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Zoteus

Zotero MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT: search, citations, safe writes, PDF passages and pages.

Connector by oscardvs · GitHub account verified by the MCP Registry

IndexedMITLocal (stdio)Remote (HTTP)★ 62
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Install

Works with Claude Code, VS Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop. Read the repository before you give any tool access to your data.

npx agentmarket install connector/oscardvs-zoteus

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.

Remote endpoint

  • https://mcp.zoteus.com/mcp Remote (HTTP)

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About

Zotero MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT: search, citations, safe writes, PDF passages and pages.

Use cases: knowledge-base, deep-research

Reviews

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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
18 read · 5 write · 11 delete
Secrets
1 (API keys, tokens or passwords)
Install scripts
None found
Runs as
Node.js package

Tools by what they do 34

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

Read 18 · Look things up without changing anything.

  • search_tools
  • zotero_bibliography
  • zotero_export
  • zotero_format_bibliography
  • zotero_get_fulltext
  • zotero_get_item
  • zotero_groups
  • zotero_list_collections
  • zotero_list_tags
  • zotero_pdf_images
  • zotero_schema
  • zotero_scholar
Show 6 more tools
  • zotero_search_items
  • zotero_semantic_search
  • zotero_styles
  • zotero_sync
  • zotero_tag_audit
  • zotero_whoami

Write 5 · Create, change, send or run things.

  • zotero_attach_file
  • zotero_evidence_table
  • zotero_import
  • zotero_trash_items
  • zotero_word_document

Delete 11 · Delete, drop, revoke or wipe things.

  • zotero_annotate
  • zotero_attachment
  • zotero_create_items
  • zotero_delete_items
  • zotero_fulltext
  • zotero_index
  • zotero_manage_collections
  • zotero_manage_tags
  • zotero_merge_items
  • zotero_saved_searches
  • zotero_update_item

Secrets and settings it asks for

Secrets: values you paste in that let it act as you.

  • ZOTERO_API_KEY

Other settings (environment variables or headers).

  • ZOTEUS_ALLOW_DELETE
  • ZOTEUS_LOCAL

Network hosts it talks to 20

  • agent-plugins.org · found in code
  • anthropic.com · found in code
  • api.crossref.org · found in code
  • api.github.com · found in code
  • api.openai.com · found in code
  • api.openalex.org · found in code
  • api.zotero.org · found in code
  • arxiv.org · found in code
  • citationstyles.org · found in code
  • doi.org · found in code
  • export.arxiv.org · found in code
  • generativelanguage.googleapis.com · found in code
  • github.com · found in code
  • glama.ai · found in code
  • mcp.zoteus.com · found in remote endpoint, install command, code
  • openalex.org · found in code
  • raw.githubusercontent.com · found in code
  • schemas.openxmlformats.org · found in code
  • zotero.org · found in code
  • zoteus.com · found in code

Files it touches

  • /tmp/zoteus-smoke-
  • Your home directory (~)

Tools (34)

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

  • search_toolsDiscover Zotero toolsread-only

    Discover the available Zotero tools by keyword — useful for progressive disclosure when you do not want to load every tool definition up front (the code-execution-with-MCP pattern). Pass an optional `query` (matched against tool names, titles, and descriptions) and `detail` ("names" or "descriptions", default "descriptions"). Returns the matching `zotero_*` tools so you can pick the right one for a task. With no query, returns the full catalog.

  • zotero_annotateAnnotate a PDF (highlights, notes)

    Add or delete Zotero PDF annotations (highlights, underlines, notes), the same objects you create in the Zotero PDF reader. `action:"add"` needs `parent` (a regular item key OR a PDF attachment key) and `annotations`: each with `type` (highlight|note|underline, default highlight), `text` (the exact passage to highlight), optional `comment`, `color`, `page` (0-based page index). **You do not need page coordinates**: give the passage in `text` and it is located in the PDF and anchored to the exact lines it occupies, so quoting a passage is enough to highlight it. Pass `page` to disambiguate a pa…

  • zotero_attach_fileAttach a file (PDF, snapshot) to an item

    Add a stored file attachment (e.g. a PDF full text) under an existing item. Give `parent` (the item key) and one of `url` (Zoteus downloads it, then stores it), `path` (a file on the machine running Zoteus), or `find_oa: true` (Zoteus looks the parent item's DOI up in OpenAlex and attaches the open-access PDF, if there is one). `find_oa` finds only copies OpenAlex already knows about, which is arXiv, PubMed Central, DOAJ journals and institutional repositories: it is not a way past a paywall, and it says so plainly when there is no free copy. The copy it finds is often the author's accepted or…

