cli-anything-zotero

Let AI manage your Zotero library.

中文文档 | English

For Non-Programmers

This tool is designed to be used by AI, not memorized by you. After a simple install (~3 minutes), just talk to your AI assistant in plain language:

"Find papers about diabetes and kidney disease in my Zotero library"

"Import this DOI into my CKM collection: 10.1038/s41586-024-07871-6"

"Export all papers in my thesis collection as BibTeX"

"Find PDFs for items in my review collection that are missing them"

All you need to do:

1. Follow the Installation steps below
2. Tell your AI assistant (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) what you need
3. That's it

What It Does

Built on CLI-Anything by HKUDS, this tool gives AI agents full access to your local Zotero library through a JS Bridge — a lightweight Zotero plugin that exposes a privileged JavaScript endpoint.

Key capabilities:

• Search & browse — keyword search, full-text PDF search, collection tree, tags
• Import — from DOI, PMID, RIS/BibTeX files, or JSON
• Export — BibTeX, CSL-JSON, RIS, CSV, formatted citations
• PDF management — attach files, auto-find PDFs online, search annotations
• Write operations — update metadata, manage tags, add notes, trigger sync
• Advanced — execute arbitrary Zotero JS, semantic search with local embeddings, AI analysis
• MCP server — 52 tools for Claude Desktop, Cursor, LM Studio, and other MCP clients

All write operations run locally through the JS Bridge — no API key or internet connection required.

Choose Your Mode

This tool supports two modes. Pick the one that fits your AI client:

Not sure? If your AI client supports MCP, choose MCP — it's more reliable. Otherwise, CLI works everywhere.

Installation

Prerequisites: Python 3.10+, Zotero 7/8 (running).

Step 1: Install the package

CLI Mode (for any AI assistant):

pip install cli-anything-zotero

MCP Mode (for Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code, etc.):

pip install 'cli-anything-zotero[mcp]'

Both modes are included in the same package. The [mcp] extra just adds MCP protocol dependencies.

Step 2: Install the JS Bridge Plugin (one-time, both modes)

cli-anything-zotero app install-plugin

First install requires manual steps in Zotero:

1. The command generates a .xpi file and prints its path
2. In Zotero: Tools → Plugins → gear icon → Install Plugin From File...
3. Select the .xpi file, then **restart Zo

... View full README on GitHub