MCP Zotero

@kaliaboi

About MCP Zotero

A connector for Claude Desktop to work with collection and sources on your Zotero Cloud.

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

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

Tools

List all collections in your library

Get items in a specific collection

Get detailed information about a paper

Search your entire library

Get recently added papers

Overview

What is MCP Zotero?

MCP Zotero is a Model Context Protocol server that allows Claude to interact with your Zotero library by querying collections, items, and metadata through the Zotero API. It is designed for researchers and knowledge workers who want to search and manage their Zotero references directly from Claude.

How to use MCP Zotero?

Obtain a Zotero API key and user ID via the provided curl commands, then set the ZOTERO_API_KEY and ZOTERO_USER_ID environment variables. Install globally with npm install -g mcp-zotero and run mcp-zotero, or use npx mcp-zotero. For Claude Desktop, add the server configuration with the same environment variables.

Key features of MCP Zotero

Lists all collections in your Zotero library
Gets items belonging to a specific collection
Retrieves detailed information about a paper
Searches your entire Zotero library
Fetches recently added papers
Integrates with Claude Desktop via MCP

Use cases of MCP Zotero

Quickly browse your Zotero collections without switching apps
Retrieve citation details or abstracts for a paper
Search for references by title, author, or tags
Review the most recently added items to your library
Organize and manage your reference library through natural language

FAQ from MCP Zotero

How do I obtain my Zotero user ID?

Create an API key at the Zotero settings page, then run curl -H "Zotero-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" https://api.zotero.org/keys/current and extract the userID from the JSON response.

What environment variables are required?

You need ZOTERO_API_KEY (your API key) and ZOTERO_USER_ID (your user ID). Set them in your shell or in the Claude Desktop configuration.

How can I verify my credentials?

Run curl -H "Zotero-API-Key: $ZOTERO_API_KEY" "https://api.zotero.org/users/$ZOTERO_USER_ID/collections" – you should see your collections list.

How do I install MCP Zotero?

Install globally with npm install -g mcp-zotero, or run it directly with npx mcp-zotero.

How do I use MCP Zotero with Claude Desktop?

Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration using the mcp-zotero command and the required environment variables as shown in the README.

Frequently asked questions

How do I obtain my Zotero user ID?

Create an API key at the Zotero settings page, then run `curl -H "Zotero-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" https://api.zotero.org/keys/current` and extract the `userID` from the JSON response.

What environment variables are required?

You need `ZOTERO_API_KEY` (your API key) and `ZOTERO_USER_ID` (your user ID). Set them in your shell or in the Claude Desktop configuration.

How can I verify my credentials?

Run `curl -H "Zotero-API-Key: $ZOTERO_API_KEY" "https://api.zotero.org/users/$ZOTERO_USER_ID/collections"` – you should see your collections list.

How do I install MCP Zotero?

Install globally with `npm install -g mcp-zotero`, or run it directly with `npx mcp-zotero`.

How do I use MCP Zotero with Claude Desktop?

Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration using the `mcp-zotero` command and the required environment variables as shown in the README.

Comments

Basic information

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