Zotero

Overview

From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit.

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.54yyyu/zotero-mcp --># Zotero MCP: Chat with your Research Library—Local or Web—in Claude, ChatGPT, and more.<p align="center">  <a href="https://www.zotero.org/">    <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Zotero-CC2936?style=for-the-badge&logo=zotero&logoColor=white" alt="Zotero">  </a>  <a href="https://www.anthropic.com/claude">    <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Claude-6849C3?style=for-the-badge&logo=anthropic&logoColor=white" alt="Claude">  </a>  <a href="https://chatgpt.com/">    <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/ChatGPT-74AA9C?style=for-the-badge&logo=openai&logoColor=white" alt="ChatGPT">  </a>  <a href="https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction">    <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP-0175C2?style=for-the-badge&logoColor=white" alt="MCP">  </a>  <a href="https://pypi.org/project/zotero-mcp-server/">    <img src="https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/zotero-mcp-server?style=for-the-badge&logo=pypi&logoColor=white" alt="PyPI">  </a>  <a href="https://discord.gg/BvgjbcBUqg">    <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-5865F2?style=for-the-badge&logo=discord&logoColor=white" alt="Discord">  </a></p>**Zotero MCP** connects your [Zotero](https://www.zotero.org/) research library with [ChatGPT](https://openai.com), [Claude](https://www.anthropic.com/claude), and other AI assistants (e.g., [Cherry Studio](https://cherry-ai.com/), [Chorus](https://chorus.sh), [Cursor](https://www.cursor.com/)) via the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction). Search your library, read and annotate papers, add and organize items, and find research by meaning.> **AI agents:** read [docs/for-agents.md](https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp/blob/main/docs/for-agents.md) first. It covers which route to use, setup, and the commands in one place.## ✨ What it does- 🔍 **Search** by title, author, tag, collection, full text, or meaning ([semantic search](https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp/blob/main/docs/semantic-searc

Connect

Built from this server's own package name, version and transport as found in its source — not copied from anyone's documentation, so it cannot drift against a page we do not control. Replace the environment placeholders with a token scoped to the least it needs.

claude mcp add zotero-mcp-server --env ZOTERO_API_KEY=${ZOTERO_API_KEY} -- uvx zotero-mcp-server==0.9.1 serve

Exposed tools (3) 1 read · 1 write · 1 destructive

Blast radius: 1 tool can delete or overwrite. An agent that can be talked into calling a tool can be talked into calling this one.

Details

Source

54yyyu/zotero-mcp

PyPI

zotero-mcp-server

Transports

sse · stdio · streamable-http

Credentials it reads

GEMINI_API_KEYGITHUB_TOKENGOOGLE_API_KEYOPENAI_API_KEYZOTERO_API_KEYZOTERO_TOKENS_PER_MINUTE

License

MIT

Stars

5,036 · pushed 0d ago

Trust audit

Install with care. The audit found things worth knowing before you trust its output.

What the source does

Filesystem

declared (7 observation(s))

Network

declared (10 observation(s))

Shell

none-observed

Dependencies

pinned

Secrets in source

none-found

Findings (22)

print(f"  API Key: {_obfuscate_sensitive(api_key)}")

ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh"]

self.base_url = f"http://127.0.0.1:{self.port}/better-bibtex/json-rpc"

f"http://127.0.0.1:{self.port}/better-bibtex/cayw?probe=true",

f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/connector/saveItems",

zotero_remove_item_relation

.pre-commit-config.yaml

module = __import__(f"zotero_mcp.{provider}_batch", fromlist=["_"])

mod = importlib.import_module(path.stem)

desc_val = eval(desc_text, {"__builtins__": {}}, {})

digest = hashlib.md5()

digest = hashlib.md5()  # noqa: S324 — Zotero's WebDAV protocol mandates md5

"md5": hashlib.md5(content).hexdigest(),

"md5": hashlib.md5(b"%PDF-1.4 other-bytes").hexdigest(),

"md5": hashlib.md5(b"%PDF-1.4 old-bytes").hexdigest(),

zot, "ITEM1", "http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/", "10.1/x", dummy_ctx)

zot, "ITEM1", "http://127.0.0.1:23119/api/users/0", "10.1/x", dummy_ctx)

zot, "ITEM1", "http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/", "10.1/x", dummy_ctx)

sudo mv mcp-publisher /usr/local/bin/

- **Local read-only**: offline access to a running Zotero, no credentials at all (`ZOTERO_LOCAL=true`)

Add `--scope project` after `add` to keep the server configuration in the current project. For hybrid or web API access, add the credentials described above to the `env` command. See [Autohand Code](h

- **`update-db --allow-mass-deletion`** — the deletion pass now refuses to remove 25+ documents amounting to 25%+ of the syncing library's indexed documents in one run, a fingerprint far more likely t

Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass.

Audited 2026-09-16 · audit v0.4.0 · source sha 2cfee124554b · full audit: observations/trust-audit/mcp-server/54yyyu__zotero-1.json · Report an issue or request a re-scan

Audit history

Alternatives

Other servers in the same categories, safer ones first.

Questions