Zoteus: your Zotero library in Claude and ChatGPT
Zoteus
A Zotero MCP server: keyword and semantic search, PDF passages with page numbers, CSL citations and adding papers by DOI
- 65 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
Extended access
Why this level
- The agent writes to your Zotero library: it adds items, tags and annotations, so a mistake lands in your data
- PDF and note contents reach the agent context and may carry instructions from others
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/zoteusDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The agent writes to your Zotero library: it adds items, tags and annotations, so a mistake lands in your data
- PDF and note contents reach the agent context and may carry instructions from others
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Zoteus gives an agent access to a Zotero library. Tools prefixed with zotero_ search titles, abstracts, creators and tags with hybrid keyword and semantic search, find passages in PDF text with page numbers and show pages and figures as images. citeproc-js builds citations and bibliographies in any CSL style. A paper is added by DOI or arXiv ID: built-in resolvers fetch the metadata, and the Zotero translation server extends this to ISBN, PMID and URLs. Writes are versioned with retries on conflict, trash is reversible and permanent deletion is off and confirmation-gated. On Zotero 10 and newer the agent writes straight into the running app with no cloud key and creates highlights and notes in PDFs through zotero_annotate. Semantic search builds a local SQLite index and computes embeddings on the device by default, with Ollama, OpenAI and Gemini as options.
Who it is for. Researchers and students who keep literature in Zotero and need exact quotes, citations and semantic search.
Good fit when
- You need to find where an author discusses a method in the library PDFs and quote it with the page
- You want an evidence table across ten papers with quotes
- A reference list for a text should come out in GOST or APA style from selected records
- You want to add a paper by DOI to a collection and tag it right away
- Highlights and notes in PDFs should be sorted by theme
Not a fit when
- Your library is not in Zotero: the server works only with it
- The agent must not change the library: writes and annotations are on, so limit access with a read-only key
- You need semantic search over every PDF body at no cost: full-text indexing is opt-in and expensive
Example request
Find papers about transformers for time series in my library, quote a passage with the page number and format the list in APA style.MCP
- Transport
- stdio, http
- Authentication
- key is optional
Environment variables
ZOTERO_API_KEYsecret- Zotero API key for sync and group libraries
ZOTEUS_ALLOW_DELETE- The value true allows permanent deletion of items
ZOTEUS_EMBEDDINGS- Embedding source: local, ollama, openai, gemini or off
Limitations
Reading and writing through the app needs Zotero running, and app writes need Zotero 10 or newer. A cloud API key is needed for sync, group libraries the app does not hold and for working without the app. In Zotero settings enable the option that lets other applications on this computer communicate with it. The hosted Zoteus is paid and connects to claude.ai and ChatGPT as a remote connector. Permanent deletion works only with ZOTEUS_ALLOW_DELETE=true. Local embeddings download a model of about 129 MB in the q8 variant.
How to disable. Run claude mcp remove zoteus or remove the .mcpb extension in Claude Desktop. Revoke the API key on zotero.org/settings/keys and delete the local index with the server data folder.
FAQ
How do I install Zoteus in Claude Code?
With claude mcp add --transport stdio zoteus -- npx -y @oscardvs/zoteus or as a plugin: /plugin marketplace add oscardvs/zoteus and /plugin install zoteus@zoteus. The plugin adds four research skills.
Do I need a Zotero key?
For reading and for writing into the running app on Zotero 10 and newer no cloud key is needed. Add a key for sync and groups the app does not hold. It comes from zotero.org/settings/keys.
Where is semantic search computed?
By default on your device with a local model. ZOTEUS_EMBEDDINGS can choose ollama, openai or gemini, or turn embeddings off with off.
Can it delete items?
Trash is reversible, and permanent deletion through zotero_delete_items refuses until ZOTEUS_ALLOW_DELETE=true is set and needs confirmation.
Which clients are supported?
Claude Desktop through the .mcpb bundle, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Zed, Codex, Gemini CLI and any MCP client. claude.ai and ChatGPT connect to hosted Zoteus or your own remote instance.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoteus: your Zotero library in Claude and ChatGPT (this card) | no | key is optional | 65 | |
| zotero-mcp: an MCP server for your Zotero library | no | key is optional | 162 | a Zotero MCP with basic access, without PDF quotes or writes into the app |
| Zotero Research Assistant Skill | no | 98 | a Zotero helper skill that ships no server of its own |
README in short
The README opens with installation per client: .mcpb bundles for Claude Desktop, a command for Claude Code, a plugin with skills and npx add-mcp for the rest. Features, an environment variable table and links to remote OAuth guides follow.