pyzotero

What it is and what it does

Pyzotero is a Python wrapper around the Zotero API that enables programmatic access to bibliographic reference libraries. It works with both personal Zotero libraries and shared group libraries, allowing you to retrieve, search, and query items without using Zotero's web interface. The package depends on feedparser for feed handling, bibtexparser for bibliography parsing, httpx for HTTP requests, and whenever for date/time handling.

Beyond the core library client, Pyzotero includes optional CLI tools for searching local Zotero libraries and an MCP server that exposes your library and Semantic Scholar integration to LLMs like Claude. The CLI supports full-text search, filtering by item type, and JSON output; the MCP server lets sandboxed applications query your library without direct CLI access. All of these features require only Python 3.10 or later and are actively maintained.

Use it for:

• Automate bulk retrieval and organization of bibliographic items from a Zotero library into a Python application or research workflow.
• Build a search interface or metadata extraction tool that queries your local Zotero library without opening the Zotero GUI.
• Integrate Zotero references into a research paper generation or citation management pipeline.
• Connect your Zotero library to Claude or other LLMs via the MCP server for AI-assisted literature review and reference discovery.
• Parse and process bibliography data from Zotero using bibtexparser for export or reformatting into other citation formats.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Pyzotero is a Python client library for the Zotero API that lets you programmatically access, search, and retrieve bibliographic items from personal or group Zotero libraries.

Yes. Pyzotero is actively maintained, has low install friction, supports current Python versions (3.10–3.14), carries no known vulnerabilities, and solves a clear problem for anyone needing programmatic access to Zotero libraries. The optional CLI and MCP server add value for local library workflows and LLM integration. The only caveat is to verify the Blue Oak licence against your project's requirements.

Install

pyzotero on PyPI

pip install pyzotero

uv add pyzotero

poetry add pyzotero

Installing pyzotero

Before you install

Installation is straightforward with low friction—the package is a pure Python wheel with four runtime dependencies (feedparser, bibtexparser, httpx, whenever). The project is actively maintained with a recent release and 1393 repository stars, indicating stable, community-backed development.

License in practice

Pyzotero is licensed under Blue Oak Model Licence 1.0.0, which is a permissive open-source license. The license treatment is marked unclear in the metadata, so you may want to review the full LICENSE.md file to confirm compatibility with your use case.

Quickstart

from pyzotero import Zotero

zot = Zotero(library_id, library_type, api_key)
items = zot.top(limit=5)
for item in items:
    print(f"Item: {item['data']['itemType']} | Key: {item['data']['key']}")

You need a Zotero library ID and API key from https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys; for local library access, Zotero 7 with local API enabled is required.

Verify before relying

• Whether the Blue Oak Model Licence 1.0.0 is compatible with proprietary or closed-source projects.
• Performance characteristics when querying large Zotero libraries or using full-text search.
• Whether the MCP server integration works reliably with Claude Desktop on all platforms.

Package facts

Evidence: pyzotero-1.13.7-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: Zotero, DH

Tags

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