Zotero MCP

Name: Zotero MCP
Author: Steven Yu

Search, read, annotate and add to a Zotero research library from an MCP client, locally or via the web API

By Steven Yu (individual) Python Local · stdio Knowledge and memory Productivity

GitHub PyPI Website

85 popularity score ★ 5.8k ↓ 20k/mo

Connect your client

Local (PyPI)

Add in one click

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Add to LM Studio

Opens the app, which asks before it adds the server.

Or add it by command or config

Claude CodeTerminal

claude mcp add zotero -- zotero-mcp

Claude Desktopclaude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero": {
      "command": "zotero-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero": {
      "command": "zotero-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

VS Code.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "zotero": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "zotero-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Codex~/.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.zotero]
command = "zotero-mcp"
args = []

Gemini CLITerminal

gemini mcp add --scope user zotero zotero-mcp

Settings 19

`ZOTERO_LOCAL`	Optional: Set to true to use the local Zotero app and database instead of the web API.
`ZOTERO_API_KEY`	Optional: zotero.org API key for web or hybrid mode.
`ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID`	Optional: Numeric user or group ID for web or hybrid mode.
`ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE`	Optional: user (default) or group.
`ZOTERO_LOCAL_API_KEY`	Optional: Local write key for Zotero 10+, normally stored by authorize-local.
`ZOTERO_LOCAL_WRITE`	Optional: auto (default) or false to send writes through the web API.
`ZOTERO_MCP_TOOLSETS`	Optional: Which optional tool groups to expose.
`ZOTERO_DB_PATH`	Optional: Custom path to zotero.sqlite.
`ZOTERO_BACKEND`	Optional: api or sqlite read backend in local mode.
`ZOTERO_WEBDAV_URL`	Optional: WebDAV folder for attachment downloads in remote mode.
`ZOTERO_WEBDAV_USERNAME`	Optional: WebDAV user name.
`ZOTERO_WEBDAV_PASSWORD`	Optional: WebDAV password.
`ZOTERO_EMBEDDING_MODEL`	Optional: Embedding provider for semantic search: default, openai, gemini or ollama.
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	Optional: OpenAI key for OpenAI embeddings.
`GEMINI_API_KEY`	Optional: Gemini key for Gemini embeddings.
`OLLAMA_BASE_URL`	Optional: Ollama server address (default http://localhost:11434).
`ZOTERO_MCP_SCHEMA_REFRESH`	Optional: Set to 0 to stop the weekly item-schema refresh from api.zotero.org.
`ZOTERO_APP`	Optional: Container only: server (default) or cli.
`ZOTERO_TRANSPORT`	Optional: Container only: MCP transport when no arguments are given (stdio default).

What it does

Zotero MCP is a Python server that puts a Zotero reference library within reach of an MCP client such as Claude Desktop or ChatGPT. It can find items by keyword, tag, collection, full text or, with an optional index, by meaning; return metadata, BibTeX, full text and chosen PDF page ranges (as text or as page images when equations and tables come out garbled); and read, create, edit and delete PDF highlights, area annotations and notes.

It also writes to the library: new items from a DOI, URL, ISBN, BibTeX, CSL JSON or a local PDF/EPUB (fetching open-access PDFs where it can), collections and tags, item metadata, parent links, related-item links and duplicate merging. Optional tool groups add Scite citation counts and retraction checks, RSS feeds, group-library switching and a search/fetch pair for ChatGPT deep research. The ZOTERO_MCP_TOOLSETS setting decides which groups are exposed; the default profile has 38 tools.

It runs in four modes: local read-only against a running Zotero (reads come straight from zotero.sqlite), local read-write on Zotero 10+, the zotero.org web API, or a hybrid that reads locally and writes through the web API.

The same PyPI package, zotero-mcp-server, also ships zotero-cli with an agent skill for shell-capable agents, and the repository holds a Zotero Agent chat-panel plugin for Zotero itself; that plugin is licensed AGPL-3.0-or-later, while the server and CLI are MIT.

What it needs

Runtime	Python 3.10+

Python 3.10 or later (installed with uv or pip), and the Zotero desktop app (7+) with 'Allow other applications on this computer to communicate with Zotero' turned on for local mode. Local writes need Zotero 10+ and a one-time authorization; on older Zotero, writes need a zotero.org API key and library ID. Semantic search, PDF layout and Scite need the optional extras; OpenAI or Gemini embeddings need those providers' keys.

Limits

Local mode is read-only unless Zotero is version 10+ and has granted a local key; otherwise writes need web API credentials. Searching across all libraries at once works only with the local SQLite backend and cannot be combined with collection filters. Many groups (Scite, duplicates, discovery, feeds, relations) are off by default and their tools are absent until enabled. Note management is marked beta. Annotation features were mainly tested with the Better BibTeX plugin and download extra tools on first use. The docs warn that the MCP route costs about 13,400 tokens of context per request with the default tools.

Who it suits

Suits researchers who keep papers in Zotero and want a chat client to search, read, cite and annotate them, especially in clients without a shell such as Claude Desktop or ChatGPT; it works offline against a local library with no account. For agents that have a shell (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex), its own docs recommend the bundled zotero-cli skill over the MCP server because it uses far less context. It is a community project, not from the Zotero team, and its write tools can delete annotations and merge items, so leave write access unauthorized if only reading is wanted.

