MCP Zotero

What kaliaboi/mcp-zotero MCP server does

The kaliaboi/mcp-zotero MCP server gives an MCP-compatible client read access to a Zotero library through Zotero’s cloud API. Its tools cover the main discovery paths in a library:

• List every collection in the user’s library.
• Retrieve the items belonging to a selected collection.
• Search across the complete library.
• Fetch detailed information for a paper or other library item.
• Retrieve recently added papers.

These capabilities support research workflows where an agent needs to locate sources, inspect collection contents, or review recent additions. The listed operations retrieve information; the provided tool list does not include collection, item, or metadata editing.

How it works

The package runs as an MCP server and uses two environment variables to identify and access the Zotero account. ZOTERO_API_KEY contains a key created in Zotero’s account settings. ZOTERO_USER_ID identifies the Zotero user whose library the server queries.

The user ID can be obtained from Zotero’s /keys/current endpoint using the API key. Before connecting an MCP client, credentials can be checked by requesting the user’s collections endpoint with the Zotero-API-Key header. A successful response should contain the library’s collections.

The kaliaboi/mcp-zotero MCP server is suitable for a local MCP setup because the README provides npm installation and execution commands. Claude Desktop is explicitly documented as a client, with the server command and both credential variables placed in its MCP configuration.

Setup and configuration

Install the npm package globally with npm install -g mcp-zotero, then start it with mcp-zotero. The README also documents direct execution with npx; for non-interactive use, run npx -y mcp-zotero.

Set the required values in the environment before starting the process:

• ZOTERO_API_KEY: the Zotero API key.
• ZOTERO_USER_ID: the numeric user ID returned by Zotero’s current-key endpoint.

For Claude Desktop, add an MCP server entry whose command is mcp-zotero and whose environment contains those two variables. The README’s example uses placeholder credential values, so replace them with the actual key and user ID rather than copying the placeholders literally.

If the connection fails, first inspect the two environment variables, confirm that the package is installed, and test the credentials against the user collections endpoint. Reinstalling the global npm package is another documented troubleshooting step.

Tools and capabilities

get_collections returns the library’s collections. get_collection_items accepts a collection context and returns the items assigned to it. search_library searches the full library, while get_item_details provides detailed information for a selected paper. get_recent surfaces recently added papers.

Together, these tools let an agent move from broad library discovery to collection-level browsing, targeted search, and item inspection without requiring separate Zotero queries from the user.

Limitations and notes

The supplied material documents access to a Zotero library and does not describe write operations, file downloading, note editing, attachment management, group-library support, or configurable search parameters. Treat the server as a retrieval and discovery interface based on the capabilities listed here.

Access requires a Zotero API key and the corresponding user ID. The README shows that the key is used to query Zotero’s API and that the account permissions include library access. Keep both environment variables available to the MCP process and verify them independently if no collections are returned.