What it is
Zoty connects AI agents to a local Zotero library through eight tools: BM25-ranked search over titles, abstracts and indexed attachment full text, passage search within an item, collection browsing, item lookup, BibTeX and formatted citation export, and adding papers by arXiv ID or DOI with the PDF attached automatically.
It needs Python 3.10+, the Zotero desktop app running (Zotero 8 by default, 7 supported) with the local API enabled, and for some operations, such as attaching PDFs, a bridge plugin installed in Zotero. It runs with uvx zoty mcp. MIT-licensed with 18 stars; v0.3.0 shipped on 16 May 2026.
Install
uvx zoty mcpOur review
Searching the web for papers is easy; finding the passage in a paper you saved two years ago is not. Zoty lets an agent search what is already in your Zotero library, attachments included, and pull the relevant passage rather than the whole PDF.
Eight tools keep it focused. Ranked full-text search and within-paper passage search do most of the work, citation export in BibTeX or a formatted style closes the loop for writing, and adding a paper by DOI or arXiv ID attaches the PDF without leaving the chat.
It runs against the Zotero desktop app, so Zotero must be open with its local API switched on in the config editor, and adding attachments needs a separate bridge plugin. It is a young, single-maintainer project with 18 stars and no commits since May 2026.
Next to the better-known Zotero MCP server, which adds semantic search and more tools, Zoty's appeal is its small surface: eight tools cost little context and are easy to reason about.
Where it earns its place
A PhD student writing a literature review chapter
Find which saved papers discuss a method and cite them
claude mcp add zoty -- uvx zoty mcp; ask for papers and passages on the topic, then export BibTeX for the ones used. Free.
A technical writer collecting sources for a white paper
Add new arXiv papers and pull supporting quotes
Add each paper by arXiv ID, then run passage search within it for the claim being supported.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Enable extensions.zotero.httpServer.localAPI.enabled in Zotero, then claude mcp add zoty -- uvx zoty mcp (or codex mcp add). Install the bridge XPI for PDF attachment.
- Integrations
- Claude Code, Codex and other stdio MCP clients; Zotero 7, 8 and 9.
- Data and privacy
- Talks to Zotero on localhost; the library stays on your machine except what the agent passes to its model. MIT.
- Limits
- Requires Zotero running; eight tools only; 18 stars and a single maintainer.
What's good
- Searches attachment full text, not just metadata
- Passage-level results within a paper
- Adds papers by DOI or arXiv ID with PDFs
- Small tool list keeps context use low
What's not
- Zotero desktop must be running with local API enabled
- Bridge plugin needed for some features
- Small project; no commits since May 2026
Best for
Researchers and students who already keep their papers in Zotero.
Alternatives
Zoty: common questions
- Is Zoty worth it?
- A smaller, simpler alternative to Zotero MCP for asking your own paper library questions, with less to configure and less to rely on. We rate it 3.6 out of 5.
- How much does Zoty cost?
- Free and open source under MIT; Zotero is free.
- What are the downsides of Zoty?
- Zotero desktop must be running with local API enabled; bridge plugin needed for some features; small project; no commits since May 2026.
- Who is Zoty best for?
- Researchers and students who already keep their papers in Zotero.
- Is Zoty safe for company data?
- Talks to Zotero on localhost; the library stays on your machine except what the agent passes to its model. MIT.
- What are the best Zoty alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Zotero MCP and Memory (reference server).
Answers checked Oct 24, 2026.