zotero-headless 0.8.0

Headless Zotero-compatible runtime with CLI, HTTP API, MCP, local desktop interoperability, web sync, qmd-backed semantic search, and support for your agent tool of choice

zotero-headless

zotero-headless is an open-source headless Zotero-compatible runtime with:

• a CLI
• an HTTP API
• an MCP server
• a clean-room headless store
• Zotero web sync
• local Zotero desktop interoperability
• qmd-backed semantic search that is automatically refreshed from library changes
• compatibility with the agent tool of your choice through API or MCP

All three main interfaces are first-class:

• CLI
  • good for humans, scripts, and shell automation
• HTTP API
  • good for apps, services, agents, and direct integrations
• MCP
  • good for agent tools that already speak MCP

The project is built for two use cases:

• desktop interoperability
  • work against an existing local Zotero profile
  • import, poll, and apply the currently supported subset of changes back to the local desktop database
• headless/server runtime
  • run zotero-headless-daemon on a machine without the Zotero GUI
  • expose API and MCP for automation, retrieval, background sync jobs, and agent integrations

Status

This is still pre-release, but it is no longer just a sketch. The codebase already includes:

• headless SQLite store plus change log
• zotero-headless CLI
• zotero-headless-daemon runtime
• zotero-headless-mcp stdio server
• local HTTP API
• Zotero web sync for user and group libraries
• local Zotero desktop import, polling, and narrow apply/writeback support
• remote attachment upload/download for the currently supported stored-file and snapshot-style paths
• Better BibTeX-oriented citekey compatibility
• qmd export plus semantic search over Markdown derived from headless state, with automatic refresh on dataset changes
• MCP setup helpers for common agent tools
• runtime observability endpoints and background sync status

Current upstream compatibility baseline:

• Zotero 9.0 (released April 10, 2026) is the newest tracked desktop/runtime baseline for local schema assumptions and the optional desktop-helper workflow
• native citation-key fields introduced in Zotero 9 are now preserved on local desktop reads/writes and attempted on remote writes with automatic fallback for older API behavior
• Zotero's new browser-based account login flow does not replace the Zotero Web API key required by zotero-headless for web sync

What It Is For

Typical end-user use cases:

• run a headless Zotero-compatible service on a server
• query or mutate libraries through CLI, API, or MCP
• sync against Zotero web libraries without requiring the Zotero GUI to be running
• work against a local desktop Zotero profile when local interoperability is needed
• query library content through qmd-backed semantic search flows without manually rebuilding the qmd index after normal sync/write activity

This repository also contains contribution and architecture material because the project is still evolving, but the repo is not meant only for contributors.

Desktop Helper Workflow

This repository no longer vendors a Zotero source snapshot.

The current architecture is a clean-room headless runtime with adapters around Zotero desktop and Zotero web sync. When contributors need to work on the optional desktop-helper path, the repo keeps only a small helper workflow under desktop_helper/ rather than a full upstream source mirror.

Understanding upstream desktop/runtime behavior still matters for:

• local database interoperability
• daemon/bootstrap experiments
• sync semantics
• attachment handling
• reproducible debugging for contributors

The intended workflow is:

• pin an upstream Zotero commit or tag in desktop_helper/metadata.json
• maintain the helper delta as explicit patch files under desktop_helper/patches/
• build or validate against an external upstream checkout instead of an in-repo vendored tree

Repository Layout

• src/zotero_headless/
  • main runtime, CLI, API, MCP, sync, and adapter code
• tests/
  • regression coverage for the runtime, sync, adapter, and tooling surfaces
• docs/
  • architecture notes and implementation planning
• desktop_helper/
  • metadata and patch workflow for the optional external Zotero desktop-helper path

Local-only workspace material should go in ignored directories such as:

• .codex/
• .agents/
• .notes/
• .tmp/

Install

Recommended install methods:

uv tool install zotero-headless

or

pipx install zotero-headless

From source:

git clone https://github.com/<owner>/zotero-headless.git
cd zotero-headless
PYTHONPATH=src python3 -m zotero_headless capabilities

Main entrypoints:

zotero-headless
zotero-headless-daemon
zotero-headless-mcp

Short aliases:

zhl
zhl-daemon
zhl-mcp

Quick Start

Run the setup flow:

zhl setup start

setup start tries autodiscovery first, uses standard local Zotero paths automatically when it finds them, and only prompts for values that are still missing.

Interactive commands now default to human-readable output. If you want script-friendly payloads for setup, version, update, doctor, or daemon status commands, add --json.

The CLI is now split by audience:

• human/operator flows live on the main top-level commands like setup, doctor, version, and daemon
• strict programmatic CLI usage lives under zhl raw ...

Use zhl raw ... when you want non-interactive, automation-friendly command paths that mirror the underlying data operations closely.

Autodiscovery looks for:

• standard Zotero data directories such as ~/Zotero
• common Zotero desktop binary locations
• already-saved API credentials and remote-library selections

Then the wizard will:

• tell you when it autodiscovers a standard local Zotero setup, and only ask for local desktop paths when it cannot infer them or when you explicitly reconfigure them
• use explicit confirmation prompts such as [y/N] and [Y/n] where a yes-or-no decision is needed
• ask for your Zotero API key only when web sync is needed
• discover your personal library and available group libraries
• let you choose which remote libraries to configure
• store a default remote library for later use

That means it also works for:

• a Linux server where this is the only Zotero-related install
• rerunning setup later to add or remove group libraries
• switching to a different Zotero account in true headless mode
• changing local Zotero paths without redoing the whole setup

You can inspect what autodiscovery sees without changing config:

zhl config autodiscover

You can also reconfigure specific parts later:

zhl setup account
zhl setup libraries
zhl setup local

Example: Codex On A Desktop With Zotero Installed

Use this when you already have Zotero Desktop on your machine and want zotero-headless to interoperate with that local profile, while also making MCP and skills available in Codex.