  • zotero_attachmentZotero attachments (files)can change or delete data

    Upload, download, or inspect attachment files. `action`: "upload" stores a file as a Zotero attachment using the full File Storage protocol (provide `url` to have Zoteus fetch it, or `file_path` for a file on the machine running Zoteus; optional `parent_item` to attach it under an item, `title`, `content_type`) and returns the new attachment key; "download" fetches an attachment's file to a local path (provide `item_key`; optional `save_path`, default under the Zoteus data dir) and returns the path and byte count; "info" returns an attachment item's metadata. File bytes are written to / read f…

  • zotero_bibliographyServer-rendered bibliography (library items)read-only

    Produce a formatted bibliography for items already in a Zotero library, rendered server-side by Zotero in a CSL style (by the desktop app for a library it serves, so no cloud key is needed there; otherwise by the Web API). Provide `item_keys` and optionally `style` (a name such as "apa" or "chicago author-date", or a CSL id; unset renders Zotero's default, chicago-shortened-notes-bibliography), `locale`, and `linkwrap`. Returns XHTML. Note: this endpoint is item-only and capped at 150 items. For arbitrary CSL-JSON or items not in the library, use zotero_format_bibliography instead.

  • zotero_create_itemsCreate or update Zotero itemscan change or delete data

    Create new items or update existing ones in a single batch (the server auto-chunks into groups of 50). `items` is an ARRAY of item-data objects; each object has `itemType` as a **plain string** (e.g. "journalArticle", "book", "preprint", "report") plus its valid fields, `creators` (each `{creatorType, firstName, lastName}` or `{creatorType, name}`), `tags` (`[{tag}]`), and `collections` (array of 8-char collection keys). To UPDATE an existing item, also include its `key` and current `version`; to CREATE, omit both. Every item is validated against the Zotero schema before anything is sent — if …

  • zotero_delete_itemsPermanently delete Zotero itemscan change or delete data

    PERMANENTLY and IRREVERSIBLY delete items by key (this purges them; it is NOT the trash). Prefer zotero_trash_items, which is reversible. This tool is disabled unless the server is started with ZOTEUS_ALLOW_DELETE=true, and additionally requires `confirm: true` on every call. For the personal library, and for a group library the running Zotero desktop app holds, it goes through that app when it supports local-API writes (Zotero 10+), otherwise the cloud Web API. The current library version is used as a precondition; the operation auto-chunks to 50 keys per request.

  • zotero_evidence_tableRender an evidence table

    Render rows of retrieved evidence as a Markdown or CSV table, deterministically, from passages you already retrieved with zotero_get_fulltext and zotero_semantic_search. This tool does NOT search and does NOT read the library: it formats what you pass it and echoes each row's quotation, locator and coverage back unchanged. It counts the coverage summary from the rows rather than taking your word for it, and it warns, naming the row, when a row contradicts its own evidence (a page locator with no quotation, coverage claiming a retrieved passage with no quotation, a quotation on a source marked …

  • zotero_exportExport Zotero itemsread-only

    Export items in a bibliographic format and return the raw text. Choose `format` (bibtex, biblatex, better-biblatex, ris, csljson, csv, mods, tei, coins, rdf_*, refer, wikipedia, bookmarks). Stock formats are rendered by Zotero itself: by the desktop app when it serves the selected library (no cloud key needed), by the Web API otherwise. `biblatex` is Zotero's STOCK translator; BBT-specific options (citation-key generation, sentence-case, biblatexExtendedNameFormat, unicode→LaTeX) are NOT available there. `better-biblatex` uses the local desktop Better BibTeX plugin (your configured BBT export …

  • zotero_format_bibliographyFormat a bibliography (citeproc / any CSL style)read-only

    Render a formatted bibliography in any CSL style using citeproc-js — no Zotero library write required. Provide either `items` (an array of CSL-JSON objects, e.g. from zotero_import or external metadata) or `item_keys` (library items, which are exported to CSL-JSON first). Choose `style` (a name like "APA 7th" or a CSL id; default "apa"), `locale` (default "en-US"), and `format` (html/text/rtf; default html). The formatted bibliography text is returned. Use this for arbitrary items or styles; for items already in the library you can also use zotero_bibliography (server-rendered).

