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MCP Server Zotero Dev

by introfini
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MCP Server Zotero Dev

Give your AI assistant superpowers for Zotero plugin development

License: MIT Zotero 7+

Architecture · Getting Started · Available Tools

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf to build, test, and debug Zotero 7/8 plugins. Screenshots, DOM state, debug logs, and JavaScript execution give the AI rich context to understand what's happening—and tools to help you fix it.

✨ Features

Category

Capabilities

🎯 UI Inspection

Screenshots, DOM tree, element finding, computed styles

💻 JS Execution

Run code in Zotero context, inspect APIs, test snippets

🔧 Build Tools

Scaffold integration for build, serve, hot reload

📋 Logs & Errors

Stream debug output, error console, watch for issues

🗃️ Database

Read-only access to zotero.sqlite for debugging

🔌 Plugin Management

Install, reload, list plugins

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20+ and npm

  • Zotero 7+ — Works on all Zotero 7 and 8 builds (release, beta, dev)

  • For plugin development: zotero-plugin-scaffold

1. Install MCP Server

Use install-mcp to add the server to your AI assistant:

npx -y install-mcp @introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev --client claude-code

Supported clients: claude-code, cursor, windsurf, vscode, cline, roo-cline, claude, zed, goose, warp, codex

npx -y install-mcp @introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev --client claude-code
npx -y install-mcp @introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev --client cursor
npx -y install-mcp @introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev --client vscode
npx -y install-mcp @introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev --client windsurf

Add to your MCP client config:

{ "mcpServers": { "zotero-dev": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev"], "env": { "ZOTERO_RDP_PORT": "6100" } } } }

Restart your AI assistant after adding the configuration.

2. Install MCP Bridge Plugin in Zotero

Download zotero-mcp-bridge.xpi and install:

  1. In Zotero: Tools → Plugins

  2. Click ⚙️ → Install Plugin From File

  3. Select the downloaded .xpi file

  4. Restart Zotero

This lightweight plugin enables the Remote Debugging Protocol when Zotero starts. It only needs to be installed once and works on all Zotero 7+ builds (release, beta, and dev).

3. Start Developing!

Just open Zotero normally and ask your AI assistant:

"Take a screenshot of Zotero and list installed plugins"

That's it! No special launch flags, no configuration. 🎉

🧰 Available Tools (25 total)

Tool

Description

zotero_screenshot

Capture window, element, or region screenshots

zotero_inspect_element

Find elements by CSS selector

zotero_get_dom_tree

Get DOM structure of a window/panel

zotero_get_styles

Get computed CSS styles for element

zotero_list_windows

List all open Zotero windows

Screenshot Targets: Main window, preferences, PDF reader, dialogs, or any element by selector. Use highlightSelector to add a red border before capture.

Tool

Description

zotero_execute_js

Execute JavaScript in Zotero's privileged context. Auto-wraps code with top-level return statements in IIFE.

zotero_inspect_object

Explore Zotero APIs - list methods and properties of any object (e.g., Zotero.Items)

zotero_search_prefs

Search/discover preferences by pattern (e.g., find all prefs containing "debug")

zotero_get_pref

Get a preference value

zotero_set_pref

Set a preference value

Examples: Zotero.Items.getAll(1), Zotero.Prefs.get('export.quickCopy.setting'), ZoteroPane.getSelectedItems()

Tip: Use zotero_inspect_object to explore APIs before writing code. Use zotero_search_prefs to discover preference keys.

Tool

Description

zotero_scaffold_build

Build plugin (dev or production mode)

zotero_scaffold_serve

Start dev server with hot reload

zotero_scaffold_lint

Run ESLint on plugin source

zotero_scaffold_typecheck

Run TypeScript type checking

Tool

Description

zotero_read_logs

Read debug output (Zotero.debug)

zotero_read_errors

Read error console entries

zotero_watch_logs

Stream logs in real-time

zotero_clear_logs

Clear log buffer

Tool

Description

zotero_plugin_reload

Hot reload your dev plugin

zotero_plugin_install

Install plugin from XPI path

zotero_plugin_list

List installed plugins with version/status

Tool

Description

zotero_db_query

Execute SELECT query on zotero.sqlite

zotero_db_schema

Get table schema information

zotero_db_stats

Get database statistics (items, attachments, collections, size)

Note: Database access is read-only and requires Zotero to be closed, or uses a copy of the database.

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ AI Assistant │ │ (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf) │ └─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘ │ MCP Protocol (stdio) ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ MCP Server (Node.js/TypeScript) │ │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Scaffold │ │ RDP │ │ Database │ │ │ │ Integration │ │ Client │ │ Reader │ │ │ └──────────────┘ └──────┬───────┘ └──────────────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────┘ │ Firefox RDP (port 6100) ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Zotero Application │ │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ MCP Bridge for Zotero │ │ │ │ Starts DevToolsServer on launch │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Firefox DevTools Server (built-in) │ │ │ │ JS Execution • DOM • Console • Screenshots │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Your Plugin (dev) │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Why this approach?

  • ✅ Lightweight plugin — Just enables RDP, Firefox DevTools does the rest

  • ✅ Zero-config after install — Just open Zotero normally, no special flags

  • ✅ Rich AI context — Screenshots, DOM, and logs help the AI understand your plugin's state

  • ✅ Hot reload — Integrates with zotero-plugin-scaffold for instant feedback

  • ✅ Full Zotero access — Execute any Zotero API in the privileged context

  • ✅ Cross-platform — Works on Linux, Windows, macOS

🔧 Environment Variables

Variable

Description

Default

ZOTERO_RDP_PORT

Remote debugging port

6100

ZOTERO_RDP_HOST

Debugging host

127.0.0.1

ZOTERO_DATA_DIR

Path to Zotero data directory

Auto-detect

ZOTERO_PROFILE_PATH

Path to Zotero profile

Auto-detect

📸 Screenshot Examples

// Capture main Zotero window await zotero_screenshot({ target: 'main-window' }); // Capture your plugin's panel with highlight await zotero_screenshot({ target: 'element', selector: '#my-plugin-panel', highlightSelector: '#my-plugin-button' }); // Capture a specific window by ID (use zotero_list_windows to find IDs) await zotero_screenshot({ target: 'window', windowId: 12345 }); // Capture element after triggering UI action await zotero_execute_js({ code: 'document.querySelector("#menu").click()' }); await zotero_screenshot({ target: 'element', selector: 'menupopup[state="open"]' });

🧑‍💻 Development

# Clone and install git clone https://github.com/introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev.git cd mcp-server-zotero-dev npm install # Build everything npm run build # Build individual packages npm run build -w mcp-server npm run build -w zotero-plugin-mcp-rdp # Run tests npm test # Development mode (watch) npm run dev -w mcp-server
mcp-server-zotero-dev/ ├── packages/ │ ├── mcp-server/ # MCP server (npm package) │ │ ├── src/ │ │ │ ├── index.ts # MCP server entry │ │ │ ├── rdp/ # RDP client │ │ │ ├── tools/ # Tool implementations │ │ │ └── prompts/ # Slash commands │ │ └── package.json │ │ │ └── zotero-plugin-mcp-rdp/ # Tiny Zotero plugin (.xpi) │ ├── src/ │ │ └── index.ts # Starts RDP server │ ├── addon/ │ │ └── manifest.json │ └── package.json │ ├── docs/ # Documentation └── package.json # Monorepo root

📚 Resources

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

  1. Follow existing code patterns

  2. Add tests for new features

  3. Update documentation

  4. Ensure npm test and npm run lint pass

📄 License

MIT © introfini

Acknowledgments

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