1. Install the CLI:

uv tool install zotero-headless

2. Run guided setup. On a standard desktop install, autodiscovery should usually find your Zotero data directory automatically:

zhl setup start

3. Install the MCP server into Codex:

zhl setup add codex --scope user

4. Install the Codex skill pack:

zhl skill install codex

5. Start using whichever interface fits the task:

zhl local import
zhl qmd query "papers about retrieval augmented generation"
zhl api serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8787
zhl-mcp

Typical result:

• local Zotero desktop data is imported and can be polled/applied
• Codex can connect through MCP
• Codex can also call the HTTP API directly when that is the better fit
• qmd-backed semantic search stays in sync automatically as headless data changes

Example: Standalone Headless Linux Server

Use this when the machine does not run Zotero Desktop and zotero-headless is the only Zotero-related runtime on the box.

1. Install the CLI:

uv tool install zotero-headless

2. Run guided setup. Autodiscovery will likely find little on a clean server, so the wizard will prompt for your Zotero API key and remote libraries:

zhl setup start

3. Start the daemon runtime with background sync:

zhl-daemon serve --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8787 --sync-interval 300

4. Use the API or MCP depending on the integration:

curl -s http://127.0.0.1:8787/capabilities
zhl-mcp

5. If you want Codex or another agent client to connect to that server-hosted install, add MCP setup and install the matching skill pack on the client machine:

zhl setup add codex --scope user
zhl skill install codex

Typical result:

• personal and group libraries sync from Zotero Web
• the daemon hosts API, MCP, background sync, and semantic search workflows
• agent clients can use either MCP or the HTTP API
• no local Zotero GUI or desktop profile is required

For non-interactive automation, you can still initialize configuration directly:

python -m zotero_headless config init \
  --data-dir "$HOME/Zotero" \
  --api-key "$ZOTERO_API_KEY" \
  --user-id 123456 \
  --remote-library-id user:123456 \
  --remote-library-id group:654321 \
  --default-library-id user:123456

Run the daemon runtime:

zhl-daemon serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8787 --sync-interval 300

Run the API directly without the daemon wrapper:

zhl api serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8787

Run the MCP server:

zhl-mcp

Check version and update:

zhl version
zhl update --check
zhl update
zhl --json doctor

Release maintenance:

make release VERSION=0.4.0

API exposure works in two modes:

• zotero-headless api serve
  • standalone HTTP API process
• zotero-headless-daemon serve
  • daemon runtime that hosts the same HTTP API plus runtime state and background sync

Strict machine-oriented CLI examples:

zhl raw sync discover
zhl raw sync pull --library user:123456
zhl raw item create user:123456 '{"itemType":"note","note":"Hello"}'
zhl raw local import

So no, the API is not only exposed on zotero-headless-daemon.

Inspect capabilities and daemon state:

zotero-headless capabilities
zotero-headless daemon status
zotero-headless doctor

Choosing An Interface

Use the CLI if you want:

• terminal-first workflows
• shell scripts
• direct local administration

Use the HTTP API if you want:

• app-to-app integration
• service orchestration
• direct agent integrations without MCP
• long-running daemon deployments

Use MCP if you want:

• native tool use inside MCP-capable agent clients
• easy installation into Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini, Cline, Windsurf, and similar tools

Current Command Surface

Local desktop interoperability:

zotero-headless local libraries
zotero-headless local import
zotero-headless local poll
zotero-headless local plan-apply --library local:1
zotero-headless local apply --library local:1

Remote sync:

zotero-headless sync discover
zotero-headless sync pull --library user:123456
zotero-headless sync push --library user:123456
zotero-headless sync conflicts --library user:123456

qmd flows:

zotero-headless qmd export
zotero-headless qmd query "retrieval augmented generation"

MCP/client setup:

zotero-headless setup list
zotero-headless setup add codex --scope user
zotero-headless setup add claude-code --scope project
zotero-headless setup add claude-desktop --scope user
zotero-headless setup add cursor --scope project
zotero-headless setup add gemini --scope user
zotero-headless setup add cline --scope user
zotero-headless setup add antigravity --scope user
zotero-headless setup add windsurf --scope user

Agent skill helpers:

zotero-headless skill add claude-desktop
zotero-headless skill install codex
zotero-headless skill install claude-code
zotero-headless skill install gemini-cli
zotero-headless skill install cline
zotero-headless skill install antigravity
zotero-headless skill install openclaw
zotero-headless skill install opencode

zotero-headless skill add claude-desktop generates a Claude skill archive on your Desktop. Upload that archive in the Skills section of Claude Desktop or on claude.ai.

Roadmap

Implemented:

• headless store and mutation log
• runtime daemon, API, and MCP server
• Zotero web sync for remote libraries
• local desktop import and polling
• narrow local writeback/apply support for the supported item, collection, note, annotation, and attachment paths
• remote attachment handling for the currently supported stored-file and snapshot-style paths
• Better BibTeX-oriented citekey handling

Documentation

• ARCHITECTURE.md
• IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md
• ZOTERO_SOURCE_NOTES.md
• CONTRIBUTING.md

References

• Zotero Repository
• Zotero Web API Syncing
• Direct SQLite Database Access
• qmd README