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Install Zotero Assistant

Pick your client, copy the command, done.

file-management
1

Add it to Claude Code

claude mcp add -e "ZOTERO_API_KEY=${ZOTERO_API_KEY}" -e "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID=${ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID}" zotero-assistant -- npx -y @upascal/zotero-assistant-mcp
Required:ZOTERO_API_KEYZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID

Environment Variables

Set these before running Zotero Assistant.

VariableDescriptionRequired
ZOTERO_API_KEYYour Zotero API keyYes
ZOTERO_LIBRARY_IDYour numeric user library IDYes

Available Tools (15)

Once configured, Zotero Assistant gives your AI agent access to:

list_groupsList Zotero groups the user belongs to
search_itemsSearch by text, tags, type, collection, or date range
querygroup_id
get_collection_itemsList items in a specific collection
collection_idgroup_id
list_collectionsList all collections (folders)
group_id
create_collectionCreate a new collection
namegroup_id
list_tagsList tags with item counts
group_id
get_library_statsLibrary overview with totals and top tags
group_id
get_itemFull metadata and children for a single item
item_keygroup_id
read_attachmentRead attachment content
attachment_keygroup_id
get_noteRead note content
note_keygroup_id
save_itemCreate an item with metadata and optional attachment
metadatagroup_id
attachAttach a file to an existing item
item_keyfile_datagroup_id
create_noteCreate a note on an existing item
item_keycontentgroup_id
update_itemUpdate metadata, tags, or collections
item_keyupdatesgroup_id
trash_itemMove a note or attachment to trash
item_keygroup_id

Try It Out

After setup, try these prompts with your AI agent:

→Search my library for papers about climate change published in the last year.
→List all collections in my library and tell me which one has the most items.
→Read the PDF attachment for the item with key ABC12345 and summarize the main findings.
→Create a new note for the paper 'The Future of AI' with my thoughts on the methodology.
→Move the attachment with key XYZ98765 to the trash.

Keep this setup from going cold

Save the docs, env vars, and workflow around Zotero Assistant in Conare so Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor remember it next time.

Remember this setup
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