add_items_by_doi

MCP tool from MCP Zotero by Xevos117

Add papers by DOI with automatic metadata resolution. Auto-attaches OA PDFs via Unpaywall

How to use it

add_items_by_doi is exposed by the MCP Zotero MCP server. Add the server to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf and others), and the add_items_by_doi tool becomes available to the model automatically. See the full listing for setup details and every tool this server provides.

Install MCP Zotero

$npx tsx src/server.ts # Run directly without building

FULL MCP ZOTERO LISTING

Other tools in MCP Zotero (14)

add_items

Add items with direct metadata — supports all 37 Zotero item types (books, theses, reports, etc.), batch-capable

add_linked_url_attachment

Attach a URL to an existing item or create a standalone link

create_collection

Create a new collection, optionally nested under a parent

delete_collection

Delete a collection (folder). Items inside are kept. Requires UNSAFEOPERATIONS=all

delete_items

Delete up to 50 items per call (moves to Zotero trash). Requires UNSAFEOPERATIONS=items or all

find_and_attach_pdfs

Batch OA PDF lookup and auto-attach via Unpaywall (by item keys or collection)

get_collection_items

Get items in a specific collection with keys, titles, authors, dates

get_collections

List all collections (folders) with keys, names, and parent relationships

get_item_fulltext

Get full-text content of a PDF attachment via Zotero's fulltext index

get_items_details

Batch metadata retrieval for multiple items — returns all type-specific fields (bookTitle, proceedingsTitle, university, etc.)

get_user_id

Returns the configured Zotero user ID

import_pdf_to_zotero

Download a PDF from URL, upload to Zotero storage, auto-index full text

inject_citations

Inject live Zotero citations into a Word document. Supports APA, IEEE, Vancouver, Harvard, Chicago. Output is saved in the same folder as the input file with a cited suffix (e.g. paper.docx → papercited.docx)

search_library

Search by query, or list items sorted by field (date, title, etc.)