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Zotero

Model Context Protocol moderate risk

Zotero

MCP server for Zotero enabling Claude to interact with and manage your Zotero library using API key authentication.

Connections & Capabilities

Connects To

GitHubTwitter

Capabilities

readwrite

Quickstart

Install

npm install -g

Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero": {
      "command": "mcp-zotero",
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": YOUR_API_KEY,
        "ZOTERO_USER_ID": YOUR_USER_ID
      }
    }
  }
}

Exposed MCP Tools (5)

safe

get_collections

Lists all collections in your Zotero library.

Read-only operation; no modifications are made.

safe

get_collection_items

Retrieves items within a specified collection.

Read-only operation; no modifications are made.

safe

get_item_details

Gets detailed information about a specific item in the library.

Read-only operation; no modifications are made.

safe

search_library

Searches the entire Zotero library for items matching the query.

Read-only operation; no modifications are made.

safe

get_recent

Retrieves recently added papers from the library.

Read-only operation; no modifications are made.

Safety Assessment

This server allows Claude to interact with a Zotero library. It's relatively safe for read-only operations. Risks increase with write operations, as unintended modifications are possible if Claude is misconfigured or the API key is compromised.

API key authentication required
Read operations available
No shell execution capabilities
Limited scope via Zotero API permissions

API key stored as environment variable
Write operations available, potentially modifying Zotero library
Potential for unintended modifications if Claude is misconfigured
Depends on the security of the Zotero API and user's API key management