Zotero MCP

Zotero MCP connects research libraries to AI assistants to search, read, annotate, and manage papers.

Zotero MCP connects a Zotero research library to AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT through the Model Context Protocol or an agent skill. It allows users to search libraries, read full texts, extract annotations, export citations, and add new items from local or web sources. The software runs locally against SQLite or through the Zotero web API, supporting hybrid and remote setups. It is designed for researchers, students, and academics who want to discuss papers, analyze citations, and organize references directly within AI chat interfaces. Optional extras support semantic search with local or cloud embedding models, and integration with services like OpenAlex and Scite.

Zotero MCP at a glance

Best for: Researcher, Student
Runs on: macOS, Windows, Linux, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, API, CLI, open source
Pricing: Free and open source under the MIT license with optional sponsored tiers at $50 and $200 per month.
Released: March 2025
Category: AI research tool
Website: stevenyuyy.com

Key features

Search keyword and semantic matching
Extract PDF annotations and notes
Export metadata in BibTeX, JSON, or Markdown
Add items via DOI, URL, ISBN, or file
Find open-access PDFs automatically
Manage collections and tags
Retrieve citation counts and retraction alerts

Use it for

Discuss research papers inside Claude or ChatGPT
Find conceptually similar papers using semantic search
Extract all PDF annotations and highlights automatically
Export BibTeX citations for machine learning papers

Alternatives to Zotero MCP

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LLM for Zotero — Chat with papers, manage your library, and save notes without leaving Zotero.
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arXiv MCP Server — Enables local agent literature work with arXiv metadata and optional search.
Scite — It uses direct publisher agreements to verify scientific claims with exact source links.
Paperguide — Systematic reviews with PRISMA reporting and cited extraction
Agent Bayes — Builds defensible research mindmaps with page-level citations.
Paper2Agent — It enables direct interaction with research papers and automatic result reproduction.
ResearchRabbit — Access over 310 million academic papers and map research fields visually.
Apify MCP Server — Connects AI agents with over 79,000 web scraping and automation tools.
Claude Scholar — It keeps human decision-making at the center while accelerating repetitive research tasks.
ChatPDF — It links answers to exact source citations in your document.

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