Search items in the Zotero library.

• Use 'query' for keyword search

• Use 'qmode=everything' to search within notes and full-text content (PDF text)

• Use 'itemType=note' with 'includeChildren=true' to find only notes

• Use 'includeTrashed=true' to include items in trash

• Returns: list of items with key, title, itemType, creators, date

Get complete metadata of a single item by its key. Returns all fields: title, creators, abstract, DOI, URL, tags, collections, etc. Use this after search_items to get full details of a specific item.

Get the most recently added items in the Zotero library. Useful for checking what was recently imported or created. Returns items sorted by dateAdded in descending order.

Get child items (attachments, notes) of a parent item.

• Attachments include: PDF files, snapshots, linked files

• Notes include: user-created notes attached to the item Use the returned attachment key with download_attachment to get the file.

Get the full-text content of an item (usually a PDF attachment).

• Supports pagination for large documents using offset and limit

• Use 'hasMore' and 'nextOffset' in response to fetch remaining content

• Returns indexed text extracted from PDF, not the original PDF file

• If you need the actual PDF file, use download_attachment instead

Get items that have been moved to trash. Items in trash can be restored or permanently deleted from Zotero client.

Get saved searches (smart collections) defined in the Zotero library. Returns search names and their filter conditions.

List all collections (folders) in the Zotero library. Collections help organize items into hierarchical folders. Use parentKey to list sub-collections of a specific collection.

Get all items in a specific collection. Returns items directly in the collection (not in sub-collections).

Create a new collection (folder) in the Zotero library. Collections help organize items into hierarchical folders. Use parentCollection to create a sub-collection.

Update a collection's name or parent. Set parentCollection to false to move to top level.

Delete a collection from the library. Items in the collection are NOT deleted - they remain in the library. Sub-collections are also deleted.

List all tags used in the Zotero library. Tags can be used with search_items to filter items. Type 0 = user-created tags, Type 1 = automatic tags.

Create a new item in the Zotero library with manual metadata entry. Common item types: journalArticle, book, bookSection, conferencePaper, webpage, thesis. For journal articles, use create_item_by_identifier with DOI instead - it's faster and more accurate.

Create a new item by looking up metadata from DOI, ISBN, PMID, or arXiv ID. This is the preferred way to add published papers - metadata is fetched automatically. Requires Translation Server to be running (see README for setup). Examples: "10.1038/nature12373" (DOI), "978-0-13-468599-1" (ISBN), "PMID:12345678", "arXiv:2301.00001"

Export items as formatted bibliography or citation data.

Selection methods (use ONE):

• itemKeys: Export specific items by their keys

• collectionKey: Export all items in a collection

• tag: Export all items with a specific tag

• query: Export items matching a search query

• exportAll: Export entire library (use with caution for large libraries)

Formats:

• bibtex: BibTeX format for LaTeX

• ris: RIS format for reference managers

• csljson: CSL JSON for citation processors

• bibliography: Formatted citation text (use 'style' parameter)

Common styles for bibliography: apa, chicago-author-date, ieee, vancouver, harvard

Output: Content is always saved to a file (to avoid flooding the conversation with large exports). Returns file path and summary.

Update metadata fields of an existing item. Only provide fields you want to change - other fields remain unchanged. Common fields: title, date, DOI, url, abstractNote, publicationTitle, volume, issue, pages, extra.

Move an item to trash (does not permanently delete). The item can be restored from trash in the Zotero client. To permanently delete, user must empty trash in Zotero.

Add one or more tags to an existing item. Tags are useful for organizing and filtering items. Duplicate tags are automatically ignored.

Add an item to a collection (folder). An item can belong to multiple collections. Use list_collections to get available collection keys.

Download an attachment file (PDF, etc.) to local cache.

• Only works for stored attachments (imported_file, imported_url)

• Files are cached locally - subsequent calls return cached version

• Use force=true to re-download and update cache

• Returns the local file path for further processing

Clear cached attachment files to free disk space.

• Provide itemKey to clear cache for a specific attachment

• Omit itemKey to clear all cached attachments