MCP Zotero
@kaliaboi
About MCP Zotero
A connector for Claude Desktop to work with collection and sources on your Zotero Cloud.
Basic information
Config
Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-zotero": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-zotero"
]
}
}
}Tools
5List 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.
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