MCP.Market

Zotero Local MCP server

by piiinpiiins·io.github.piiinpiiins/zotero-mcp-local·v0.1.4·8 stars

Search, read PDFs, and find related papers in your local Zotero library. Read-only, 100% local.

A88/100grade A
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A88/100

full report

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Zotero Local tools (6)

write = sends, deletes, buys or posts

Read from the package source without running it. The installed server may list more.

  • find_related_papers

    Find papers in your Zotero library most related to the given paper. Uses shared collections, tags, authors, publication venue, and fulltext word overlap to compute a composite similarity score.

  • get_collection_items

    List all items in a specific Zotero collection (folder) by its key. Use list_collections() first to find collection keys.

  • get_item_details

    Get full details for a specific item by its Key (e.g. 'ABCD1234'). Useful for retrieving abstract, publication data, etc.

  • get_pdf_text

    Extract text content from the PDF attachment of a Zotero item.

  • list_collections

    List Zotero collections (folders). Shows the collection hierarchy.

  • search_items

    Search for items in the Zotero library by title or creator. Returns a list of items with their Keys and basic info.

Public scan report

scanner v0.1.9 · 2026-09-27 · same rubric, same numbers if you re-run it

no findings
  • Code scan4 source files scanned25/25
  • –Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
  • –Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
  • Auth qualitylocal package, no credentials required12/15
  • Maintenancelast push 62 days ago12/15
  • Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10
Overall 88/100. Components that don't apply are left out of the denominator. Any critical finding is an F.RubricAppeal a findingJSON

How Zotero Local compares

Against every graded Web search MCP server, from our own scans and uptime checks. Updated after each scan run.

Safety score
88/100
higher than 80% of 3,470 Web search servers
Tools
6
the typical Web search server has 5
Tools that change things
0%
typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break
GitHub stars
8
more than 84% of 1,786 Web search servers

What its tools let an agent do: 6 read

Install Zotero Local in Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code

claude mcp add zotero-mcp-local -- uvx zotero-mcp-local
Add to Cursor

What the publisher says

From the Zotero Local repository's README, as published. We do not edit it. Read it on GitHub

Zotero-MCP-lite 快速設定

這是一個提供給支援 Model Context Protocol (MCP) 客戶端使用的伺服器軟體,讓 AI 能夠具備讀取與搜尋您本機 Zotero 書目資料庫的技能。目前主流多搭配 Claude Desktop App 使用。

前置需求(Mac)

  • Python >= 3.10:建議透過 Homebrew 安裝 (brew install python),或至 Python 官網 下載安裝檔。
  • uv 套件管理工具:打開終端機輸入 curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh 或 brew install uv
  • Zotero 資料夾(含 zotero.sqlite)已放置在本機電腦上

Windows 使用者請改看 windowsinstallguide.md,裡面有完整的前置需求、安裝步驟與除錯說明。

安裝步驟(Mac)

Windows 使用者請改看 windowsinstallguide.md。

  1. 把整個專案資料夾複製到 Mac 任意位置(從 GitHub 下載 ZIP 解壓縮的話,資料夾名稱通常是 Zotero-MCP-lite-main,下面的範例都以它為準)
  2. 打開終端機 (Terminal),在資料夾內執行:
uv sync
  1. 修改 .mcp.json 裡的路徑:
  • 把 /PATH/TO/Zotero-MCP-lite 改成實際路徑
  1. 如果 Zotero 資料夾不在預設位置 ~/Zotero/,請在 Claude 的 MCP 設定中加入 env 欄位:
{
     "mcpServers": {
       "zotero": {
         "command": "uv",
         "args": [
           "--directory",
           "/PATH/TO/Zotero-MCP-lite",
           "run",
           "python",
           "-m",
           "src.zotero_mcp.server"
         ],
         "env": {
           "ZOTERO_DB_PATH": "/your/path/to/zotero.sqlite"
         }
       }
     }
   }

不要用 export ZOTERODBPATH=... 來設定:在終端機下的 export 只對那個視窗有效,從 Launchpad 或 Dock 開啟的 Claude Desktop 是另一個獨立的程序,讀不到。要讓 Claude 認得路徑,只能寫在設定檔的 env 欄位裡。(若只是想用下面的「驗證」指令在終端機測試,才需要 export。)

如何連接到 Claude Desktop(Mac)

Windows 使用者請改看 windowsinstallguide.md。

完成上方的「前置需求」與「安裝步驟」後,透過以下步驟將程式連接至 Claude:

  1. 開啟 Claude Desktop 的設定檔 claudedesktopconfig.json(二擇一):

方法 A — 從 Claude Desktop App 內開啟(推薦):

  1. 開啟 Claude Desktop App
  2. 點擊左上角選單 Claude → Settings
  3. 點選左側的 Developer
  4. 點擊 Edit Config 按鈕,系統會自動用文字編輯器打開 claudedesktopconfig.json

