Scientific Pyzotero
Interact with Zotero reference management libraries using the pyzotero Python client. Retrieve, create, update, and delete items, collections, tags, and attachments via the Zotero Web API v3. Use this skill when working with Zotero libraries progr...
Your Zotero library has 3,000 references but you need to bulk-update tags, export specific collections, or sync items from a search — tasks the GUI makes tedious one-by-one. PyZotero gives you full Python API access to your Zotero library for bulk operations, automated imports, and programmatic reference management.
Who it's for: researchers automating reference management tasks across large Zotero libraries, systematic review teams bulk-importing and organizing search results in Zotero, lab groups managing shared Zotero libraries with programmatic tagging and organization, science writers pulling citation data from Zotero into custom report formats, librarians building automated workflows for institutional reference collections
Example
"Bulk-tag our Zotero library items by research topic and export a bibliography for our grant" → PyZotero workflow: library item retrieval with collection and tag filtering, automated tag assignment based on title and abstract keywords, collection reorganization by research topic, formatted bibliography export in specified citation style, and attachment management for linked PDFs
CLAUDE.md Template
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
# Pyzotero
Pyzotero is a Python wrapper for the [Zotero API v3](https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/web_api/v3/start). Use it to programmatically manage Zotero libraries: read items and collections, create and update references, upload attachments, manage tags, and export citations.
## Authentication Setup
**Required credentials** — get from https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys:
- **User ID**: shown as "Your userID for use in API calls"
- **API Key**: create at https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys/new
- **Library ID**: for group libraries, the integer after `/groups/` in the group URL
Store credentials in environment variables or a `.env` file:Get new playbooks like this one
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What This Does
A scientific skill for pyzotero workflows with Claude Code.
Quick Start
Step 1: Create a Project Folder
mkdir -p ~/Projects/pyzotero
Step 2: Download the Template
Click Download above, then:
mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Projects/pyzotero/
Step 3: Start Claude Code
cd ~/Projects/pyzotero
claude
Pyzotero is a Python wrapper for the Zotero API v3. Use it to programmatically manage Zotero libraries: read items and collections, create and update references, upload attachments, manage tags, and export citations.
Authentication Setup
Required credentials — get from https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys:
- User ID: shown as "Your userID for use in API calls"
- API Key: create at https://www.zotero.org/settings/keys/new
- Library ID: for group libraries, the integer after
/groups/in the group URL
Store credentials in environment variables or a .env file:
ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID=your_user_id
ZOTERO_API_KEY=your_api_key
ZOTERO_LIBRARY_TYPE=user # or "group"
See references/authentication.md for full setup details.
Installation
uv add pyzotero
# or with CLI support:
uv add "pyzotero[cli]"
Core Concepts
- A
Zoteroinstance is bound to a single library (user or group). All methods operate on that library. - Item data lives in
item['data']. Access fields likeitem['data']['title'],item['data']['creators']. - Pyzotero returns 100 items by default (API default is 25). Use
zot.everything(zot.items())to get all items. - Write methods return
Trueon success or raise aZoteroError.
Reference Files
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| references/authentication.md | Credentials, library types, local mode |
| references/read-api.md | Retrieving items, collections, tags, groups |
| references/search-params.md | Filtering, sorting, search parameters |
| references/write-api.md | Creating, updating, deleting items |
| references/collections.md | Collection CRUD operations |
| references/tags.md | Tag retrieval and management |
| references/files-attachments.md | File retrieval and attachment uploads |
| references/exports.md | BibTeX, CSL-JSON, bibliography export |
| references/pagination.md | follow(), everything(), generators |
| references/full-text.md | Full-text content indexing and retrieval |
| references/saved-searches.md | Saved search management |
| references/cli.md | Command-line interface usage |
| references/error-handling.md | Errors and exception handling |
Common Patterns
Fetch and modify an item
item = zot.item('ITEMKEY')
item['data']['title'] = 'New Title'
zot.update_item(item)
Create an item from a template
template = zot.item_template('journalArticle')
template['title'] = 'My Paper'
template['creators'][0] = {'creatorType': 'author', 'firstName': 'Jane', 'lastName': 'Doe'}
zot.create_items([template])
Export as BibTeX
zot.add_parameters(format='bibtex')
bibtex = zot.top(limit=50)
# bibtex is a bibtexparser BibDatabase object
print(bibtex.entries)
Local mode (read-only, no API key needed)
zot = Zotero(library_id='123456', library_type='user', local=True)
items = zot.items()
Tips
- Read the docs: Check the official pyzotero documentation for latest API changes
- Start simple: Begin with basic examples before tackling complex workflows
- Save your work: Keep intermediate results in case of long-running analyses