Practical overview
When it fits
Use it when literature work is already organized in Zotero and you want grounded paper analysis, library-wide research workflows or notes captured alongside the collection.
Who it is for
- Researchers and students working with papers in Zotero
- Zotero users who want language-model assistance inside the PDF reader
- Developers interested in adapting a Zotero-integrated research tool
Documented uses
- Ask questions about PDFs, selected text, figures, screenshots and uploaded documents
- Compare multiple papers or add external files as context
- Save answers, conversations and research notes to Zotero notes or local Markdown folders
- Search, tag, organize and edit notes across a Zotero library through Agent Mode
- Search the public web and attach source links to answers
Requirements & limits
The project is open-source, publicly hosted on GitHub and distributed as a Zotero .xpi add-on. The documented setup requires Zotero and either provider configuration or a documented alternative such as WebChat or Codex App Server.
- It works inside the Zotero reader rather than requiring a separate paper-analysis workspace.
- Answers can include citations that navigate back to source passages.
- Agent Mode covers library-wide reading, search, tagging, metadata, importing, note editing and organization.
- Notes can be saved to Zotero or local Markdown folders such as Obsidian and Logseq.
- Claude Code mode is experimental and lacks native Zotero API operations.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Install and configure LLM For Zotero
Add the Zotero plugin and connect it to a documented model provider.
Before you start
- Zotero
- The latest .xpi file from the project’s GitHub Releases page
- A provider base URL, secret key and model name, unless using WebChat or Codex App Server
Steps
Download the latest .xpi file from the Releases page.
In Zotero, open Tools -> Add-ons -> the gear icon -> Install Add-on From File, then select the .xpi.
Restart Zotero.
Open Preferences -> llm-for-zotero, choose a provider, enter the base URL, key and model, and click Test Connection.
Open a PDF in Zotero and click the LLM Assistant icon in the right-hand toolbar.
Expected outcome
The assistant is available in the Zotero PDF reader after the connection test succeeds.
Guide limitations
- The documentation does not specify provider pricing or service availability.
- WebChat and Codex App Server are documented alternatives to a provider API key, but their separate setup steps are not covered here.
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 1 October 2026
- Original website title
- yilewang/llm-for-zotero · Official homepage title · retained in its source language