MCP Zotero

A connector for Claude Desktop to work with collection and sources on your Zotero Cloud.

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Overview

MCP Zotero is a connector for Claude Desktop that enables interaction with your Zotero library, allowing users to manage their collections and sources efficiently.

To use MCP Zotero, set up your Zotero API key and user ID as environment variables, install the package, and integrate it into your Claude Desktop configuration.

Interact with Zotero collections via a command-line interface - List collections and their items - Retrieve details about specific papers - Search your library for quick access to sources - Get recent paper additions to your library

Academics managing their research collections seamlessly.
Researchers retrieving item details quickly for citation purposes.
Students using it to organize their study materials efficiently.

Add to your AI client

Use these steps to connect MCP Zotero in Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible apps. The same JSON appears in the Use with menu above for one-click copy.

Cursor

Add this to your .cursor/mcp.json file in your project root, then restart Cursor.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-zotero-kaliaboi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-zotero-kaliaboi"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add this server entry to the mcpServers object in your Claude Desktop config, then restart the app.

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-zotero-kaliaboi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-zotero-kaliaboi"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add this to your project's .mcp.json file. Claude Code will detect it automatically.

.mcp.json (project root)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-zotero-kaliaboi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-zotero-kaliaboi"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot)

Add this to your .vscode/mcp.json file. Requires the GitHub Copilot extension with MCP support enabled.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-zotero-kaliaboi": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-zotero-kaliaboi"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add this to your Windsurf MCP config file, then restart Windsurf.

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-zotero-kaliaboi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-zotero-kaliaboi"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cline

Open Cline settings, navigate to MCP Servers, and add this server configuration.

Cline MCP Settings (via UI)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-zotero-kaliaboi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-zotero-kaliaboi"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

How do I get my Zotero API key?

You can create an API key from your Zotero account settings under the 'keys' section.

Is MCP Zotero easy to install?

Yes, it can be installed via npm with simple commands.

What programming environment is required?

MCP Zotero requires a Node.js environment for installation and usage.

Research and data