Zotero MCP Skill#

This skill provides tools to interact with your Zotero library via the MCP (Model Context Protocol) server.

Prerequisites#

1. Zotero must be running with API enabled:

   • Open Zotero → Edit → Preferences → Advanced → Network
   • Check "Allow other applications to access Zotero"

2. Install zotero-mcp package: bash

   npm install -g zotero-mcp
   
   

3. The MCP server connects to Zotero API at http://127.0.0.1:23119

Available Tools#

Search Library#

bash

# Search papers by keyword
echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"search","arguments":{"q":"deep learning"}}' | node $(which zotero-mcp-server)

Get Item Details#

bash

# Get full details of an item by key
echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_item_by_key","arguments":{"key":"ITEM_KEY"}}' | node $(which zotero-mcp-server)

List Collections#

bash

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_collections","arguments":{}}}' | node $(which zotero-mcp-server)

Get Collection Items#

bash

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_collection_items","arguments":{"collectionKey":"COLLECTION_KEY"}}}' | node $(which zotero-mcp-server)

Extract PDF Content#

bash

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_pdf_content","arguments":{"itemKey":"ITEM_KEY"}}}' | node $(which zotero-mcp-server)

Search Annotations#

bash

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"search_annotations","arguments":{"q":"keyword"}}}' | node $(which zotero-mcp-server)

Direct API Access#

You can also access Zotero API directly without MCP:

bash

# Get user ID
curl http://127.0.0.1:23119/api/users/0/items

# Get all collections
curl http://127.0.0.1:23119/api/users/7120115/collections

# Search items
curl "http://127.0.0.1:23119/api/users/7120115/items?q=keyword"

Troubleshooting#

• Port 23119 not responding: Check Zotero preferences → Advanced → Network
• No items found: Try different search keywords or check collection key
• MCP errors: Restart Zotero and try again