Zotero → NotebookLM

I use Zotero as my source of truth for all my scientific literature, and whenever I look into a new topic, it starts with a new collection of the latest papers in Zotero. My favorite workflow:

• take those new papers-->
• dump them into a new NotebookLM notebook-->
• generate a audio "podcast"-->
• and off to my favorite jogging trail with headphones!

Unfortunately, there's no native integration between Zotero and NotebookLM, and--what's worse--Zotero's article storage on a local file system is an utter pain to navigate, select from, and use from the NotebookLM interface's file dropzone. So, I built this plugin to automate the workflow.

It's a bit of a kludge: NotebookLM only offers an API to business customers as of this time, and so we have to manipulate the web interface using a browser extension. This arrangement likely means that the overall setup is a bit brittle! But, as I need to use it many times a week (what else am I going to listen to when I am huffing up Puʻu Pia?), I am likely to invest the time to try and keep this project maintained---and I'd welcome requests and contributions.

🌴 🌴 🌴

About

A Zotero 7 plugin and Chrome extension that lets you select articles from your Zotero library and import their PDFs directly into Google NotebookLM — no manual file wrangling required.

Why?

Zotero stores PDFs in opaque, key-based folder names. Manually gathering files from a subcollection and uploading them to NotebookLM is tedious and error-prone. This tool automates the entire workflow: browse your collections in Zotero, pick your sources, and push them to NotebookLM with two clicks.

How It Works

The system has two parts:

1. Zotero Plugin — Adds an "Export to NotebookLM" dialog to Zotero's Tools menu. Browse your collection tree, search/filter items, and select which sources to stage. The plugin starts a local HTTP server that serves the staged files.

2. Chrome Extension — Connects to the Zotero plugin's local server, fetches the staged files, and injects them into NotebookLM's upload interface.

Installation

Zotero Plugin

1. Download or build the .xpi file (see Building below)
2. In Zotero 7: Tools → Add-ons → ⚙ → Install Add-on From File...
3. Select the .xpi file and restart Zotero if prompted

Chrome Extension

1. Open chrome://extensions/ in Chrome
2. Enable Developer mode (top right toggle)
3. Click Load unpacked and select the chrome-extension/ directory

Usage

Step 1: Stage Sources in Zotero

1. Open Zotero and go to Tools → Export to NotebookLM...
2. Browse the collection tree on the left to find your subcollection
3. Use the search box to filter items by title, author, or year
4. Click items to select them (checked items will be exported). Items without a valid PDF attachment are greyed out.
5. Click Export to NotebookLM to stage the selected files

Step 2: Import into NotebookLM

1. Open notebooklm.google.com in Chrome and create or open a notebook
2. Click the Zotero → NotebookLM extension icon in your Chrome toolbar
3. The popup will show your staged sources with a green "Zotero connected" indicator
4. Click Import to NotebookLM
5. The extension will fetch each file from Zotero, then upload them all to NotebookLM's sources panel

Tips

• Keep Zotero running while importing — the Chrome extension fetches files from Zotero's local server
• You can deselect items in the Chrome popup if you change your mind
• After a successful import, staged items are automatically cleared
• If the import fails, refresh the NotebookLM tab and try again

Building

npm install
npm run build

The Zotero plugin .xpi will be at .scaffold/build/zotero-notebook-lm.xpi.

The Chrome extension requires no build step — load chrome-extension/ directly.

Known Issues

• Large batches (9+ files) may occasionally time out due to a race condition in the Chrome extension's file injection. If this happens, try importing in smaller batches.
• NotebookLM's DOM structure may change without notice, which could break the upload mechanism.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.