zotero-library-mcp

An MCP server that lets Claude, Codex, and ChatGPT add papers and books to your Zotero library by DOI, arXiv ID, or ISBN — and manage your collections, tags, and items.

The server supports both MCP transports used by these clients:

• stdio (default) for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex CLI/IDE, and the ChatGPT desktop app
• Streamable HTTP for a hosted ChatGPT app or any remote MCP client

Tools

Adding papers

• add_paper_by_doi — Resolve a DOI via CrossRef and add the paper to Zotero (with duplicate detection)
• add_papers_by_dois — Batch-add up to 50 papers at once
• add_paper_by_arxiv_id — Add a preprint by arXiv ID (uses DOI when available, falls back to arXiv metadata)
• add_item_from_metadata — Create any supported Zotero item type from validated manual metadata

Adding books

• add_book_by_isbn — Resolve an ISBN via Open Library and add the book to Zotero (with duplicate detection)

Searching & browsing

• list_libraries — Discover the API key owner's personal library and shared group libraries, with IDs and key permissions
• search_library — Search your Zotero library by title, author, tag, etc., paginated via start/limit (falls back to fuzzy matching when the exact search returns no results)
• get_item_details — View full metadata for any item
• get_recent_items — List recently added items
• get_unfiled_items — Get items not in any collection
• search_fulltext — Search Zotero metadata and indexed full text
• find_duplicates — Find duplicate items by DOI, ISBN, or normalized title
• list_attachments — List every attachment and choose a specific PDF key
• health_check — Verify library credentials, access, and storage configuration

Reading & annotating

• get_item_fulltext — Return bounded plain text from Zotero's index or a PDF, without leaking temporary paths
• get_bibtex — Read-only BibTeX/BibLaTeX export for items, a collection, or the full library
• save_bibtex — Save an export to an authorized local path
• get_annotations — List all highlights and annotations on a paper's PDF
• create_annotation — Highlight a text passage in a PDF (searches for the exact text, creates a visible highlight in Zotero's reader, and returns a preview image for verification). Smart overlap handling: exact duplicates update the existing comment; sub-passages get a contrasting highlight color automatically.
• add_note — Add a note to an item
• list_notes, update_note, delete_note — Manage existing notes
• update_annotation, delete_annotation — Edit or remove annotations

File attachments

• attach_file — Attach a local file over stdio or a ChatGPT file input over HTTP
• download_pdf — Return a remote-safe MCP file resource
• save_pdf — Save a PDF to an authorized local path

Collections

• list_collections — List all collections (with nesting)
• create_collection — Create a new collection (optionally nested under a parent)
• get_collection_items — Browse items in a collection, paginated via start/limit
• add_to_collection — Add an existing item to a collection
• remove_from_collection — Remove an item from a collection (keeps it in your library)
• rename_collection, move_collection — Reorganize collections

Tags

• list_tags — List all tags in your library
• add_tags — Add one or more tags to an item (with optional color)
• remove_tags — Remove tags from an item
• delete_tags — Delete tags from the entire library
• set_tag_color — Assign a color to a tag (appears in Zotero's tag selector)
• rename_tag — Rename a tag across all items in your library
• unset_tag_color — Remove a tag color without deleting the tag

Verification

• verify_items — Re-check recent items against CrossRef to catch bad DOIs or title misma

... View full README on GitHub