  • zotero_fulltextAttachment full-textcan change or delete data

    Not a search: to find which items contain a term, use `zotero_search_items` with qmode=everything. This reads, sets, or tracks one attachment's already-extracted full text by key. `action`: "get" returns the indexed text content plus indexing stats for an attachment item (only attachment items have full text; returns found:false if none); "set" stores extracted text for an attachment (provide `content` and the indexing counts); "since" returns the map of attachment keys whose full text changed after a given library `version` (useful for incremental indexing). Only attachment items support full…

  • zotero_get_fulltextGet attachment full text / passages / outline (read-only)read-only

    Retrieve an item's PDF or EPUB text for grounding. Pass a parent `item_key` (its best PDF/EPUB attachment is resolved automatically) or an attachment key. With `query`, returns the top relevant passages with locators (char offsets, nearest section, and a page); with `page_range` (e.g. "3-7"), returns just those pages, re-extracted from the PDF so the span is exact; with `outline:true`, returns the PDF's table of contents with page numbers (the cheapest way to decide which pages to read next); with none of them, returns a truncated head. Text comes from Zotero's full-text index when available; …

  • zotero_get_itemGet a Zotero itemread-only

    Fetch one item by its key, returning the full item record (itemType, all bibliographic fields, creators, tags, collections, relations, version). Optionally set `include_children` to also return the item's child notes and attachments. Use `include` to additionally request rendered output: "bib" (formatted bibliography entry), "citation" (inline citation), or "csljson" (CSL-JSON for downstream formatting); combine with `style` (a style name such as "apa" or "chicago author-date", a CSL style id such as chicago-notes-bibliography, or the URL of a CSL file; unset renders Zotero's default, Chicago …

  • zotero_groupsList Zotero groupsread-only

    List the group libraries this server can reach, with each group's id and name. Use a returned group id with the `library_id`/`library_type:"group"` parameters of other tools to operate on that group library; `library_type` alone does not address a group. With a cloud API key each group the key can access is listed with its type, item count, description and edit permissions, plus `canWrite`: whether this key may write to that group, decided from the key's own access map without sending a write, and `writeBlockedReason` naming the remedy when it may not. Without a key the list falls back to the …

  • zotero_importImport items by identifier, URL, bibliography file or PDF

    Resolve bibliographic metadata to Zotero item-data and optionally save it to your library. `action: "by_identifier"` resolves a DOI, ISBN, PMID, arXiv id, or ADS bibcode (set `identifier`). `action: "by_url"` scrapes a web page (set `url`) and may return multiple choices to pick from. `action: "by_file"` imports a BibTeX, RIS or CSL-JSON bibliography: set `text` with the contents or `path` with a local file. Those three formats are parsed by Zoteus itself, so they need no translation-server, no Docker and no network; a reachable translation-server is used first when there is one, because it co…

Show 19 more tools
  • zotero_indexBuild the semantic search indexcan change or delete data

    Description is built at runtime.

  • zotero_list_collectionsList Zotero collections (read-only)read-only

    List collections in a Zotero library (key, name, parent collection key, item count), sorted by name. Read-only: available even in read-only mode (unlike zotero_manage_collections, which also writes). Every collection in the library is read, then `q` filters by name and `start`/`limit` page the result; `totalResults` says how many there are, so a large library is never mistaken for its first page. Use the keys to scope zotero_search_items (collectionKey) or zotero_tag_audit (scope.collection_keys).

  • zotero_list_tagsList Zotero tags (read-only)read-only

    List tags in a Zotero library with their usage count and whether each was auto-applied by Zotero. Optional `q` substring filter and `limit`. Read-only: available even when the connector runs in read-only mode (unlike zotero_manage_tags, which also writes). For taxonomy hygiene use zotero_tag_audit. Served by the running Zotero desktop app for any library it holds, so it needs no cloud API key.

  • zotero_manage_collectionsManage Zotero collectionscan change or delete data

    List, create, rename, reparent, or delete collections, and move items into or out of a collection. Set `action` to one of: "list" (collections with key/name/parent, sorted by name; `q` filters by name over the whole library, `start`/`limit` page, `totalResults` counts them all), "create" (needs `name`, optional `parent_collection` key; omit it for top-level), "rename" (needs `collection_key` + `name`), "reparent" (needs `collection_key`; `parent_collection` key, or omit to move to top level), "delete" (needs `collection_key`), "add_items" / "remove_items" (need `collection_key` + `item_keys`; …

  • zotero_manage_tagsManage Zotero tagscan change or delete data

    List tags, or add/remove tags on items. Set `action` to "list" (returns library tags; supports `q` substring filter), "add" (add `tags` to each of `item_keys`), or "remove" (remove `tags` from each of `item_keys`). Tags are stored on the parent item's tag array, so add/remove edits the items: in your personal library through the running Zotero desktop app (Zotero 10+) when it is up, otherwise through the cloud Web API; group libraries always write to the cloud. Tag names are case-sensitive. When the server sets a bulk-write threshold (ZOTEUS_CONFIRM_BULK_WRITES, off by default), editing more i…

