Docs & PDF Q&A
ai-research-assistant
Ask an AI about the papers in your Zotero library
★ 1.7k
April 2025
AGPL-3.0
Docs & PDF Q&A
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 23 Aug 2026We checked that the link to the project still resolves.
- 14 Aug 2026We read the licence text itself (LICENSE). No unusual restrictions were stated.
- 1 Sept 2026We read the project's own documentation and found no sign that development has stopped.
Where this sits among the 63 tools we list in Docs & PDF Q&A
- Works without using a terminal20 of 63
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed52 of 63
- Requires an API key32 that do not →
- Sends your input to the provider20 that do not →
Only 11 of the 63 meet all of the conditions above.
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
A Zotero plugin that answers questions grounded in the documents you have collected, which cuts down the work of locating the relevant passage across a large library. Requires Zotero and your own API key. Development stopped in April 2025, so check version compatibility before installing; paper contents go to the AI provider, and any claim needs verifying against the source before you cite it.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals
Before you start
- Setup difficultyFor advanced users
- Command lineNot required
- API keyRequired
- Sends data onlineYes
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
ai-research-assistant FAQ
- Is ai-research-assistant free?
- ai-research-assistant itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use ai-research-assistant?
- You install it like a normal desktop app. No command line involved.
- Does ai-research-assistant work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use ai-research-assistant commercially?
- The licence is AGPL-3.0. Using it commercially is fine, but if you distribute something built on it you may be required to release that under the same licence. Keep it internal, or check before distributing.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ai-research-assistant (this page) | Not needed | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| AnythingLLM | Not needed | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| obsidian-omnisearch | Not needed | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| Dot | Not needed | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.