zotero-keeper 1.10.1

MCP Server for managing local Zotero libraries - enables AI assistants to read and write bibliographic references

Zotero Keeper MCP Server

MCP Server for managing local Zotero libraries via AI Agents.

Installation

# Basic installation
pip install -e .

# With PubMed support
pip install -e ".[pubmed]"

# All features
pip install -e ".[all]"

Usage

# Run MCP server
python -m zotero_mcp

# Or use the CLI
zotero-keeper

Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env and configure:

# Local Zotero (default)
ZOTERO_HOST=localhost
ZOTERO_PORT=23119

# Remote Zotero
ZOTERO_HOST=<your-zotero-ip>
ZOTERO_PORT=23119

MCP Tools

Core Tools

Tool	Description
check_connection	Test Zotero connectivity
search_items	Search references by keyword
get_item	Get item details by key
list_items	List recent items
add_reference	Add new reference (simple)
create_item	Create with full metadata

Smart Tools 🧠

Tool	Description
smart_add_reference	Validate + duplicate check + add
smart_add_with_collection	Smart add + auto-classify to collection
suggest_collections	Suggest collections based on title/tags
check_duplicate	Check if reference exists
validate_reference	Validate before adding

Collection Tools

Tool	Description
list_collections	List all collections
get_collection	Get collection by key
get_collection_items	Get items in a collection
get_collection_tree	Get hierarchical tree structure
find_collection	Find collection by name

Saved Search Tools 🌟 (Local API Exclusive!)

Tool	Description
list_saved_searches	List all saved searches
run_saved_search	Execute a saved search
get_saved_search_details	Get search conditions

Other Tools

Tool	Description
list_tags	List all tags
get_item_types	Get available item types

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💡 Smart Collection Feature

AI can suggest appropriate collections based on title, abstract, and tags!

Workflow Options

Option 1: Ask before saving

User: "Which collection should this AI paper go to?"
AI: suggest_collections(title="AI in Anesthesiology")
    → Suggests: "AI Research" (score: 85)

User: "Add it to AI Research"
AI: add_reference(..., collections=["ABC123KEY"])

Option 2: Auto-classify

User: "Add this paper and auto-classify"
AI: smart_add_with_collection(
        title="AI in Anesthesiology",
        auto_suggest_collection=True
    )
    → Automatically added to "AI Research"

Option 3: Specify by name

User: "Add to 'Machine Learning' collection"
AI: smart_add_with_collection(
        title="...",
        collection_name="Machine Learning"
    )

⚠️ Important Note

Since Local API cannot create collections:

1. Create collection structure in Zotero first
2. Let AI classify into existing collections

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🌟 Saved Search Feature (Local API Exclusive!)

This is a unique feature only available via Local API - Web API cannot execute saved searches!

How It Works

1. Create Saved Search in Zotero (one-time setup)
2. AI executes it anytime via run_saved_search

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create Saved Search in Zotero

1. Open Zotero
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+F (or Edit → Advanced Search)
3. Set conditions (see examples below)
4. Click Save Search
5. Give it a memorable name (e.g., "Missing PDF")

Step 2: Use via AI

AI: "Which papers don't have PDFs?"
→ run_saved_search(search_name="Missing PDF")

AI: "What did I add this week?"
→ run_saved_search(search_name="Recent Additions")

Recommended Saved Searches

Create these once, use forever:

Name	Conditions	Use Case
Missing PDF	Attachment File Type is not PDF	Find papers without PDF
Missing DOI	DOI is (empty)	Find incomplete metadata
Missing Abstract	Abstract is (empty)	Find items without abstract
Recent Additions	Date Added is in the last 7 days	Review recent imports
Unread	Tag is not read	Track reading progress
Reviews	Title contains review	Find review articles
This Year	Date is after 2024-01-01	Recent publications

Condition Reference

Field	Operators	Example Values
Title	contains, is, is not	"machine learning"
Creator	contains, is	"Zhang"
Date	is, is after, is before	"2024-01-01"
Date Added	is in the last	"7 days", "1 month"
Tag	is, is not	"read", "important"
DOI	is, is not	(leave empty for "is empty")
Attachment File Type	is, is not	"PDF"
Item Type	is	"journalArticle", "book"

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Documentation

See main README for full documentation.