Zotero
It's a plugin extension in Zotero. Zotero MCP Plugin enables integration between AI assistants and Zotero through MCP. Zotero MCP Plugin 是一个 Zotero 插件，通过 MCP协议实现 AI 助手与 Zotero深度集成。插件支持文献检索、元 数据管理、全文分析和智能问答等功能，让 Claude、ChatGPT 等 AI 工具能够直接访问和操作您的文献库。
What is Zotero?
Zotero is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to it's a plugin extension in zotero. zotero mcp plugin enables integration between ai assistants and zotero through mcp. zotero mcp plugin 是一个 zotero 插件，通过 mcp协议实现 ai 助手与 zotero深度集成。插件支持文献检索、元 数据管理、全文分析...
It's a plugin extension in Zotero. Zotero MCP Plugin enables integration between AI assistants and Zotero through MCP. Zotero MCP Plugin 是一个 Zotero 插件，通过 MCP协议实现 AI 助手与 Zotero深度集成。插件支持文献检索、元 数据管理、全文分析和智能问答等功能，让 Claude、ChatGPT 等 AI 工具能够直接访问和操作您的文献库。
This server falls under the Knowledge & Memory category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- It's a plugin extension in Zotero. Zotero MCP Plugin enables
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y zoteroManual Installation
npx -y zoteroConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Zotero
zotero-mcp is a read-write MCP server that connects AI assistants like Claude to your Zotero reference library via the Zotero Web API. It exposes tools for searching and reading items, managing collections, finding and merging duplicates, creating items from DOIs, and importing BibTeX — all without leaving your AI chat session. Researchers and academics can use it to streamline literature reviews, keep bibliographies organized, and let AI assistants directly operate their reference manager. The server requires Python 3.11+ and uv, and authenticates with a Zotero Web API key.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.11 or higher installed
- uv package manager installed (https://docs.astral.sh/uv/)
- A Zotero account with a Web API key (generate at https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys)
- Your Zotero user ID (shown on the same API keys settings page)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code
Clone the zotero-mcp repository
Clone the repository to a local directory and install its Python dependencies using uv.
git clone https://github.com/BirdInTheTree/zotero-mcp.git
cd zotero-mcp
uv syncObtain your Zotero API key and user ID
Log in to zotero.org and navigate to Settings > Feeds/API. Create a new API key with read and write access to your library. Note the API key and your numeric user ID shown on the same page.
Add the server to Claude Desktop configuration
Edit your Claude Desktop config file to register zotero-mcp as an MCP server, passing your API credentials as environment variables and pointing to your local clone directory.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop
Quit and relaunch Claude Desktop to pick up the new MCP server configuration. The server will start automatically when Claude Desktop connects to it.
Verify the connection
In a Claude conversation, ask it to list your Zotero collections or search for a paper. A successful response confirms the server is authenticated and connected to your library.
Zotero Examples
Client configuration
Add this to your Claude Desktop claude_desktop_config.json, replacing the directory path and credentials with your own values:
{
"mcpServers": {
"zotero": {
"command": "uv",
"args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/zotero-mcp", "python", "-m", "zotero_mcp"],
"env": {
"ZOTERO_API_KEY": "your-zotero-api-key",
"ZOTERO_USER_ID": "your-numeric-user-id"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Once connected, ask Claude to manage your Zotero library with prompts like these:
- "Search my Zotero library for papers about transformer attention mechanisms"
- "Find duplicate items in my library and merge them"
- "Create a new collection called 'ML Papers 2024'"
- "Look up DOI 10.1145/3442188.3445922 and add it to my library"
- "Import this BibTeX entry into my Research collection"Troubleshooting Zotero
Authentication errors when searching or creating items
Double-check that ZOTERO_API_KEY and ZOTERO_USER_ID are set correctly. The user ID must be numeric (find it on zotero.org/settings/keys). Ensure the API key has read and write permissions for your personal library.
uv command not found or Python version errors
Install uv from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ and ensure Python 3.11+ is available. Run 'uv sync' inside the zotero-mcp directory to install all dependencies before configuring the MCP server.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zotero
What is Zotero?
Zotero is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that it's a plugin extension in zotero. zotero mcp plugin enables integration between ai assistants and zotero through mcp. zotero mcp plugin 是一个 zotero 插件，通过 mcp协议实现 ai 助手与 zotero深度集成。插件支持文献检索、元 数据管理、全文分析和智能问答等功能，让 claude、chatgpt 等 ai 工具能够直接访问和操作您的文献库。 It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Zotero?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y zotero. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Zotero?
Zotero works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Zotero free to use?
Yes, Zotero is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up Zotero in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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