mcp -zotero-dev

This MCP server enables AI agents to develop, test, and debug Zotero 7/8 plugins by providing rich context from the Zotero UI and database, along with a suite of tools to interact with Zotero programmatically. Once installed, you can run the MCP server via npx and configure it in your MCP client. The server exposes capabilities such as UI inspection (screenshots, DOM inspection, element search), JavaScript execution inside Zotero's privileged context, plugin build and scaffold tooling, log and error viewing, and read-only database access to zotero.sqlite. With these tools, your AI assistant can capture Zotero screenshots, inspect API objects, run code snippets in Zotero, scaffold plugin projects, monitor logs, and query the Zotero database to diagnose issues or verify plugin behavior.

To use the server, install the MCP server package into your MCP client setup (via the recommended install-mcp flow). After installation, start Zotero (with the Zotero MCP bridge plugin installed in advance) and prompt your AI assistant to, for example, take a screenshot of the Zotero window, inspect a specific API, or run a snippet inside Zotero to test a plugin API. The server communicates through standard MCP channels and port 6100 is used for Remote Debugging Protocol connections when applicable.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js 20+ and npm
• Zotero 7+ (works on release, beta, and dev builds)
• A user account with permission to install MCP components and run plugins

1. Ensure system prerequisites are installed

• Install Node.js 20+ from https://nodejs.org/
• Install Zotero 7 or higher from https://www.zotero.org/

2. Install MCP client integration

• Install the MCP client package manager tool (install-mcp) globally so you can add MCP servers to your assistant:

npm i -g install-mcp

3. Add the Zotero Dev MCP server to your assistant

• Use the recommended npx-based install to add the server to your MCP client configuration:

npx -y install-mcp @introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev --client claude-code

Supported clients include: claude-code, cursor, windsurf, vscode, cline, roo-cline, claude, zed, goose, warp, codex

4. Manual configuration (alternative)

• If you want to configure manually in your MCP client config, add the following snippet:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotero-dev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@introfini/mcp-server-zotero-dev"],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_RDP_PORT": "6100"
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Install the Zotero MCP bridge plugin

• Download zotero-mcp-bridge.xpi from the latest release and install it in Zotero (Tools → Plugins → Install Plugin From File).
• Restart Zotero to enable the Remote Debugging Protocol.

6. Start developing

• Open Zotero and start issuing MCP commands from your AI assistant. For example, ask the assistant to capture a screenshot, inspect DOM, run a snippet in Zotero context, or query the Zotero database. No extra launcher flags are required.

Notes and tips:

• The MCP server runs via npx and expects a near-identical environment to the one described in the README; if you encounter port conflicts, adjust ZOTERO_RDP_PORT accordingly.
• The Zotero MCP bridge plugin enables Remote Debugging Protocol access; ensure Zotero is closed when copying the database for read-only access (or use a copy).
• The available tools include UI inspection (zotero_screenshot, zotero_inspect_element, zotero_get_dom_tree, zotero_get_styles, zotero_list_windows), JavaScript execution (zotero_execute_js, zotero_inspect_object, zotero_open_preferences, zotero_search_prefs, zotero_get_pref, zotero_set_pref), build/scaffold (zotero_scaffold_build, zotero_scaffold_serve, zotero_scaffold_lint, zotero_scaffold_typecheck), logs (zotero_read_logs, zotero_read_errors, zotero_watch_logs, zotero_clear_logs), plugin management (zotero_plugin_reload, zotero_plugin_install, zotero_plugin_list), and database access (zotero_db_query, zotero_db_schema, zotero_db_stats).
• If you modify the server or its tools, consider re-running the install-mcp command to refresh client integrations.