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Zotero MCP

Connects your Zotero research library to AI assistants so you can search, read and cite papers by chatting.

New this week

What it does

Zotero MCP links Zotero, a popular free app for managing research papers, with AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT. It uses MCP, a standard way for AI apps to connect to tools and data.

Through it, an assistant can search your library by title, author, tag or meaning, read papers and page ranges, add highlights and notes, add new papers and manage collections.

There are three ways to use it: as a connector for chat apps, as a skill for coding agents, or as a chat panel inside Zotero itself next to the PDF you are reading.

Who it's for

Researchers, students and academics who keep their papers in Zotero and use AI assistants.

Can I use it without coding?

With some setup. It installs with a Python tool; a community-made installer is mentioned for people new to the command line. New to this? Start here.

Can I run it?

Cost
Free, but needs an AI accountThe software is free, but it uses an online AI service (like OpenAI or Anthropic), which usually charges for use.
Runs on
Mac, Windows, Linux
Computer
An ordinary computer is fine
Privacy
Your choice: run it on your device or use an online service
API key
Not needed

Try it

  1. Install Zotero MCP using Python's package tools, or the community-made installer.
  2. In Zotero's advanced settings, allow other apps on your computer to talk to Zotero.
  3. Connect your AI assistant, for example with the built-in setup for Claude Desktop.

Using Claude Code, Cursor or another AI coding assistant? Paste the prompt and it will walk you through the setup.New to this?

Before you install

  • Only download from the official GitHub page. Copies with similar names exist for many popular projects.
  • License (MIT): Very permissive: free to use, change and share, including for business.
  • More on staying safe

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