ZotReader is a modern web application designed to help you read, annotate, and interact with your PDF documents using powerful AI tools—all from your browser! Whether you're a student, researcher, or just love reading, ZotReader makes it easy to highlight, take notes, and chat with AI about your documents in real time.
Important Notice:
ZotReader is not intended to replace the official Zotero application. Rather than being a substitute (which it is not), ZotReader should be considered a companion app that offers AI-powered features and works from any device with a browser. It is designed to complement your Zotero workflow, not to replace it.
Note: Annotations and notes made in ZotReader are not synchronized with Zotero. The way annotations are handled in ZotReader is different from Zotero's native system.
First-time startup notice:
The first time you start ZotReader, it may take a bit longer to load. This is because the app needs to synchronize your Zotero library structure for the first time. Subsequent startups will be much faster.
- Read and Annotate PDFs: Highlight, underline, and add notes directly in your browser. Compatible with Apple Pencil and other styluses for a natural writing experience.
- AI-Powered Assistance: Ask questions, summarize, or get explanations from your documents using integrated AI (supports Gemini, OpenRouter, OpenAI, and more).
- Seamless Experience: Use the app from any device—desktop, tablet, or mobile.
- Easy Document Management: Upload, organize, and access your PDFs anytime.
- Beta Notice: ZotReader is currently in beta. You may encounter bugs or unexpected results. Your feedback is welcome!
We highly recommend using free AI APIs like Gemini and OpenRouter, which offer generous free usage while ZotReader is in beta. OpenAI is also supported.
- Install Docker Desktop if you haven't already: Download Docker
- Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/Drakonis96/zotreader cd ZotReader - Configure environment variables:
- Copy
.env.exampleto.env:cp .env.example .env
- You can open the
.envfile with your favorite editor, for example:Or on macOS you can also use:code .env
open .env
- Open the
.envfile in your favorite editor and fill in the required API keys:OPENAI_API_KEY(optional, for OpenAI)GEMINI_API_KEY(recommended, for Gemini)OPENROUTER_API_KEY(recommended, for OpenRouter)WEBDAV_URL,WEBDAV_USERNAME,WEBDAV_PASSWORD(optional, for cloud storage integration, e.g., Koofr)- Any other variables as needed for your setup
- Example:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-key-here OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your-openrouter-key-here # Example Koofr WebDAV configuration WEBDAV_URL=https://app.koofr.net/dav/[email protected]/ WEBDAV_USERNAME=[email protected] WEBDAV_PASSWORD=your-koofr-app-password
- We recommend using Gemini or OpenRouter for free usage during beta.
- Copy
- Start the app:
docker-compose up --build
- Access the app:
- Open your browser and go to http://localhost:8006
Note: Although the backend runs internally on port 8000, the application will be available on the port you have configured in the
docker-compose.ymlfile (by default, in this project it is 8006). Make sure to access the correct URL, for example: http://localhost:8006
- Install Python 3.11+ and pip
- Install dependencies:
cd backend pip install -r requirements.txt - Configure environment variables:
- Copy
.env.exampleto.env:cp .env.example .env
- You can open the
.envfile with your favorite editor, for example:Or on macOS you can also use:code .env
open .env
- Open the
.envfile in your favorite editor and fill in the required API keys:OPENAI_API_KEY(optional, for OpenAI)GEMINI_API_KEY(recommended, for Gemini)OPENROUTER_API_KEY(recommended, for OpenRouter)WEBDAV_URL,WEBDAV_USERNAME,WEBDAV_PASSWORD(optional, for cloud storage integration, e.g., Koofr)- Any other variables as needed for your setup
- Example:
ZOTERO_USER_ID=your_user_id ZOTERO_API_KEY=your_zotero_api_key WEBDAV_URL=https://app.koofr.net/dav/Koofr #Koofr provided as example WEBDAV_USER=your_webdav_user WEBDAV_PASS=your_webdav_pass GOOGLE_API_KEY=your_google_api_key OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_api_key REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
- We recommend using Gemini or OpenRouter for free usage during beta.
- Copy
- Run the backend server:
uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
- Install Node.js (v18+) and npm
- Install dependencies:
cd frontend npm install - Run the frontend:
npm run dev
- Access the app:
- Open your browser and go to the URL: http://localhost:8006
-
The
REDIS_URLenvironment variable specifies the connection address for a Redis server, which is used as a cache and temporary storage system for the application. -
Default value: If you do not define
REDIS_URLin your.envor indocker-compose.yml, the backend will automatically use:REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
This value connects to a Redis service named
redis(usually defined in Docker Compose) on port 6379 and database 0. -
Customization: You can change this value according to your environment (for example, to use an external Redis, another host, port, database, or credentials).
-
If the variable does not exist and the code does not find a default value, the application will throw an error when trying to connect to Redis.
ZotReader is in beta. You may experience bugs or unexpected results. Please use free AI APIs (Gemini, OpenRouter) to avoid unnecessary costs during this period. Your feedback is appreciated!
- Designed for use in your browser—no installation required on your device.
- Fully compatible with Apple Pencil and other styluses for smooth annotation.
- Use AI chat while reading and highlighting your documents, from any device!
This app was created with the help of advanced AI models from OpenAI (GPT-4.1 and O4), Anthropic (Claude 3.7), and Google (Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview). Any contributions or suggestions to improve the project are very welcome!
Enjoy smarter reading and annotating with ZotReader! ✨
