LibreAI / AI Agents / zotero-mcp
// agents · 54yyyu/zotero-mcp

zotero-mcp

Connect your Zotero research library to Claude and other AI assistants through MCP.

★ 5.3k stars⑂ 416 forksMITupdated 2026-10
▦ visual — this project's README ships no embeddable screenshot,
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
// project facts

Project facts

zotero-mcp is an open-source ai agents project by 54yyyu (54yyyu/zotero-mcp on GitHub). It has 5,284 GitHub stars and 416 forks, is released under the MIT license, and was last updated on GitHub on 8 October 2026.

GitHub stars
5,284
Forks
416
License
MIT
Last updated on GitHub
8 October 2026
Category
AI Agents
Listing
Full install guide
Official site
Official site
// how it works

How it works

  1. Clarify your research workflow

    Decide what you want your assistant to do with your library — search, summarize, annotate or organize.

  2. Install the server

    Install zotero-mcp-server with uv tool or pip.

  3. Configure your client

    Run zotero-mcp setup to auto-configure Claude Desktop, or add the MCP server entry to your client's config.

  4. Ask your first question

    Ask your assistant to find papers in your library on a topic and summarize the key findings.

// features

Why people love it

Library search, several ways

Search by title, author, tag, collection or full text, or semantically by meaning with local, OpenAI, Gemini or Ollama embeddings.

Deep reading

Reads metadata, BibTeX, full text and specific PDF page ranges, with page images where text extraction garbles math, figures and tables.

Annotation tools

Creates highlights and area boxes on the exact words, figure, table or equation, plus notes, and extracts existing PDF annotations.

Library writes

Add papers by DOI, URL, ISBN, BibTeX or file (with open-access PDFs), and manage collections, tags and duplicate merges.

Local-first reads

In local mode, reads come straight from zotero.sqlite; writes go to a running Zotero 10+ or through the web API.

Scite integration (optional)

Optional Scite citation tallies and retraction alerts add trust signals to papers in your library.

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// run it

Run it yourself

  1. Clone the repository

    Clone Zotero MCP if you want the source; most users install the package.

    git clone https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp.git
    cd zotero-mcp
  2. Install the server

    Install zotero-mcp-server as a uv tool (or with pip).

    uv tool install zotero-mcp-server
  3. Configure your client

    Auto-configure Claude Desktop, then ask your assistant about your library.

    zotero-mcp setup
// use cases

What you can build

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// faq

Questions, answered

Who maintains Zotero MCP?

Zotero MCP is maintained by 54yyyu (Steven Yu) and contributors.

Is it free?

Yes — it is MIT licensed. Semantic search can use free local embeddings or Ollama, or a paid provider if you choose one.

Does it need a paid API key?

Local mode works against your own Zotero library without keys; web-API writes need a Zotero API key and library ID, and some optional features (Scite, hosted embeddings) need their own accounts.

How does it compare to Zotero's built-in features?

Zotero manages the library; Zotero MCP exposes that library to AI assistants so you can search, discuss and annotate papers conversationally through MCP.

How do I get started?

uv tool install zotero-mcp-server, run zotero-mcp setup, and ask your assistant to find papers on a topic.

// keep exploring

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// alternatives

Alternatives in AI Agents

The most-starred other AI Agents projects in the LibreAI catalogue — the realistic shortlist if zotero-mcp is not the right fit.

Get zotero-mcp

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