---
title: "Prerequisites"
description: "Link cards so that a card unlocks only after you've learned what it builds on."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.armincards.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Prerequisites

Knowledge builds on itself. Armin lets you say so: a card can have
**prerequisites**, other cards in the same deck that you should know first.
Together, these links form the deck's **prerequisite graph**.

## Locked cards

A card stays **locked** while any of its prerequisites isn't yet secured.
Locked cards don't appear in reviews. A prerequisite is **secured** once every
one of its review units has graduated to review and reached the
**Prerequisite stability** set under **Settings → Learning path**.

Once a card unlocks, it stays unlocked. If you later forget a prerequisite,
Armin keeps scheduling that prerequisite for practice, but the cards that
depend on it remain available.

> **Note**
>
> Imported cards have no prerequisites, so they are never locked. Add links after importing if you
> want them.

## Linking cards

Open a deck's **Graph** to see its cards and links, and to add or remove
prerequisites. Armin rejects links that would form a cycle, because a card
can't depend on itself.

## Tips

- Keep prerequisites small and specific. A card that depends on one clear fact
  unlocks sooner than one that depends on a whole topic.
- Not every card needs prerequisites. Use them where order really matters.

Source: https://docs.armincards.app/guides/prerequisites/index.mdx