方法 B — 手動開啟檔案:打開 Finder,按 Cmd + Shift + G,貼上 ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/,找到 claudedesktopconfig.json 並用文字編輯器開啟。若檔案不存在,請自行新建。

  1. 將本資料夾中 .mcp.json 的內容複製並合併至 claudedesktopconfig.json 裡面
  2. 修改路徑:務必將剛貼上內容中的 /PATH/TO/Zotero-MCP-lite 更改為本專案資料夾的實際絕對路徑

例如,若您將資料夾放在桌面,路徑為 /Users/huang/Desktop/Zotero-MCP-lite-main,則 claudedesktopconfig.json 應修改為:

{
     "mcpServers": {
       "zotero": {
         "command": "uv",
         "args": [
           "--directory",
           "/Users/huang/Desktop/Zotero-MCP-lite-main",
           "run",
           "python",
           "-m",
           "src.zotero_mcp.server"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

注意:如果您的 claudedesktopconfig.json 裡已有其他設定(如 coworkScheduledTasksEnabled 等),請確保 mcpServers 與它們平行放置,不要把其他設定放進 mcpServers 裡面。

如果您在「安裝步驟」第 4 步加過 env(Zotero 不在預設位置):上面這份範例沒有 env,請不要拿它整段覆蓋掉您的設定,把 "env": { "ZOTERODBPATH": "..." } 那段保留在 "args" 後面即可。

  1. 完全重啟 Claude:儲存設定檔後,用 Cmd + Q 完全結束 Claude Desktop(關掉視窗不算),再重新開啟。點開輸入框旁的「搜尋與工具」選單,看到 zotero 即表示伺服器啟動成功!(舊版 Claude Desktop 是在右下角顯示 🔌 或鐵鎚圖示。)

驗證

先 cd 到專案資料夾,再執行:

uv run python -m src.zotero_mcp.server

怎麼判斷成功:這個伺服器是靠標準輸入輸出溝通的,正常啟動時不會印出任何訊息,游標會停在那裡等待輸入。只要它沒有馬上跳回提示字元、也沒有噴出錯誤,就表示啟動成功,按 Ctrl + C 結束即可。反之,如果指令一秒內就結束並跳回提示字元,代表伺服器沒能啟動。

可能會看到一行 RuntimeWarning: 'src.zotero_mcp.server' found in sys.modules...,這是 Python 的提醒訊息,不影響運作,可以忽略。

除錯

Windows 常見問題請看 windowsinstallguide.md 的除錯章節。

Mac 系統常見問題

  1. 找不到 Zotero 資料庫 (zotero.sqlite)
  • 問題:不知道 Zotero 資料庫存放在哪裡,無法確定路徑。
  • 解法:預設路徑通常為 ~/Zotero/zotero.sqlite。如果找不到,請打開終端機 (Terminal) 輸入以下指令搜尋:
  • Spotlight 快速搜尋(推薦):mdfind -name "zotero.sqlite"
  • 個人目錄深度搜尋:find ~ -name "zotero.sqlite" 2>/dev/null

進階版(Pro)

需要更完整的研究分析工具嗎?Pro 版多了四個工具:Connected Papers 關聯圖與視覺化、跨論文整理作者自述的研究限制與未來方向、跨論文關鍵段落搜尋(附頁碼)。

👉 Zotero-MCP Pro(US$30 一次買斷,含中英安裝指南與診斷工具):https://3718181853007.gumroad.com/l/calm-study-partner

Nothing above is checked by us. What we check is on the safety report.

Zotero Local: common questions

Is Zotero Local MCP server safe?
Yes, by our scan: it is graded A (88/100). Read the Zotero Local safety report
How do I install Zotero Local?
It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.
Does Zotero Local need an API key?
Not as far as the registry entry and our scan can tell: no credentials are declared or required.
Is Zotero Local maintained?
The last commit was 101 days ago (2026-07-26). The latest release is v0.1.4.
What can I use instead of Zotero Local?
Servers from other publishers that do the same job: Papersgpt For Zotero MCP server, MCP Zotero MCP server and Zotero MCP server.
How does Zotero Local compare with other Web search MCP servers?
safety score 88/100 (higher than 80% of 3,470 Web search servers); tools 6 (the typical Web search server has 5); tools that change things 0% (typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break). Full comparison.

Alternatives to Zotero Local

Same job from other publishers: the closest match first, then the best rated.

  • Papersgpt For Zotero
    Professional AI research tool for Zotero: chat with PDFs, whole-library search, Literature Radar, AutoPilot. 30+ LLMs or local models; built-in MCP server.
    B
  • MCP Zotero
    Unofficial Zotero server: search your library, add papers by DOI, import PDFs, cite in Word
    B
  • Zotero MCP
    Search, read, annotate, and add to your Zotero research library, local or web.
    B
  • Zotero MCP
    Search your Zotero library, retrieve item metadata, and read full text from AI assistants.
    B
  • Endnote
    Search, cite, and read PDFs from your EndNote library in Claude Desktop
    A