Tools 57

zotero_search_items: Keyword search over item titles, creators, years and optionally abstracts
zotero_advanced_search: Search with several combined conditions
zotero_semantic_search: Find items by meaning using an embedding index
zotero_update_search_database: Build or refresh the semantic search index
zotero_get_search_database_status: Show the state and settings of the semantic index
zotero_get_collections: List the library's collections
zotero_get_collection_items: List the items in one collection
zotero_get_tags: List every tag in the library
zotero_get_recent: List items added most recently
zotero_search_by_tag: Filter items by tag conditions
zotero_get_item_metadata: Return an item's details as Markdown, raw JSON or BibTeX
zotero_get_item_fulltext: Return the full text of an item's attachment
zotero_get_item_children: List attachments and notes under one or more items
zotero_read_pdf_pages: Read chosen PDF pages as Markdown or images, optionally zoomed to a region
zotero_get_pdf_outline: Return a PDF's table of contents
zotero_get_page_layout: Locate figures, tables and equations on a PDF page with coordinates for annotation
zotero_get_annotations: Fetch annotations, including ones read directly from PDF files
zotero_synthesize_annotations: Compile a per-paper digest of annotations and notes
zotero_get_notes: List notes or search note and annotation text
zotero_create_annotation: Add a text highlight or an area box to a PDF
zotero_update_annotation: Edit an annotation's text, comment, colour or tags
zotero_delete_annotation: Remove an annotation permanently
zotero_manage_note: Create, edit or delete a note (beta)
zotero_authorize_local_writes: Ask the Zotero app for local write permission through a dialog
zotero_write_capabilities: Report which write route is available and how to enable one
zotero_add_by_doi: Create an item from a DOI, attaching an open-access PDF when found
zotero_add_by_url: Create an item from an arXiv, DOI or web page address
zotero_add_by_isbn: Create a book item from an ISBN
zotero_add_by_bibtex: Import items from BibTeX text or a .bib file
zotero_add_by_csl_json: Import items from CSL JSON text or a file
zotero_add_from_file: Import a local PDF or EPUB, detecting its DOI
zotero_attach_file: Attach a local file or PDF link to an existing item
zotero_set_item_parent: Set, change or clear an item's parent
zotero_create_collection: Make a new collection
zotero_update_collection: Rename or move a collection
zotero_search_collections: Find collections by name to get their keys
zotero_manage_collections: Add items to or remove them from collections
zotero_update_item: Change an item's fields such as title, tags, abstract or date
zotero_search_by_citation_key: Look up items by Better BibTeX citation key
zotero_export_bibliography: Export a bibliography for selected items
zotero_get_attachment_path: Return where an item's attachment file is stored
zotero_find_duplicates: Find items that look duplicated by title or DOI (opt-in group)
zotero_merge_duplicates: Merge duplicate items after a preview, keeping their children (opt-in group)
zotero_get_item_related: List an item's related-item links (opt-in group)
zotero_add_item_relation: Link two items as related in both directions (opt-in group)
zotero_remove_item_relation: Remove a related-item link (opt-in group)
zotero_find_related_papers: Suggest papers related to an item (opt-in group)
zotero_library_coverage: Assess how well the library covers a topic (opt-in group)
zotero_list_feeds: List RSS feed subscriptions (opt-in group)
zotero_get_feed_items: Read entries from a subscribed feed (opt-in group)
zotero_list_libraries: List personal and group libraries
zotero_switch_library: Change which library later calls work on
scite_enrich_item: Get Scite citation counts and retraction notices for one paper (opt-in group)
scite_enrich_search: Search the library with Scite data added to results (opt-in group)
scite_check_retractions: Check items for retractions and editorial notices (opt-in group)
search: Search endpoint for ChatGPT deep research, on by default over HTTP transports
fetch: Retrieve one record for ChatGPT deep research, paired with search

Popularity

85 popularity score, on our list (the bar is 36)

★ 5.8k ↓ 20k/mo

GitHub stars	5,784	45.1 points
Stars in 30 days	+512	10 points
PyPI downloads, last month	20,314	29.6 points

Measured 2026-11-07. How the score works.

Where it is published

Code	54yyyu/zotero-mcp ★ 5.8k
PyPI	zotero-mcp-server

What it can reach

Runs	On your machine
Reaches	Files on your machine, The internet, Your account at a service
Changes things	Yes: it can write, send, create or delete
Sign-in	None
Licence	MIT (GitHub)
Last code change	2026-11-01

Runs locally on your machine. In local mode it reads the Zotero database file (zotero.sqlite) and talks to the Zotero app's local API with no credentials; writes there need a local key that Zotero grants through a dialog, saved to ~/.config/zotero-mcp/config.json. Web or hybrid mode uses a zotero.org API key with whatever rights that key has. Tools can create, update and delete items, notes, annotations and collections, merge duplicates, and import local files. It contacts outside services: Unpaywall, arXiv, Semantic Scholar, Open Library and Google Books when adding items, scite.ai when that group is on, api.zotero.org weekly for the item schema, and OpenAI or Gemini when those embeddings are chosen; those receive library text. Optional WebDAV credentials allow attachment downloads.

Over time

GitHub stars 5.8k +512 (+10 %)

5.8k5.3k

7 Oct 20267 Nov 2026

PyPI downloads a month 20k +6.1k (+43 %)

27k14k

12 May 20267 Nov 2026

Before the site measured it, read from pypistats' daily download counts.

Popularity score 85 +10 (+14 %)

8574

7 Oct 20267 Nov 2026

What is rising across the directory

Sources

Page checked 2026-10-13.

Badge for your README

Shows this server's rank in its category, and stars for a server that runs on your machine. It updates every hour.

MarkdownREADME.md

[![Zotero MCP on EveryMCPServer](https://everymcpserver.com/badge/zotero-mcp.svg)](https://everymcpserver.com/servers/zotero-mcp)

Connect your client

Add in one click

Or add it by command or config

Settings 19

What it does

What it needs

Limits

Who it suits

Tools 57

Similar servers

AFFiNE MCP Server

Anytype MCP Server

Minutes

SiYuan MCP Server

obsidian-mcp-server

State Memory MCP