Praetor
Use Codex or Claude Code in Zotero to ask about items, search attachment text, draft notes, and review proposed library changes.
Requires Codex CLI or Claude Code, installed and signed in as a separate command-line program.
Memex 2.0
Tools for scholars
Plugins for Zotero and Obsidian, and Mac applications for preparing books and scans. Each tool installs separately.
Zotero
The Zotero plugins listed here target Zotero 9.x and 10.0.x on macOS. Book Helper is a separate Mac application.
New to Zotero plugins? Read the installation guide for how to install a plugin’s .xpi file inside Zotero. Each tool’s link below includes its download and setup steps.
NotebookLM Pane
Open Google NotebookLM in Zotero’s item pane and prepare local PDFs for its upload dialog.
Requires internet access and Google sign-in inside the pane. Finish PDF uploads manually in NotebookLM.
Page View
Add single-page reading, two-page spreads, page fitting, and focus mode to Zotero’s PDF reader.
Compact Pane
Show selected metadata fields for each item type, with an option to expand the full list. Copy attachment paths from the item menu.
Quiet Theme
Change Zotero’s colors, typography, and interface spacing.
Restart Zotero after enabling or disabling the interface overlay.
Book Helper
Identify and rename PDF and DRM-free EPUB books, review their metadata, and optionally import them into Zotero.
A Mac application for macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon. Keep Zotero open for optional import.
Obsidian
Read the installation guide for enabling community plugins and installing release files. Each tool’s link below includes its download and setup steps.
Pocket Codex
Use Claude Code, Codex, or Grok in an Obsidian sidebar, with conversations, file context, edits, and provider tools.
Requires Obsidian 1.7.2 or later and an installed, signed-in command-line program for the chosen provider. Manual installation uses four release files. Optional iPhone and iPad remote access requires a Mac host and Tailscale on both devices.
Based on Claudian, created by Yishen Tu. Pocket Codex is maintained independently.
Composition Mode
Write in a paper-style editor with page sizes, margins, type controls, zoom, and page breaks.
Requires Obsidian 1.5.0 or later on desktop. Available through Obsidian’s community plugin directory.
Paragraph Numbers
Show paragraph numbers in the editor gutter for referring to passages in long-form prose.
Requires Obsidian 1.0.0 or later; its manifest supports desktop and mobile. Turn off Obsidian’s built-in line numbers.
Scanning
ScanTailor Spectre
Clean scanned pages and export searchable PDFs, with a Zotero plugin that sends a PDF to ScanTailor and returns the cleaned PDF as a new attachment to the same item.
The Mac application requires macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon. Zotero integration requires both the app and the separate Spectre Loop 0.1.3 plugin for Zotero 9.x or 10.0.x; the app’s bundled plugin is an older version.
Software and credits
Zotero is developed by Digital Scholar and its community, with Dan Stillman as lead developer. It was created at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. See Zotero’s development credits.
Obsidian was co-founded by Shida Li and Erica Xu and is developed by the Obsidian team.
Claudian is an Obsidian plugin by Yishen Tu. It provides the foundation for Pocket Codex, which is maintained independently.