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Zotero Native MCP

Read and write your local Zotero 10 library.

Connector by dvdsosa · GitHub account verified by the MCP Registry

IndexedMITLocal (stdio)★ 10
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Works with Claude Code, Codex, VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop. Read the repository before you give any tool access to your data.

npx agentmarket install connector/dvdsosa-zotero-native-mcp

Asks which of your tools to add it to (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop) and shows the change first. See https://agentmart.dev/cli.

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About

Read and write your local Zotero 10 library. No plugin, no zotero.org API key, no cloud.

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Permissions

What this server can do and what it asks for, from its tool list, install config and code. Checked Oct 25, 2026.

Tools
15 read · 9 write · 4 delete
Secrets
None asked for
Install scripts
None found
Runs as
Node.js package

Tools by what they do 28

Read from the source code; the running server may list different tools.

Read 15 · Look things up without changing anything.

  • zotero_export_items
  • zotero_get_attachment_path
  • zotero_get_collection
  • zotero_get_item
  • zotero_get_item_children
  • zotero_get_item_fulltext
  • zotero_get_item_type_fields
  • zotero_list_collections
  • zotero_list_libraries
  • zotero_list_saved_searches
  • zotero_list_tags
  • zotero_list_trash
Show 3 more tools
  • zotero_run_saved_search
  • zotero_search_items
  • zotero_status

Write 9 · Create, change, send or run things.

  • zotero_add_items_to_collection
  • zotero_attach_file
  • zotero_authorize
  • zotero_create_collection
  • zotero_create_items
  • zotero_restore_collection
  • zotero_restore_items
  • zotero_update_collection
  • zotero_update_item

Delete 4 · Delete, drop, revoke or wipe things.

  • zotero_delete_collection
  • zotero_delete_items
  • zotero_empty_trash
  • zotero_remove_items_from_collection

Secrets and settings it asks for

Other settings (environment variables or headers).

  • ZOTERO_LOCAL_APP_NAME
  • ZOTERO_LOCAL_PORT

Network hosts it talks to 2

  • github.com · found in code
  • glama.ai · found in code

Files it touches

  • /Users/me/papers/smith-2024.pdf
  • Your home directory (~)

Tools (28)

Read from the source code; the running server may differ. Descriptions are the server’s own words; hidden characters are shown as [U+…].

  • zotero_add_items_to_collectionAdd items to a collection

    File existing items into a collection, keeping every collection they already belong to. An item in Zotero can sit in any number of collections, so this adds rather than moves. Items already in the collection are reported as unchanged and cost no write.

  • zotero_attach_fileAttach a local file

    Attach a file from disk to a Zotero item, or add it as a standalone attachment. mode="linked" (default) records the path only: instant for any file size, but the file must stay put and the attachment does not sync to zotero.org. mode="imported" copies the file into Zotero's storage, so it syncs and survives the original being moved. Group libraries accept only "imported", since a local path means nothing to other members. filePath must be absolute. Pass parentItemKey to hang the file off an existing reference; omit it for a standalone attachment, optionally filed into collections.

  • zotero_authorizeRequest Zotero write access

    Request a local API key so write tools (creating collections, items, and attachments) can run. This raises a modal dialog inside Zotero on the user's screen with three choices: "Allow" issues a single-use key, "Always Allow" issues a persistent one, and "Deny" refuses. Tell the user to expect the dialog, and to pick "Always Allow" for a session that will perform several writes. The key is stored locally and reused; write tools also re-authorize on their own when a single-use key is spent, so calling this manually is only needed to grant access up front. Calling it when a key is already stored …

  • zotero_create_collectionCreate collections

    Create one or more collections, optionally nested under an existing collection. Up to 50 per call. Creating a nested tree takes one call per level, since a child needs its parent's key. Requires write access; zotero_authorize runs automatically if none has been granted.

  • zotero_create_itemsCreate items

    Create up to 50 items in one call. Set `collections` on an item to file it into collections as it is created, which is cheaper than creating it and moving it afterwards. Notes and attachments are created by setting parentItem. To attach a file from disk use zotero_attach_file instead, which handles the whole attachment protocol. Check the returned `failures` array: Zotero validates each item independently, so some can succeed while others fail.

  • zotero_delete_collectionDelete collectionscan change or delete data

    Move collections to Zotero's trash, which is reversible and the default. The items inside are never deleted either way: they stay in the library and in any other collection they belong to. Subcollections follow their parent. Pass permanent: true only on an explicit request from the user, to erase the collections outright with no way back. Note that a trashed collection cannot be listed through the local API, so record the key returned here if it may need restoring.

  • zotero_delete_itemsDelete itemscan change or delete data

    Move up to 50 items to Zotero's trash, where the user can restore them from the Zotero window or with zotero_restore_items. This is the default and it is reversible. Trashed items keep their attachments and files; Zotero empties the trash automatically after 30 days by default. Pass permanent: true only when the user has explicitly asked for an irreversible delete: that erases the items outright, takes their child notes and attachments with them, removes attachment files from disk, and cannot be undone by anything.

  • zotero_empty_trashEmpty the trashcan change or delete data

    Permanently erase every item in the trash. This is irreversible and removes attachment files from disk. As an interlock against emptying a trash the caller has not looked at, expectedCount must equal the number of items actually in it: call zotero_list_trash first and pass its totalResults. If the two disagree the call is refused and nothing is deleted. Only use this when the user has explicitly asked to empty the trash.

  • zotero_export_itemsExport citationsread-only

    Export items in a citation format. Use format "bibtex", "biblatex", "ris", "csljson", "csv" or "tei" for a machine-readable export, or "bib" to render a formatted bibliography in a citation style (set `style`, e.g. "apa", "chicago-note-bibliography", "ieee"). Returns the export as text.

