papersgpt-for-zotero
A powerful Zotero AI and MCP plugin with ChatGPT, Gemini 3.7, Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 5, DeepSeek V4, Grok, OpenRouter, Kimi k3, GLM 5.3, SiliconFlow, GPT-oss, Gemma 4, Qwen 3.8
PapersGPT for Zotero is an AI-powered extension that provides both an MCP server and agent skills to connect your local Zotero research library to AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Windsurf. Built with a native C++ core for high-speed indexing, it enables cross-document synthesis and search across thousands of PDFs with offline local processing and zero cloud dependency. Developers can integrate their entire Zotero knowledge base as a queryable resource for AI agents through MCP or by loading skill definitions directly. The extension supports multiple LLM providers including DeepSeek, Claude, GPT, Gemini, and fully offline local models via Ollama or integrated open-source options.
Key Features
Use Cases
- 01Connecting a 10,000+ document Zotero research library to Claude or ChatGPT as a queryable knowledge source via MCP
- 02Performing cross-document comparisons across dozens of clinical trials to extract sample sizes and p-values into structured tables
- 03Running completely air-gapped literature review on sensitive legal or financial documents using local LLMs
- 04Automating overnight batch analysis of hundreds of papers with AutoPilot and waking to synthesized notes in Zotero
- 05Integrating Zotero library as a skill in agent platforms like Cursor or Windsurf for code-assisted research workflows
- 06Tracking the evolution of terminology or conflicting evidence across thousands of papers in a global library search
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papersgpt-for-zotero — FAQ
What is PapersGPT for Zotero?+
PapersGPT for Zotero is a Zotero extension that provides both an MCP server and agent skills to integrate your local PDF research library with AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Windsurf. It uses a native C++ indexing engine for high-speed cross-document search and synthesis, with full offline support.
How do I install the PapersGPT MCP server?+
First, download and install the .xpi extension file into Zotero from the GitHub releases page. Then configure the MCP server connection in your AI client (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT desktop app, etc.) following the instructions at the docsagent repository. For agent skills, copy the SKILL.md file into your agent platform or load it via OpenClaw.
Which AI clients work with PapersGPT?+
PapersGPT supports MCP-compatible clients including Claude Desktop and ChatGPT desktop app. It also provides skills for Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, CodeX, Gemini CLI, and OpenClaw. The extension itself runs inside Zotero to provide the underlying data access.
Do I need API keys to use PapersGPT?+
API keys are optional. You can use cloud LLM providers like DeepSeek, Claude, GPT, or Gemini (which require API keys), or run completely offline with local models via Ollama, integrated open-source models (Gemma 4, Qwen3.5), or custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints.
Is PapersGPT free?+
The GitHub repository and Zotero extension appear to be free to download and install. The README mentions professional capabilities at papersgpt.com and references 50,000+ researchers, suggesting potential paid tiers, but the core MCP/skill functionality is available from the open repository.
Can PapersGPT work completely offline?+
Yes, PapersGPT's parsing, indexing, and search run 100% locally with no cloud dependency. You can use integrated local LLMs (Gemma 4, Qwen3.5), Ollama models, or custom local endpoints to achieve zero-byte data leakage and full air-gapped operation.
How do I install papersgpt-for-zotero?+
Open the source repository on GitHub and follow its README. papersgpt-for-zotero is a mcp server — MCP Agents Market links you directly to the official repo.
Is papersgpt-for-zotero free?+
papersgpt-for-zotero is an open-source project hosted on GitHub. Check the repository for its license and any usage requirements.