Does Zotero have an MCP server?
Zotero does not maintain an official MCP server. Community-built servers exist.
- Access
- Local server
- Repository
- 54yyyu/zotero-mcp
- Maintainer
- Steven Yu
- License
- MIT
- Language
- Python
- Stars
- 5.2k
- Last commit
- 5d ago
- Category
- Knowledge & Memory
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.
Project site: stevenyuyy.com
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.
Runs on your machine over stdio, launched by your MCP client.
Add it from the terminal, then restart your session:
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.
Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config and add the server to claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"zotero": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"<package-from-readme>"
],
"env": {
"API_KEY": "…"
}
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop after saving.
Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for
every project:
{
"mcpServers": {
"zotero": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"<package-from-readme>"
],
"env": {
"API_KEY": "…"
}
}
}
}A green dot in Settings → MCP means it connected.
Add to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"zotero": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"<package-from-readme>"
]
}
}
}Then pick the server from the tools menu in Copilot's agent mode.
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: 5d ago).
- Issue a scoped, revocable API key rather than an account-wide token.
- Prefer read-only credentials until you trust it with writes.
Does Zotero have an official MCP server?
No. Zotero does not maintain one. Third-party developers have built community servers, the most established being 54yyyu/zotero-mcp, but they are not endorsed or supported by Zotero.
How do I connect Zotero to Claude?
Run the server locally and register it in Claude's MCP config. In Claude Code that's a single "claude mcp add" command; in Claude Desktop you add it to claude_desktop_config.json.
Is it safe to use a community Zotero MCP server?
Treat it like any dependency that gets your API keys. Community MCP servers are unaudited third-party code: independent research has found roughly a third of public MCP servers carry SSRF vulnerabilities and 41% ship with no authentication. Read the source, check the maintainer and commit recency, and scope the credentials you hand it.
How is this verdict verified?
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 metadata is refreshed every six hours.
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
Work at Zotero? The moment you ship an official server this page flips to Official — send us the link.