  • zotero_get_attachment_pathGet an attachment file pathread-only

    Resolve an attachment to its absolute path on this machine, so the file can be opened and read directly. Works for both linked and imported attachments. Passing a regular item key returns the paths of all of its file attachments. Use this to read a PDF whose text Zotero has not indexed.

  • zotero_get_collectionGet a collectionread-only

    Fetch one collection by key, including its name, parent collection, item count and current version. The version is what zotero_update_collection and zotero_delete_collection use for conflict detection.

  • zotero_get_itemGet an itemread-only

    Fetch one item by key with all of its metadata. Set includeChildren to also return its notes and attachments, which is the quickest way to find the attachment key needed to read a PDF or its full text.

  • zotero_get_item_childrenGet item childrenread-only

    List the child notes, attachments and annotations of an item. Attachment children carry the linkMode and filename needed by zotero_get_attachment_path and zotero_get_item_fulltext.

  • zotero_get_item_fulltextGet attachment full textread-only

    Return the indexed full text of an attachment. Passing a regular item key works too: its attachments are searched and the first one with indexed text is used. Text comes from Zotero's own index, so it is available only for attachments Zotero has indexed. Long documents can be truncated with maxCharacters.

  • zotero_get_item_type_fieldsDescribe an item typeread-only

    List the valid field names and creator types for a Zotero item type, or list every item type when itemType is omitted. Call this before zotero_create_items with an unfamiliar item type: Zotero rejects a write outright if it carries a field the type does not define.

Show 13 more tools
  • zotero_list_collectionsList collectionsread-only

    List collections in a library. scope="all" returns every collection flat (each carrying its parentCollection key, so the full tree can be reconstructed in one call), "top" returns only root-level collections, and "children" returns the direct subcollections of parentKey. Collection keys returned here are what zotero_create_items, zotero_add_items_to_collection and zotero_search_items take.

  • zotero_list_librariesList librariesread-only

    List the personal library and every group library available locally. Use this to get the groupId that other tools take when the target is a group library rather than "My Library".

  • zotero_list_saved_searchesList saved searchesread-only

    List the saved searches defined in the library, with their conditions. Run one with zotero_run_saved_search. Note that the local API can actually execute saved searches, which the zotero.org web API cannot.

  • zotero_list_tagsList tagsread-only

    List tags in the library, optionally only those used within one collection or matching a search. Useful for discovering how a library is organized before filtering zotero_search_items by tag.

  • zotero_list_trashList the trashread-only

    List the items currently in Zotero's trash, which are the ones zotero_restore_items can bring back. Note that trashed *collections* do not appear here: Zotero's local API offers no way to enumerate them, so a trashed collection can only be restored by key or from the Zotero window.

  • zotero_remove_items_from_collectionRemove items from a collection

    Remove items from one collection. The items stay in the library and in any other collection they belong to; nothing is deleted. Items that were not in the collection are reported as unchanged.

  • zotero_restore_collectionRestore collections from the trash

    Bring collections back out of Zotero's trash, undoing a non-permanent zotero_delete_collection. You must know the key: Zotero's local API cannot list trashed collections, so there is no way to discover them from here, the user can see them in the Zotero window's trash. A collection erased permanently cannot be restored at all.

  • zotero_restore_itemsRestore items from the trash

    Bring items back out of Zotero's trash, undoing a non-permanent zotero_delete_items. The items return to the collections they were in. Only works while they are still in the trash: nothing can recover an item that was erased permanently or that Zotero has already purged after its 30-day retention.

  • zotero_run_saved_searchRun a saved searchread-only

    Execute a saved search and return the matching items. The search runs against the local database using Zotero's own engine, so the results match what the saved search shows in the Zotero UI.

  • zotero_search_itemsSearch itemsread-only

    Search the local Zotero library. `q` runs Zotero's quicksearch: qmode "titleCreatorYear" (default) matches titles, creators and years, while "everything" also matches attachment full text and notes. Filters combine: pass collectionKey to search inside one collection, itemType to restrict by type ("-attachment" excludes a type), tag to filter by tag. Omit `q` to browse. Returns flattened item metadata; use zotero_get_item for one item in full.

  • zotero_statusZotero connection statusread-only

    Check that the local Zotero instance is running and reachable, and report its version, schema version, instance ID, and whether write access has been granted yet. Call this first when any other tool reports a connection or authorization problem.

  • zotero_update_collectionRename or move a collection

    Rename a collection and/or move it under a different parent. Pass parentCollectionKey=null to move a collection to the root of the library. The current version is fetched automatically unless expectedVersion is given, in which case the write fails with a conflict if the collection changed in the meantime.

  • zotero_update_itemUpdate an item

    Patch fields on an existing item. Only the fields passed in `fields` change; everything else is left alone. Array fields are replaced wholesale, so to change collection membership prefer zotero_add_items_to_collection / zotero_remove_items_from_collection, which merge instead of overwriting. The current version is read automatically unless expectedVersion is supplied.

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    Last commit
    Oct 20, 2026 (8 days ago)
    Last release
    Oct 7, 2026 (21 days ago)

    From GitHub (fetched Oct 24, 2026).

    Details

    Registry name
    io.github.dvdsosa/zotero-native-mcp
    Version
    1.0.2
    Auth
    No auth
    Packages
    npm zotero-native-mcp
    License
    MIT
    Repository
    github.com/dvdsosa/zotero-native-mcp
    First seen
    Oct 24, 2026
    Last checked
    Oct 25, 2026
    Source
    Official MCP Registrygithub-graphql
    Cite this page

    Zotero Native MCP. Agent Mart. https://agentmart.dev/connectors/dvdsosa-zotero-native-mcp (last updated 2026-10-25)