  • zotero_merge_itemsMerge duplicate itemscan change or delete data

    Merge one or more duplicate items into a master item: fields the master is MISSING are filled from the duplicates, their tags, collections and relations are unioned onto it, their child notes and attachments are reparented to it, and the emptied duplicates are moved to the trash (recoverable). A field the master already has is never overwritten, and nothing is ever deleted outright. PREVIEWS BY DEFAULT: with `dry_run` unset or true nothing is written and the answer is the exact plan, field by field, so the caller can see what would change before it changes. Pass `dry_run:false` to execute. The…

  • zotero_pdf_imagesLook at PDF pages and figures as images (read-only)read-only

    See a PDF the way a reader does. Text extraction (zotero_get_fulltext) loses figures, turns tables into run-together numbers, drops most equations, and returns nothing for a scanned page with no text layer; this tool returns pictures instead. Pass a parent `item_key` (its PDF attachment is resolved automatically, exactly as zotero_get_fulltext does) or an attachment key, a `mode`, and `pages` ("3" or "3-7", 1-based; default "1"). `mode:"pages"` renders whole pages and returns them as image content blocks you can look at, followed by a JSON block with each page's pixel size and byte count: the …

  • zotero_saved_searchesManage Zotero saved searchescan change or delete data

    List, create, or delete saved-search DEFINITIONS. NOTE: the Zotero cloud Web API stores saved searches but does NOT execute them — to get the items a saved search matches, run an equivalent zotero_search_items query (or use the desktop local API when available). Set `action` to "list" (all saved searches with their conditions), "create" (needs `name` and `conditions`, each `{condition, operator, value}`), or "delete" (needs `search_key`). Writes to your personal library go to the running Zotero desktop app (Zotero 10+) and otherwise to the cloud Web API; group libraries always write to the clo…

  • zotero_schemaZotero data model (types & fields)read-only

    Return the Zotero data model so you never hardcode item shapes. With no arguments, returns the schema version and the list of all item type names. With `item_type`, returns the valid fields and creator types for that type (the "primary" creator type is listed first). Use this to validate an item before creating or updating it: notes, attachments, and annotations are item types too but bypass the normal field/creator model.

  • zotero_scholarScholarly context (references, citations, related)read-only

    Explore the EXTERNAL scholarly graph around a paper (OpenAlex, Crossref fallback). This does NOT search, list, or read your Zotero library: it queries the open web, and results are works from the scholarly web, not your items. To search or inspect YOUR library use zotero_search_items, zotero_semantic_search, zotero_get_item, or zotero_list_tags instead. Provide a `doi` and an `action`: "lookup" (metadata + citation count, plus an `oa` block naming the open-access PDF OpenAlex knows of, when there is one), "references" (works this paper cites), "citations" (works that cite this paper, most-cite…

  • zotero_search_itemsSearch Zotero itemsread-only

    Search or list items in a Zotero library or collection. Quick search via `q` (`qmode`: titleCreatorYear=default, matches title/creator/year only; everything=also searches notes & attachment full text). For presence checks ("is X in my library?"): a default-mode `q` that matches nothing auto-retries once in `everything` mode, so terms appearing only inside PDF text don't false-negative — pin `qmode` explicitly to disable. An empty `everything` result is reported as strong-but-not-conclusive, since un-indexed/scanned/un-synced PDFs aren't full-text searchable. Also supports boolean `itemType` fi…

  • zotero_semantic_searchSemantic / hybrid library searchread-only

    Search the library by meaning, not just keywords. Combines BM25 keyword scoring with vector similarity (when an embedding provider is configured) via reciprocal-rank fusion, and returns the best-matching items with a snippet and score. By default it searches item metadata and abstracts; if the index was built with `fulltext` on (zotero_index fulltext:true, or ZOTEUS_INDEX_FULLTEXT=true) it also searches the body text of attachments, and a hit whose snippet came from a PDF body is marked source:"fulltext". It ALSO searches the words the reader wrote — child notes and PDF annotations (highlight …

  • zotero_stylesResolve CSL citation stylesread-only

    Resolve a human citation-style name to a valid CSL style id and confirm it is available, or list common style aliases. `action: "resolve"` maps names like "APA 7th", "IEEE", "Vancouver", "Chicago", "MLA", "Nature" to the correct CSL id (e.g. apa, ieee, modern-language-association) and verifies the style can be fetched; pass the returned `styleId` as the `style` argument to zotero_format_bibliography or zotero_bibliography. `action: "list"` returns the built-in common aliases (any id from the CSL styles repository also works). Dependent styles are resolved to their independent parent automatica…

