What is the key difference between Cite Caddy and Paperboy?

Cite Caddy belongs to the Research category with local stdio execution, while Paperboy belongs to the Research category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Cite Caddy or Paperboy in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Cite Caddy and Paperboy free or paid?

Cite Caddy operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Paperboy operates under a Free / Open Source model (other).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Cite Caddy lists 39 tools with 1 views and 0 GitHub stars. Paperboy lists 14 tools with 3 views and 7 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Cite Caddy and Paperboy together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Cite Caddy vs Paperboy

In-depth architectural comparison of the Cite Caddy and Paperboy MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Cite Caddy

Research · Local stdio

Quality: 44/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Paperboy

Research · Local stdio

Quality: 52/100 (Good) | Auth: other

Verdict Summary: Choose Cite Caddy if you need specialized Research tools running via a local process. Choose Paperboy if your workspace requires Research integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Cite Caddy when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID, ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE, ZOTERO_API_KEY, MCP_TOKEN_STORE_KEY, MCP_PUBLIC_URL, MCP_DATA_DIR.
Primary tools included: search_items, get_item, list_collections.

Explore Cite Caddy Details

Choose Paperboy when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: search_papers, recommend_papers, send_papers.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Cite Caddy Research	Paperboy michaelellis003 Research
Summary	Remote MCP server for full read/write access to a Zotero library	Send research papers from Claude to a Kindle or Kobo, with Zotero as the source of truth. Searches arXiv and OpenAlex, recommends related work via the Semantic Scholar citation graph, queues papers in a Zotero collection, and delivers the PDFs by email or Dropbox. Receipts report file sizes and name anything that could not be sent.
Category & Scope	Research

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Cite Caddy Tools (39)

search_items

query` defaults to Zotero's quick search (title/creator/year); `full_text=True` also matches indexed content of attached files/notes (`qmode="everything"`), requires non-empty `query`. Each result's `creators` is a list of `{creatorType, firstName, lastName}` (or `{creatorType, name}` for single-fi…

get_item

creators` shape as above.

list_collections

list_tags

list_trash

creators` shape as above.

list_saved_searches

list_groups

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Cite Caddy Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cite-caddy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "cite-caddy"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID": "YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID_HERE",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE": "YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE_HERE",
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "YOUR_ZOTERO_API_KEY_HERE",
        "MCP_TOKEN_STORE_KEY": "YOUR_MCP_TOKEN_STORE_KEY_HERE",
        "MCP_PUBLIC_URL": "YOUR_MCP_PUBLIC_URL_HERE",
        "MCP_DATA_DIR": "YOUR_MCP_DATA_DIR_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paperboy Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "michaelellis003-paperboy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "michaelellis003-paperboy"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Cite Caddy is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Paperboy belongs to Research using local stdio subprocess. Select Cite Caddy when you need capabilities focused on research and Paperboy when you require tools for research.

More alternatives to Cite Caddy More alternatives to Paperboy Research category hub