BibGenie DocsGetting Started
Install BibGenie in Zotero and ask your first AI-powered research question.
This guide takes you through the fastest path to a working setup: download the plugin, install it in Zotero, open the sidebar, and ask your first question about a paper.
Supported Zotero versions
BibGenie supports Zotero 7, Zotero 8, and Zotero 9. We recommend using a recent Zotero version for the most stable plugin and reader experience.
Watch the full getting started walkthrough
Download the Plugin
Go to the BibGenie download page and download the latest plugin release.
The downloaded file is usually named:
bibgenie-<version>.xpiwhere <version> is the release number.
Install BibGenie in Zotero
Open Zotero and choose Tools -> Plugins from the menu bar.
In the Plugin Manager window, click the gear icon in the top-right corner and choose Install Plugin From File....
Select the bibgenie-<version>.xpi file you downloaded.
Restart Zotero after installation.
After restarting, open BibGenie from the Zotero toolbar or the Tools menu.
Open BibGenie
You can open BibGenie in several ways:
- Click the BibGenie icon in the Zotero toolbar.
- Choose Tools -> BibGenie from the menu bar.
- Use the configured keyboard shortcut to show or switch the BibGenie sidebar.
If the shortcut conflicts with Zotero or your operating system, you can change it in Keyboard Shortcuts.
Sign In
Free users can start with the core chat and context features. After you sign in, BibGenie can sync your subscription status, credit balance, and official model access.
Free users
Includes core research features, paper reading, and external discovery with OpenAlex, Web Search, and Web Extract.
Paid plan users
Includes more monthly credits for frequent paper reading, comparison, and research workflows.
Ask Your First Question
A good first task is to start with a PDF paper:
Select a Zotero item that has a PDF attachment.
On first launch, BibGenie uses a built-in model by default. You do not need to configure an API key or manually choose a model before asking your first question.
In the BibGenie input box, type a space followed by @, then search for and add the paper. You can also right-click the Zotero item and choose Add to Chat.
Ask a concrete question, for example:
Summarize this paper's research question, method, main findings, and limitations.If the answer is useful, click Save as Note on the last assistant message to save it as a Zotero note.
When BibGenie answers from traceable sources, it can add citations automatically. Click citation markers to return to the source and verify the answer. To understand how this works across PDFs, notes, snapshots, web pages, and OpenAlex results, read BibGenie Citation. For PDF-specific jumps back to exact source paragraphs, see Paragraph Citations.
If you want to use your own API key, a local model, or an institutional model service later, read Bring Your Own Key and Custom Models.
Ask for a clear output format
Strong prompts specify both the goal and the expected format, such as "summarize in five bullet points", "use sections for method, results, and limitations", or "turn this into a literature review note".
Next Steps
- Learn how to add richer context: Add Context
- Learn how to edit, retry, fork, and compact conversations: Conversation Management
- Understand source tracing: BibGenie Citation
- Understand model choices: Models
- Understand plans and credits: Pricing & Credits
- Create reusable prompts: Quick Prompts
Updating BibGenie
BibGenie checks for updates automatically when Zotero starts. When a new version is detected, an update button appears in the BibGenie menu bar — click it to install the latest release.
You can also enable automatic updates through Zotero's Plugin Manager:
Open Zotero and choose Tools -> Plugins.
Select BibGenie in the plugin list.
Set Allow automatic updates to On. Zotero will then update BibGenie automatically when new versions are available.