  • zotero_syncIncremental sync deltaread-only

    Return what changed in a library since a given version, for efficient incremental sync. Provide `since` (a library version; 0 = everything). Returns, per object type (items/collections/searches/tags), the map of keys→version that changed after `since`, plus the deletion log (keys removed since `since`). This is the version-based delta the Zotero sync algorithm uses: fetch the changed keys, then pull only those with zotero_get_item/zotero_search_items. Follows the library route: a running Zotero desktop app serves the delta for any library it holds, with no cloud API key, and otherwise the clou…

  • zotero_tag_auditAudit tags against a controlled vocabularyread-only

    Audit a library against a controlled tag vocabulary with priority tiers. Provide the vocabulary inline as `vocabulary` (or a JSON file via `vocabulary_path`): { tags:[{name,tier?}], tiers?:[{name,required?}] }. Reports (1) off-taxonomy tags (library tags not in the vocabulary; Zotero auto-applied tags are bucketed separately unless include_auto), (2) items missing a tag from each required tier, and (3) optional per-collection coverage when `scope.collection_keys` is given. A key that none of these objects knows is refused and named, never dropped: a dropped `scope`, `tier` or `required` would …

  • zotero_trash_itemsTrash or restore Zotero items

    Move items to the trash (the safe, REVERSIBLE default) or restore them. This sets the `deleted` flag (1=trash, 0=restore); it is NOT a permanent delete, so trashed items can be recovered here or in the Zotero app. Use this instead of zotero_delete_items unless you truly need irreversible removal. Provide `item_keys` and optional `action` (default "trash"). Writes go to the running Zotero desktop app (its local-API writes, Zotero 10+) for your personal library and for any group library the app holds, otherwise to the cloud Web API. When the server sets a bulk-write threshold (ZOTEUS_CONFIRM_BUL…

  • zotero_update_itemUpdate a Zotero itemcan change or delete data

    Partially update one item (HTTP PATCH — only the fields you supply change; omitted fields are preserved). Provide `item_key` and a `patch` object of the fields to change (e.g. {"title":"New","extra":"note"} or {"tags":[{"tag":"reviewed"}]}). All field values are plain JSON strings/numbers/booleans/arrays — never wrapped in nested objects (e.g. `"title": "New"`, NOT `"title": {"title": "New"}`). Optimistic concurrency is handled for you: if you pass the item's `version` it is used; otherwise the current version is fetched first. If the item changed on the server in the meantime (412), the updat…

  • zotero_whoamiZotero identity & accessread-only

    Resolve the current Zotero identity (userID, username, display name) and per-library access scopes from the configured API key, report the running Zoteus `version`, and report which library backends are available (cloud Web API and/or the desktop local API). Call this first to discover the userID — never ask the user to type a numeric ID. It also reports which library every call defaults to and WHY (`defaultLibrary.source`: pinned by whoever runs the server, derived from the key, or the desktop app's own library), whether this caller has a context of their own or shares the one the server oper…

  • zotero_word_documentWrite a Word document with live Zotero citations

    Write a .docx whose citations are LIVE Zotero fields, not plain text: Zotero's Word plugin is meant to refresh, restyle and add to them (never run here, so check your first document). Give `body` as paragraphs containing `[[cite:ITEMKEY]]` or `[[cite:ITEMKEY,p. 12]]` placeholders; `[[cite:KEY1;KEY2]]` puts several works in one field, which is how "(Wu, 2026; Devos, 2026)" is written. Each placeholder becomes a Word field carrying the item's CSL data, with the formatted citation as its visible text. A bibliography field is appended by default. For plain formatted references with no live fields …

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    Forks
    5
    Open issues
    3
    Contributors
    3
    Weekly downloads
    275
    Last commit
    Oct 19, 2026 (9 days ago)
    Last release
    Oct 19, 2026 (9 days ago)
    Last package publish
    Oct 19, 2026 (9 days ago)

    From GitHub (fetched Oct 24, 2026) and the package registry.

    Details

    Registry name
    io.github.oscardvs/zoteus
    Version
    1.23.0
    Auth
    Auth not stated, API key
    Packages
    npm @oscardvs/zoteus
    License
    MIT
    Repository
    github.com/oscardvs/zoteus
    Website
    zoteus.com
    First seen
    Oct 24, 2026
    Last checked
    Oct 24, 2026
    Source
    Official MCP Registrygithub-graphql

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    Cite this page

    Zoteus MCP server. Agent Mart. https://agentmart.dev/connectors/oscardvs-zoteus (last updated 2026-10-24)