the cards that are step1v12 -step2v12 (cards that are solely tagged as step 1 but not step 2) to either a step one deck, or let them remain in the deck they already are in (the latter Im not sure about, because my FSRS got trained on a single deck that had the anking deck and verifiedsmoothbrain in it. Ive attached a screenshot below:

Having shown this, can you please suggest me some steps to accomplish what Im trying to? Fyi, I placed both under ACTIVE to apply the FSRS equally on both.

My current plan, given your post above is as follows.
A. Rename Anking to AnKing Step 1
B. Make a new deck ACTIVE::AnKing Step 2
C. Move the cards (as described in my query 1 above) to Step 2 and let the others remain as they are in the Step 1 deck.
D. Confused here about how to make sure that the new step 2 deck has the current FSRS learning but from today onwards adapts to its own FSRS framework building upon the current one

3. Is there a shortcut way to copy the content of my EXTRA fields into another field (in this case, Lecture Notes) for ALL of my existing cards, before I go ahead with the sync? I know this’ll will result in a lot of redundancies, but it’ll save my edits (the ones I stupidly made in the extra field which were not done to all of my unsuspended cards but a fair proportion, Id say about 1500 notes out of the 9000 unsuspended).

Many apologies if Im asking stuff that seems redundant. I dig Anki but Im not a tech savvy guy and it is very challenging to understand this, I literally made notes of your response above lol. Looking forward to hearing from you again!

[MarcosZan]

Hello,

1. I actually meant that you can use any deck or subdeck organization you want; AnkiHub will not mess with your setup. Using tags is generally a better way to organize, but you will still need subdecks if you want separate settings for Step 1 and Step 2. The AnKing Step Deck does not come with any subdecks by default, so the ones you are seeing might be from an older deck you previously used.

2. I think we are overcomplicating things, and this might even negatively impact your Step 2 preparation. It is not really viable to keep reviewing every Step 1 card, even at a 0.8 retention rate, while you are also studying for Step 2. We recently created a tag system that can help with exactly this. That way, you can keep everything in the same deck, suspend the cards that are no longer relevant for Step 2, and maintain that one deck at a 0.9 retention rate. Please take a look at this guide: 🏷️ What are the Only_Step_1&2 tags? | FAQ

Pay special attention to this specific section:

4. There is no easy way to do this, but I found an add-on that can help: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1898445115

[mohammadzakriya]

Thank you again!

With your guidance, I’ve been able to resubscribe and protect said fields, all my annotations were secure! One last question left, and its a small one:

Do my tags stay protected? Like my custom tags I might have made during step 1

Again, thank you so much Marco. You helped a great deal helping me preserve a loooot of annotations I made, which were very important. Bless you!

[MarcosZan]

Hello,

I recommend protecting all of your personal tags on the AnkiHub website. You only need to protect the parent tags, so if you place all of your personal tags under a single parent tag, you just need to protect the parent tag itself.

Simply go to the same place where you protected your fields. Make sure to enter the exact name of your tag, and if you have multiple tags, separate them with a space.

I’m glad I could help! Let me know if you need anything else