# Does Zotero have an MCP server?

**Sort of — Community only.** Zotero does not maintain an official MCP server. Community-built servers exist.

## Facts

- Verdict: Community only (Sort of)
- Access: Local server — Runs on your machine over stdio, launched by your MCP client.
- Repository: [54yyyu/zotero-mcp](https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp) — ★ 5.2k, last push 2026-09-24, MIT
- Maintainer: Steven Yu
- Language: Python
- Category: [Knowledge & Memory](https://mcpyet.com/category/knowledge-memory/)
- Verified against vendor docs: 2026-09-29
- GitHub data refreshed: 2026-09-29 (re-checked every 6 hours)

## What it does

> Zotero MCP: Connects your Zotero research library with Claude and other AI assistants via the Model Context Protocol to discuss papers, get summaries, analyze citations, and more.
> — how [54yyyu/zotero-mcp](https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp) describes itself

Project site: <https://stevenyuyy.com/zotero-mcp/>

## The receipts

- **Top community server:** [54yyyu/zotero-mcp](https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp) — ★ 5.2k, pushed 2026-09-24, MIT (active)

## How to connect it

Runs on your machine over stdio, launched by your MCP client.

### Claude Code

```sh
claude mcp add zotero -- npx -y <package-from-readme>
```

Swap in the exact package and flags from the repo README — most servers need an API key passed as an environment variable. Add `--scope user` to make it available in every project.

### Claude Desktop

Open **Settings → Developer → Edit Config** and add the server to `claude_desktop_config.json`, then restart Claude Desktop:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "<package-from-readme>"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "…"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Cursor

Add to `.cursor/mcp.json` in your project, or `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for every project:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "<package-from-readme>"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "…"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

Add to `.vscode/mcp.json`, then pick the server from Copilot's agent-mode tools menu:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "zotero": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "<package-from-readme>"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### ChatGPT

ChatGPT connects to **remote servers only**, and this one runs on your machine. Either expose it through an MCP gateway that gives it a public URL, or use a client with native local support (Claude or Cursor).

## Before you connect this

A community server is unaudited third-party code that will hold your Zotero API credentials and see whatever data they unlock. Independent research puts SSRF vulnerabilities in roughly a third of public MCP servers, and 41% ship with no authentication at all.

- Read the source before running it — especially any network calls it makes.
- Check who maintains it and whether commits are recent (this one: last push 2026-09-24).
- Issue a scoped, revocable API key rather than an account-wide token.
- Prefer read-only credentials until you trust it with writes.

## How we know

Zotero ships no MCP server: the zotero GitHub org has no MCP repo, zotero.org mentions MCP only in user-posted forum threads, and every MCP Registry entry is a personal io.github namespace. 54yyyu/zotero-mcp (~5.2k stars, active) is the most-starred dedicated server.

- GitHub data refreshed 2026-09-29, then every 6 hours.
- Vendor docs verified on 2026-09-29.
- Corrections: hello@mcpyet.com.

## Also in Knowledge & Memory

- [NotebookLM](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/notebooklm.md) — Community only (Sort of)
- [Context7](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/context7.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Obsidian](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/obsidian.md) — Community only (Sort of)
- [DeepWiki](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/deepwiki.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Microsoft Learn](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/microsoft-learn.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Graphiti](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/graphiti.md) — Official (Yes)

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Source: https://mcpyet.com/mcp/zotero/ — data refreshed 2026-09-29