{"id":"zotero-mcp-server","name":"zotero-mcp-server","af_score":56.8,"security_score":51.8,"reliability_score":21.2,"what_it_does":"Provides an MCP server that connects a user's Zotero library to AI assistants, enabling semantic/keyword search, retrieval of item metadata/full text/attachments and annotations, and write operations (e.g., add items by DOI/URL/file, manage collections/tags/notes). Supports local Zotero access, web API access, and an MCP transport option (stdio/streamable-http/sse). Optional extras add semantic search embeddings, PDF outline/annotation extraction, and Scite citation intelligence.","best_when":"You want local, offline-capable research assistants that can query and update a personal Zotero library via MCP tools.","avoid_when":"You need a fully managed hosted service with published SLAs, or you require OAuth-style user delegation and fine-grained scopes enforced by a centralized auth layer.","last_evaluated":"2026-04-04T21:36:46.318138+00:00","has_mcp":true,"has_api":false,"auth_methods":["Local Zotero API access (no Zotero web API key required when ZOTERO_LOCAL=true)","Zotero web API via API key (ZOTERO_API_KEY) and library id (ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID)","Embedding providers via API keys (OPENAI_API_KEY / GEMINI_API_KEY)"],"has_free_tier":false,"known_gotchas":["Semantic search requires optional extras and a database build/update step (e.g., update-db); tool availability/behavior may differ depending on enabled extras.","PDF annotation extraction may download additional tools on first use; this can add latency and require network access.","Local mode requires Zotero local API enabled; failures may occur if Zotero preferences are not set.","Web API (cloud library) requires ZOTERO_API_KEY and correct library identifiers; tool behavior can vary between local vs hybrid modes."],"error_quality":0.0}