How do I install the Pyzotero skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add mkurman/pyzotero in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

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Which AI agents work with Pyzotero?

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Is Pyzotero free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free. This skill is licensed under MIT License.

Who published Pyzotero?

mkurman (@mkurman) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Pyzotero by mkurman — Agent Skill

Name: Pyzotero
Author: mkurman

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 programmatically, managing bibliographic references, exporting citations, searching library contents, uploading PDF attachments, or building research automation workflows that integrate with Zotero.

mkurman 24b927c 14 files · 33.8 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

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()

---name: pyzoterodescription: 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 programmatically, managing bibliographic references, exporting citations, searching library contents, uploading PDF attachments, or building research automation workflows that integrate with Zotero.license: MIT License---|----------|| [references/authentication.md](references/authentication.md) | Credentials, library types, local mode || [references/read-api.md](references/read-api.md) | Retrieving items, collections, tags, groups || [references/search-params.md](references/search-params.md) | Filtering, sorting, search parameters || [references/write-api.md](references/write-api.md) | Creating, updating, deleting items || [references/collections.md](references/collections.md) | Collection CRUD operations || [references/tags.md](references/tags.md) | Tag retrieval and management || [references/files-attachments.md](references/files-attachments.md) | File retrieval and attachment uploads || [references/exports.md](references/exports.md) | BibTeX, CSL-JSON, bibliography export || [references/pagination.md](references/pagination.md) | follow(), everything(), generators || [references/full-text.md](references/full-text.md) | Full-text content indexing and retrieval || [references/saved-searches.md](references/saved-searches.md) | Saved search management || [references/cli.md](references/cli.md) | Command-line interface usage || [references/error-handling.md](references/error-handling.md) | Errors and exception handling |## Common Patterns### Fetch and modify an item```pythonitem = zot.item('ITEMKEY')item['data']['title'] = 'New Title'zot.update_item(item)```### Create an item from a template```pythontemplate = zot.item_template('journalArticle')template['title'] = 'My Paper'template['creators'][0] = {'creatorType': 'author', 'firstName': 'Jane', 'lastName': 'Doe'}zot.create_items([template])```### Export as BibTeX```pythonzot.add_parameters(format='bibtex')bibtex = zot.top(limit=50)# bibtex is a bibtexparser BibDatabase objectprint(bibtex.entries)```### Local mode (read-only, no API key needed)```pythonzot = Zotero(library_id='123456', library_type='user', local=True)items = zot.items()```

Frequently asked questions