Zotero MCP MCP Server

Name: Zotero MCP MCP Server
Author: io.github.kujenga

io.github.kujenga/zotero-mcp

Repository Registry

What is the Zotero MCP MCP server?

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How to install Zotero MCP

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio

Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.

Environment / auth

ZOTERO_LOCAL
Use the local API from the Zotero desktop app instead of the Web API. Requires Zotero to be running with 'Allow other applications on this computer to communicate with Zotero' enabled under Settings > Advanced.
ZOTERO_API_KEY
secret
Zotero Web API key from https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys. Not required when ZOTERO_LOCAL is true.
ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID
Zotero library ID (your user ID for user libraries). Not required when ZOTERO_LOCAL is true.
ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE
Whether ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID refers to a user or group library.

Claude Desktop

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zotero-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_LOCAL": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LOCAL>",
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_API_KEY>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zotero-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_LOCAL": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LOCAL>",
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_API_KEY>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zotero-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_LOCAL": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LOCAL>",
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_API_KEY>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "zotero-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zotero-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_LOCAL": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LOCAL>",
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_API_KEY>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID>",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE": "<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add zotero-mcp --env ZOTERO_LOCAL=<YOUR_ZOTERO_LOCAL> --env ZOTERO_API_KEY=<YOUR_ZOTERO_API_KEY> --env ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID=<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID> --env ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE=<YOUR_ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE> -- uvx zotero-mcp