name: zotpilot
description: AI-powered Zotero research assistant — semantic search, citation graphs, and library management via MCP

ZotPilot Skill

Mode Detection

Check if ZotPilot MCP tools are available in the current session.

If tools are NOT available (install mode):
→ See install-guide.md for setup instructions.

If tools ARE available (usage mode):
→ Follow the search strategy and workflow templates below.

Search Strategy Decision Tree

Choose the right tool based on your research goal:

search_papers tips

• Use natural language queries: "effects of sleep deprivation on memory consolidation"
• Add required_terms for acronyms the embedding might miss: required_terms=["EEG", "N400"]
• Filter by section: section_weights={"results": 1.0, "methods": 0.0} to focus on findings
• Use chunk_types=["text", "table"] to include both text passages and tables

search_topic tips

• Returns deduplicated papers (one entry per paper, not per chunk)
• Use for literature reviews: "What papers in my library discuss transformer architectures?"
• Results include num_relevant_chunks — higher means the paper is more deeply relevant

search_boolean tips

• Exact word matching (no synonyms): "attention mechanism transformer"
• Use OR for alternatives: operator="OR" with query "BERT GPT transformer"
• Combine with search_papers: find papers with boolean, then search_papers for specific passages

Workflow Templates

Literature Review

1. search_topic — find the most relevant papers on your topic
2. get_paper_details — get full metadata + abstract for top papers
3. find_references — discover what those papers cite (expand your reading list)
4. search_papers — deep-dive into specific claims across papers

Finding Related Work

1. search_papers — find passages similar to your research focus
2. find_citing_papers — who cites the most relevant papers?
3. get_citation_count — gauge paper impact

Library Organization

1. get_library_overview — see all papers with indexing status
2. search_topic — find papers on specific themes
3. create_collection — create a new folder for the theme
4. add_to_collection — organize papers into collections
5. add_item_tags — add tags for cross-cutting themes

Expanding Context

When a search result is interesting but truncated:
- get_passage_context with doc_id and chunk_index from search results
- Increase window (1-5) for more surrounding text

Troubleshooting