Keep Zotero and Obsidian in sync
Install ZotLit Companion so recent Zotero changes reach Obsidian and Zotero's menus can open your notes.
ZotLit reads your library from the Zotero database. Browsing the Library View, searching, and reading a PDF need nothing more. ZotLit Companion, the Zotero add-on, adds three things:
- It keeps the Zotero database file current, so ZotLit sees the changes you just made in Zotero.
- It adds ZotLit actions to Zotero's menus, such as opening or updating an item's literature note.
- It can push changes to Obsidian as they happen, through optional live updates.
Use this guide when you want any of them.
Check whether you need the Companion
Whether ZotLit sees your latest Zotero changes depends on how it reads the database on your computer.
On Windows, and on Linux with ext4
On Windows, and on Linux filesystems that cannot clone files, such as ext4,
ZotLit reads only the main database file, zotero.sqlite. Zotero 10 and later
save each change first to a log file beside it, zotero.sqlite-wal, and copy
the changes into the main file later: when the log grows large, when Zotero is
idle, and when Zotero closes. Until then, the Library View and the notes you
update can show older data. The Companion has Zotero copy the changes into the
main file shortly after each change, so install it on these systems. Zotero 9
normally writes changes straight to the main file.
On macOS, and on Linux filesystems that can clone files, such as Btrfs and reflink-enabled XFS, ZotLit reads a copy of the database that already holds your recent changes. You can skip the Companion there unless you want its Zotero menu actions or live updates.
How ZotLit connects to Zotero explains the read modes in full.
Install the Companion
Install the add-on in Zotero
Follow Install ZotLit Companion to download the .xpi file and install it from Zotero's Tools > Add-ons.
Confirm that it keeps the database current
In Zotero's settings, open the ZotLit pane. Under Database, keep Keep the database file up to date for Obsidian enabled. New installations enable it by default.
Run ZotLit actions from Zotero
With the Companion installed, right-click an item in Zotero and open the ZotLit submenu. Its actions open, update, and import literature notes, and open the item's PDF in Obsidian. They reach Obsidian through obsidian:// links, so they need no extra setup in Obsidian.
To update notes from Zotero, see Keep notes up to date. For the links themselves, see Protocol links.
Get changes as they happen (optional)
Live updates push changes from Zotero to Obsidian as you read and annotate, and let the annotation view follow the Zotero reader. They need the Companion and the ZotLit server in Obsidian, and both are off by default. See Set up live updates.
See also
Last updated on