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Zotero MCP

Zotero MCP is an MCP server that adds developer tools to AI assistants such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor. Search, read, annotate, and add to your Zotero research library, local or web. It has 5,265 GitHub stars, is released under the MIT license and runs locally with uvx zotero-mcp-server.

github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp (opens in a new tab)

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Install Zotero MCP

Generated from the server's MCP registry entry. Replace your-value with your own values.

Claude Desktop

claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zotero-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings > Developer > Edit Config. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\. Restart Claude Desktop afterwards.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --env ZOTERO_API_KEY=your-value --transport stdio zotero-mcp -- uvx zotero-mcp-server

Cursor

.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zotero-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Project file; use ~/.cursor/mcp.json to enable it in every project.

VS Code

.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "zotero_api_key",
      "description": "ZOTERO_API_KEY",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "zotero-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zotero-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "${input:zotero_api_key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Config formats checked against the official docs on Oct 7, 2026: modelcontextprotocol.io (opens in a new tab), code.claude.com (opens in a new tab), cursor.com (opens in a new tab), code.visualstudio.com (opens in a new tab).

Environment variables

Variables the server reads at startup.

NameRequiredDescription
ZOTERO_LOCALNoRead from the local Zotero desktop app instead of the web API. Requires Zotero 7+ with the local API enabled in Settings > Advanced.
ZOTERO_API_KEYsecretNoZotero Web API key from https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys. Only needed when ZOTERO_LOCAL is false, or for write operations in hybrid mode.
ZOTERO_LIBRARY_IDNoZotero user or group library ID. Only needed when ZOTERO_LOCAL is false, or for write operations in hybrid mode.
ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPENoWhether ZOTEROLIBRARYID refers to a personal or a group library.
ZOTERO_MCP_TOOLSETSNoWhich optional tool groups to expose, as a comma-separated list. Every tool is sent to the model on each request, so optional capabilities are off by default…

About Zotero MCP

Zotero MCP connects your Zotero research library with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI assistants (e.g., Cherry Studio, Chorus, Cursor) via the Model Context Protocol. Search your library, read and annotate papers, add and organize items, and find research by meaning.

  • claude
  • mcp
  • zotero
  • semantic-search
  • ai-agent
  • chatgpt
  • claude-code
  • mcp-server
  • model-context-protocol
  • research-tools

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FAQ

Zotero MCP FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is Zotero MCP?

Zotero MCP is an MCP server that adds developer tools to AI assistants such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor. Search, read, annotate, and add to your Zotero research library, local or web. It has 5,265 GitHub stars, is released under the MIT license and runs locally with uvx zotero-mcp-server. The source code is at github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp.

How do I install the Zotero MCP MCP server?

Add the command uvx zotero-mcp-server to your MCP client: put it in claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop, run claude mcp add for Claude Code, or add it to .cursor/mcp.json (Cursor) or .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code). The snippets on this page are ready to paste.

Is Zotero MCP free?

The server is open source under the MIT license, so running it is free. It needs credentials (ZOTERO_API_KEY) for the service it connects to, which may require a paid account.

Is Zotero MCP actively maintained?

The most recent commit was on Oct 7, 2026. The latest release is v0.13.3, published Oct 7, 2026. appsgit only lists MCP servers with a commit in the last six months and re-checks every server daily.