zotlink 1.3.8
ZotLink - 智能学术文献管理 MCP 服务器
License: MIT
Requires Python: >=3.10

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<img src="https://pic-1313147768.cos.ap-chengdu.myqcloud.com/ZotLink/logo.png" alt="ZotLink Logo" width="150" height="150">

# ZotLink

MCP Server for Zotero Connector

[![Python 3.10+](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.10+-blue.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
[![MCP](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP-Compatible-green.svg)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[![Platforms](https://img.shields.io/badge/platforms-macOS%20|%20Windows%20|%20Linux-lightgrey)]()

**🌍 Language / 语言选择:**
[🇺🇸 English](README.md) | [🇨🇳 中文](README_zh.md)

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## 🔗 ZotLink

A lightweight, production-ready MCP server that brings open scholarly sources into Zotero with one command.

❤️ Like ZotLink? Give it a star 🌟 to support the development!

## ✨ Core Features

- 🌐 **Open Preprint Coverage**: arXiv, CVF (OpenAccess), bioRxiv, medRxiv, chemRxiv
- 🧠 **Rich Metadata Extraction**: title, authors, abstract, DOI, subjects, comments
- 📄 **Smart PDF Attachment**: auto-attach when available; validated link fallback
- 📚 **One-Click Collection Save**: list + save (updateSession, treeViewID: C{id})
- 🧭 **Adaptive Browser Strategy**: Playwright for tough sites; HTTP for the rest
- 💻 **Client Compatibility**: Works with Claude Desktop and Cherry Studio
- 🧩 **Deep MCP Interoperability**: Integrates with literature-related MCPs such as [arxiv-mcp-server](https://github.com/blazickjp/arxiv-mcp-server) and [Zotero MCP](https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp)
- 📝 **Unified Logging**: `~/.zotlink/zotlink.log`

---

### 🎥 Demo Video

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[![Watch the video](https://pic-1313147768.cos.ap-chengdu.myqcloud.com/ZotLink/bili_face.png)](https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1o6xazvEfH/)

> **Click the image above to watch a 1-minute demo video on Bilibili.**

</div>

---

## 🚀 Quick Start

### 1️⃣ Install

```bash
pip install zotlink
python -m playwright install chromium
```

*Requires Python 3.10+. Includes full browser support for all preprint servers by default!*

### 2️⃣ One-Command Configuration ✨

Use `zotlink init` to automatically generate MCP configuration:

```bash
# Auto-detect Zotero path
zotlink init

# Or specify path manually
zotlink init /Users/yourname/Zotero
```

**The command outputs ready-to-use configuration JSON**, for example:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotlink": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/.../zotlink",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_ROOT": "/Users/yourname/Zotero"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### 3️⃣ Add to Claude Configuration

Copy the generated configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

- **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Linux**: `~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json`  
- **Windows**: `~/AppData/Roaming/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Restart Claude Desktop and you're ready to go!

---

### 🛠️ Development Installation

```bash
git clone https://github.com/your-org/ZotLink.git
cd ZotLink
pip install -e .
python -m playwright install chromium
```

### MCP Configuration Details

If you need manual configuration (without using `zotlink init`), see examples below:

<details>
<summary><b>📝 Manual Configuration Examples (click to expand)</b></summary>

**Recommended configuration** (simple - just specify Zotero directory):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotlink": {
      "command": "/path/to/zotlink",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_ROOT": "/Users/yourname/Zotero"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

**Advanced configuration** (specify paths separately):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotlink": {
      "command": "/path/to/zotlink",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_DB": "/Users/yourname/Zotero/zotero.sqlite",
        "ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_DIR": "/Users/yourname/Zotero/storage"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

