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Zotero MCP
Zotero MCP: Connects your Zotero research library with Claude and other AI assistants via the Model Context Protocol to discuss papers, get summaries, analyze citations, and more.
Install
$
uvx zotero-mcp-serverClaude Code
claude mcp add zotero-mcp -- uvx zotero-mcp-serverCursor / Claude Desktop (mcp.json)
{
"mcpServers": {
"zotero-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"zotero-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}Install command taken from the project's README or registry entry. Always review code before running it.
README excerpt
Read full README on GitHub →Zotero MCP: Chat with your Research Library in Claude, ChatGPT, and more
Your Zotero library, in every AI agent. Search, read, cite and annotate your papers from Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, or a chat panel inside Zotero.
Install · Docs · Zotero Agent · Discord
Zotero Agent explaining a paper with page citations. A click on a citation opens the page and flashes the cited sentence.
Zotero MCP connects your Zotero research library with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI assistants (e.g., Cherry Studio, Chorus, Cursor) via the Model Context Protocol. Search your library, read and annotate papers, add and organize items, and find research by meaning.
AI agents: read docs/for-agents.md first. It covers which route to use, setup, and the commands in one place.
Three ways in
One package, zotero-mcp-server, ships all three. Pick the one that fits where you work.
| MCP server | zotero-cli + agent skill |
Zotero Agent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | Chat apps that speak MCP but have no shell: Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cherry Studio, Chorus | Agents with a shell: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, Amp, OpenCode | Chatting inside Zotero, next to the PDF you are reading |
| How | zotero-mcp setup |
zotero-mcp install-skill |
zotero-cli plugin, then install the .xpi in Zotero |
| Why | Works in any MCP client | 98 tokens in context until it is needed, instead of ~13k | Knows the item, page and selection you have open; answers link to pages |
| Guide | Getting started | CLI and agent skill | Zotero Agent plugin |
What it does
- Search by title, author, tag, collection, full text, or meaning (semantic search with local, OpenAI, Gemini, or Ollama embeddings)
- Read metadata, BibTeX, full text, and page ranges of PDFs, with page images where text extraction garbles math, figures, and tables
- Annotate: highlights and area boxes placed on the exact words, figure, table, or equation; notes; PDF annotation extraction
- Write: add papers by DOI, URL, ISBN, BibTeX, or file (with open-access PDFs), manage collections and tags, merge duplicates
- Local or web: in local mode reads come straight from
zotero.sqlite; writes go to the running Zotero 10+ or through the web API - Scite citation tallies and retraction alerts (optional)
Quick start
1. Install (Python 3.10+):
uv tool install zotero-mcp-server # or: pip install zotero-mcp-server
New to the command line? Try the community-built Zotero MCP Setup: a macOS GUI installer, one-click scripts for Mac and Windows, and a step-by-step guide.
2. Enable Zotero's local API: in Zotero 7+, open Settings → Advanced and tick Allow other applications on this computer to communicate with Zotero.
3. Connect your assistant:
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