zotero_get_item_children

Retrieve all child items, such as attachments and notes, associated with a specific Zotero library item using the provided item key. Streamline research by accessing detailed content linked to your references.

Instructions

Get all child items (attachments, notes) for a specific Zotero item.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`item_key`	Yes

Implementation Reference

src/zotero_mcp/server.py:534-645 (handler)

The complete implementation of the zotero_get_item_children tool. This handler function retrieves child items (attachments, notes, and others) for a specified Zotero item using the pyzotero library, categorizes them, formats the details into markdown sections, and returns the result. The @mcp.tool decorator registers it with the specified name and description.

    name="zotero_get_item_children",
    description="Get all child items (attachments, notes) for a specific Zotero item."
)
def get_item_children(
    item_key: str,
    *,
    ctx: Context
) -> str:
    """
    Get all child items (attachments, notes) for a specific Zotero item.
    
    Args:
        item_key: Zotero item key/ID
        ctx: MCP context
    
    Returns:
        Markdown-formatted list of child items
    """
    try:
        ctx.info(f"Fetching children for item {item_key}")
        zot = get_zotero_client()
        
        # First get the parent item details
        try:
            parent = zot.item(item_key)
            parent_title = parent["data"].get("title", "Untitled Item")
        except Exception:
            parent_title = f"Item {item_key}"
        
        # Then get the children
        children = zot.children(item_key)
        if not children:
            return f"No child items found for: {parent_title} (Key: {item_key})"
        
        # Format children as markdown
        output = [f"# Child Items for: {parent_title}", ""]
        
        # Group children by type
        attachments = []
        notes = []
        others = []
        
        for child in children:
            data = child.get("data", {})
            item_type = data.get("itemType", "unknown")
            
            if item_type == "attachment":
                attachments.append(child)
            elif item_type == "note":
                notes.append(child)
            else:
                others.append(child)
        
        # Format attachments
        if attachments:
            output.append("## Attachments")
            for i, att in enumerate(attachments, 1):
                data = att.get("data", {})
                title = data.get("title", "Untitled")
                key = att.get("key", "")
                content_type = data.get("contentType", "Unknown")
                filename = data.get("filename", "")
                
                output.append(f"{i}. **{title}**")
                output.append(f"   - Key: {key}")
                output.append(f"   - Type: {content_type}")
                if filename:
                    output.append(f"   - Filename: {filename}")
                output.append("")
        
        # Format notes
        if notes:
            output.append("## Notes")
            for i, note in enumerate(notes, 1):
                data = note.get("data", {})
                title = data.get("title", "Untitled Note")
                key = note.get("key", "")
                note_text = data.get("note", "")
                
                # Clean up HTML in notes
                note_text = note_text.replace("<p>", "").replace("</p>", "\n\n")
                note_text = note_text.replace("<br/>", "\n").replace("<br>", "\n")
                
                # Limit note length for display
                if len(note_text) > 500:
                    note_text = note_text[:500] + "...\n\n(Note truncated)"
                
                output.append(f"{i}. **{title}**")
                output.append(f"   - Key: {key}")
                output.append(f"   - Content:\n```\n{note_text}\n```")
                output.append("")
        
        # Format other item types
        if others:
            output.append("## Other Items")
            for i, other in enumerate(others, 1):
                data = other.get("data", {})
                title = data.get("title", "Untitled")
                key = other.get("key", "")
                item_type = data.get("itemType", "unknown")
                
                output.append(f"{i}. **{title}**")
                output.append(f"   - Key: {key}")
                output.append(f"   - Type: {item_type}")
                output.append("")
        
        return "\n".join(output)
    
    except Exception as e:
        ctx.error(f"Error fetching item children: {str(e)}")
        return f"Error fetching item children: {str(e)}"

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