zotero-mcp-lite
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {
"listChanged": true
} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| resources | {
"subscribe": false,
"listChanged": false
} |
| experimental | {
"tasks": {
"list": {},
"cancel": {},
"requests": {
"tools": {
"call": {}
},
"prompts": {
"get": {}
},
"resources": {
"read": {}
}
}
}
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| zotero_search_itemsA | Search your reference library for papers, articles, books, or notes by keyword. Default searches title/author/year; use qmode='everything' to search full text and note contents. Returns item keys for get_item_metadata (details) or get_item_children (highlights/notes). |
| zotero_get_recentA | Get recently read, modified, or imported papers from your library. Default shows papers only; use item_type='' to include standalone notes. Use sort_by='dateAdded' for new imports, 'dateModified' for recent reading activity. |
| zotero_get_collectionsA | List all folders/collections in your reference library with hierarchy. Shows how your literature is organized (by project, topic, course, etc). Use collection key with get_collection_items to browse papers in a folder. |
| zotero_get_collection_itemsA | List all papers and references in a specific collection/folder. Default shows papers only; use item_type='' to include notes in the collection. Returns item keys for get_item_metadata (citation) or get_item_children (highlights). |
| zotero_search_annotationsA | Search all PDF highlights and comments across your entire library by keyword. Finds your reading insights containing the search term across all papers. Returns: highlighted text, your comments, page numbers, and parent paper context. Use for: cross-paper knowledge synthesis, finding where you discussed a concept, building thematic connections from your reading history. |
| zotero_get_item_metadataA | Get complete bibliographic metadata for academic citation and analysis. Returns: title, authors, abstract, journal/venue, DOI, publication date, and tags. For reading annotations use get_item_children; for full PDF text use get_item_fulltext. TIP: For structured literature review, invoke /literature_review prompt instead of ad-hoc analysis. |
| zotero_get_item_childrenA | Retrieve your reading annotations and notes for a paper. Returns: PDF highlights (with colors), margin comments, and standalone notes. Essential for literature_review prompt to analyze your reading insights. |
| zotero_get_item_fulltextA | Extract and read the full text content from a PDF paper. Use when you need to analyze the actual paper content beyond the abstract. Long papers are truncated; ask about specific sections if needed. |
| zotero_create_noteA | Create a note in Zotero with full formatting support (tables, lists, line breaks). Use for: saving literature reviews, summaries, research memos, or any content. Attach to a paper with parent_key for organized reference management. Content is auto-converted to HTML; line breaks and spacing are preserved. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| knowledge_discovery | Explore your personal knowledge base on a topic. Prompt loaded from ~/.zotero-mcp/prompts/knowledge_discovery.md or package defaults. |
| literature_review | Deep academic analysis of a single paper. Prompt loaded from ~/.zotero-mcp/prompts/literature_review.md or package defaults. |
| comparative_review | Synthesize multiple papers into a comparative review. Prompt loaded from ~/.zotero-mcp/prompts/comparative_review.md or package defaults. |
| bibliography_export | Export formatted citations and BibTeX for selected papers. Prompt loaded from ~/.zotero-mcp/prompts/bibliography_export.md or package defaults. |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 9 tools
Each tool targets a distinct action and resource (e.g., creating notes, listing collections, getting metadata, searching annotations). There is no overlap in functionality, and descriptions clearly differentiate purposes.
All tools follow the consistent pattern 'zotero_verb_noun' in snake_case, using clear verbs like create, get, search. This makes the naming predictable and intuitive.
9 tools is appropriate for a reference management server with core features (collections, items, notes, annotations, search). It covers essential workflows without being excessive, though some common operations like updating or deleting items are missing.
The tool set covers viewing and searching well but lacks create/update/delete for items (papers) and notes (except creating notes). This is a notable gap for a complete reference management workflow, though the 'lite' label may justify it.