Zotero MCP Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| CACHE_ENABLED | No | Enable caching (default: true) | true |
| ZOTERO_API_KEY | No | Your Zotero API key from https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys | |
| ZOTERO_TIMEOUT | No | Request timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000) | 30000 |
| ZOTERO_USER_ID | No | Your Zotero user ID (required for personal libraries) | |
| ZOTERO_BASE_URL | No | Base URL for Zotero API (default: https://api.zotero.org) | https://api.zotero.org |
| ZOTERO_GROUP_ID | No | Your Zotero group ID (required for group libraries) | |
| CACHE_TTL_SECONDS | No | Cache TTL in seconds (default: 300) | 300 |
| ZOTERO_MAX_RETRIES | No | Maximum number of retries on failure (default: 3) | 3 |
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 | {} |
| resources | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| search_itemsB | Search and retrieve items from your Zotero library with filtering by query, tags, collections, and item type |
| get_itemA | Get a single item by key or DOI |
| generate_citationB | Generate formatted citations in various styles (APA, Chicago, MLA, IEEE, etc.) |
| extract_pdf_textB | Extract full-text content from PDF attachments |
| create_itemC | Create a new item in your Zotero library |
| update_itemC | Update an existing item |
| delete_itemsA | Delete items from library (supports batch up to 50) |
| manage_collectionsC | Manage collections (create, list, get, delete) |
| manage_tagsC | Manage tags (list, add to item, remove from item) |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Zotero Collections | List all collections in your library with hierarchy |
| Zotero Tags | List all tags in your library |
| Citation Styles | Available citation styles (APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.) |
TDQS
Scored across 9 tools
Each tool has a distinct purpose with no overlapping functionality. Create, delete, extract, generate, get, manage collections, manage tags, search, and update are all clearly separated.
All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern in snake_case. Verbs like create, delete, get, search, update are used predictably, with manage_ prefixed for collection and tag operations.
9 tools cover the core operations of a Zotero library management server: CRUD for items, collections, tags, plus search, citation generation, and PDF extraction. The count is well-scoped without being excessive.
The tool set covers basic CRUD, search, citation, and PDF extraction. Minor gaps exist such as lack of batch update or attachment upload, but core workflows are well-supported.