ZoteroBridge

ZoteroBridge is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects directly to the Zotero SQLite database and enables AI assistants to interact with your Zotero library. You can manage folders, tags, items, PDF content, and more through structured MCP tools, making it easy to perform complex library operations from your preferred AI client.

How to use

You will run ZoteroBridge as an MCP server and connect your AI client to it. Use the provided MCP configurations to register ZoteroBridge with your client, then issue actions such as listing folders, searching items, reading abstracts, or extracting PDF text. Each tool corresponds to a concrete operation in Zotero’s database, and you can chain actions to accomplish advanced workflows like cleaning up duplicates, validating attachments, or generating summaries from PDFs.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing ZoteroBridge:

Install ZoteroBridge using one of the following methods:

Option 1: Global npm installation (recommended)

npm install -g zotero-bridge

Option 2: Build from source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Combjellyshen/ZoteroBridge.git
cd ZoteroBridge

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Configuring MCP clients

Use the following MCP configurations to connect the server with your MCP-capable client. Each configuration is a complete example you can adapt to your environment.

Claude Desktop configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zotero-bridge"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

If you build from source

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-bridge": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/ZoteroBridge/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Cursor IDE configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zotero-bridge"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code Copilot configuration

"github.copilot.chat.mcpServers": {
  "zotero-bridge": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "zotero-bridge"]
  }
}

Custom Zotero database path

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "zotero-bridge", "--db", "D:/MyZotero/zotero.sqlite"]
    }
  }
}

Run from the command line

# Show help
zotero-bridge --help

# Use a specific database
zotero-bridge --db /path/to/zotero.sqlite

# Enable read-only mode
zotero-bridge --readonly

Notes on running

Close the Zotero client when performing write operations to avoid database locking and back up the zotero.sqlite database before making changes. When only reading data, consider using the --readonly flag for safety.

Available tools

manage_collection

Manage Zotero folders (collections) with actions to list, get, create, rename, move, delete, and query subcollections or items within a collection.

manage_tags

Manage tags for items, including listing tags, adding or removing tags from items, and creating new tags.

search_items

Search Zotero entries by title or keywords.

get_item_details

Retrieve detailed information for a specific item by ID or key.

manage_item_content

Manage item content such as abstracts and notes, including getting and setting abstracts and adding notes.

manage_pdf

Handle PDF-related operations like extracting text, generating summaries, listing attachments, searching text, and extracting highlights/annotations.

find_by_identifier

Find literature using identifiers such as DOI, ISBN, PMID, arXiv, or URL with automatic type detection.

get_annotations

Fetch PDF annotations such as highlights and notes, with filtering options by type or color.

search_fulltext

Perform full-text search across Zotero items and attachments.

find_related_items

Discover related literature through manual links, shared tags, shared authors, or collection proximity.

get_database_info

Retrieve information about the Zotero database, including location and statistics.

raw_query

Execute read-only raw SQL queries against the Zotero database.

library_maintenance

Maintain and clean your Zotero library, including finding duplicates, validating attachments, and merging items.