What is the key difference between Zotero MCP and MCP Obsidian?

Zotero MCP belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution, while MCP Obsidian belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Zotero MCP or MCP Obsidian 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 Zotero MCP and MCP Obsidian free or paid?

Zotero MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). MCP Obsidian operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Zotero MCP lists 0 tools with 0 views and 161 GitHub stars. MCP Obsidian lists 6 tools with 4 views and 1,655 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Zotero MCP and MCP Obsidian 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

Zotero MCP vs MCP Obsidian

In-depth architectural comparison of the Zotero MCP and MCP Obsidian 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

Zotero MCP

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 41/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

MCP Obsidian

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Zotero MCP if you need specialized Knowledge & Memory tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Obsidian if your workspace requires Knowledge & Memory integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Zotero MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Zotero MCP Details

Choose MCP Obsidian when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Local stdio MCP access to an Obsidian vault, Note reading, writing, patching, moving, and deletion, Multi-word search with BM25 reranking.

Explore MCP Obsidian Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Zotero MCP Knowledge & Memory	MCP Obsidian bitbonsai Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Search your Zotero library, retrieve item metadata, and read full text from AI assistants.	Universal AI bridge for Obsidian vaults using MCP. Provides safe read/write access to notes with 11 comprehensive methods for vault operations including search, batch operations, tag management, and frontmatter handling. Works with Claude, ChatGPT, and any MCP-compatible AI assistant.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Zotero MCP Tools (0)

No explicit tool names declared in metadata yet. Check project README on main listing page.

MCP Obsidian Tools (6)

Local stdio MCP access to an Obsidian vault

Note reading, writing, patching, moving, and deletion

Multi-word search with BM25 reranking

Frontmatter and tag management

Vault statistics, directory listing, and batch reads

Read-only mode and vault-root path restrictions

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).

Zotero MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-mcp-2": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
      ]
    }
  }
}

MCP Obsidian Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bitbonsai-mcp-obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Zotero MCP is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, MCP Obsidian belongs to Knowledge & Memory using local stdio subprocess. Select Zotero MCP when you need capabilities focused on knowledge & memory and MCP Obsidian when you require tools for knowledge & memory.

More alternatives to Zotero MCP More alternatives to MCP Obsidian Knowledge & Memory category hub Canonical compare URL