**Minimal config** (auto-detect Zotero paths):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zotlink": { "command": "zotlink", "args": [] }
  }
}
```

**Note**: Using `env` variables follows MCP standard and works with all MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Cherry Studio, etc.).

</details>

## 🧰 Available Tools

- `check_zotero_status`: Check if Zotero is running and reachable
- `get_zotero_collections`: List collections (tree view) from the local DB
- `save_paper_to_zotero`: Save a paper by URL (arXiv/CVF/rxiv), attach PDF/metadata
- `extract_arxiv_metadata`: Extract full arXiv metadata (title/authors/subjects/DOI/comment)
- Cookie helpers (stubs prepared) for auth-required sources

## 📁 Logging

Logs are written to `~/.zotlink/zotlink.log`.

## 🌐 Browser Mode

Browser-driven extraction is included by default! All preprint servers (bioRxiv, medRxiv, chemRxiv) work automatically.

The server switches to browser strategy automatically when needed (falls back to HTTP mode on Windows).

**Linux may require additional system dependencies**:
```bash
sudo apt-get install -y libnss3 libatk1.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0 libdrm2 libxkbcommon0 libgbm1 libasound2
```

### Advanced: Custom Zotero Paths

<details>
<summary><b>🔧 Environment Variable Configuration (click to expand)</b></summary>

**Recommended - Single directory**:
```bash
# macOS/Linux
export ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_ROOT=/Users/yourname/Zotero

# Windows PowerShell
$env:ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_ROOT='C:\Users\YourName\Zotero'
```

**Advanced - Separate paths**:
```bash
# macOS/Linux
export ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_DB=/Users/yourname/Zotero/zotero.sqlite
export ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_DIR=/Users/yourname/Zotero/storage

# Windows PowerShell
$env:ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_DB='C:\Users\YourName\Zotero\zotero.sqlite'
$env:ZOTLINK_ZOTERO_DIR='C:\Users\YourName\Zotero\storage'
```

**Local config file** `~/.zotlink/config.json`:
```json
{
  "zotero": {
    "database_path": "/Users/yourname/Zotero/zotero.sqlite",
    "storage_dir": "/Users/yourname/Zotero/storage"
  }
}
```

**Configuration precedence**: ENV vars > MCP env config > local config file > auto-detection

</details>

## 🧩 Supported Sources (Open)

- **arXiv** (preprint)
- **CVF (OpenAccess)** (CVPR/ICCV/WACV)
- **bioRxiv** / **medRxiv** / **chemRxiv** (preprint servers)

Auth-required sources (e.g., Nature) are planned via bookmark-based cookie sync.

## 🧰 Troubleshooting

- Zotero not detected: ensure Zotero Desktop is running (port 23119)
- No PDF attached: some pages only expose links; the server falls back to link attachments
- Browser mode errors: verify Playwright is installed and Chromium is available
  - Install error: ensure Python 3.10+ is installed

## 🧪 Development

```bash
pip install -e .
python -m playwright install chromium
zotlink  # or: python run_server.py
```

See `docs/DEVELOPMENT.md` for code structure, adding new extractors, and release tips.

## 🗺️ Roadmap (To‑Do)

- Sources
  - [x] arXiv
  - [x] CVF (OpenAccess)
  - [x] bioRxiv
  - [x] medRxiv
  - [x] chemRxiv
  - [ ] Nature (cookies)
  - [ ] Science (cookies)
  - [ ] IEEE Xplore (cookies)
  - [ ] Springer (cookies)
  - [ ] ACM Digital Library (cookies)
  - [ ] OpenReview
  - [ ] PLOS / PMC / Frontiers / MDPI

- Stability & Quality
  - [x] Configurable Zotero DB path (ENV + ~/.zotlink/config.json)
  - [x] HTTP fallback when browser fails (Windows compatibility)
  - [x] PDF download retry mechanism (3 retries with exponential backoff)
  - [ ] Windows playwright optimization (current limitation: Python asyncio ProactorEventLoop + MCP event loop nesting)
  - [ ] Post-save title correction when placeholder detected
  - [ ] Enhanced PDF heuristics and alternative URL strategies
  - [ ] Crossref DOI enrichment as fallback
  - [ ] Unified error taxonomy with auto-retry/backoff

- Integration & DX
  - [ ] Cookie sync bookmark flow for Nature-family and other publishers
  - [ ] Example templates for Claude Desktop / Cherry Studio
  - [ ] Extended MCP interoperability docs and samples
  - [ ] CI and tests (unit/integration) for extractors
  - [ ] Packaged releases (optional)

## 📄 License

MIT (see SPDX identifier in packaging metadata)

## 🌟 GitHub Star History

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[![Star History Chart](https://api.star-history.com/svg?repos=tonybotni/zotlink&type=Date)](https://star-history.com/#tonybotni/zotlink&Date)

Made with ❤️ for Zotero community

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