Set up live updates
Enable the ZotLit server and the companion's notify preference so Zotero pushes changes to Obsidian automatically.
Live updates let the companion push changes to Obsidian as you read and annotate in Zotero. The annotation view's reader-following mode and automatic database refreshes (keeping ZotLit's item data current without a manual refresh) both depend on this connection.
When you do not need this
Basic companion actions (opening items, updating notes, importing notes from the Zotero context menu) work through protocol links with no server. You only need live updates for real-time push (reader-following, instant database refresh when Zotero data changes).
Enable the ZotLit server
Open the Live updates settings
In Obsidian, open Settings > ZotLit > Live updates.
Turn on the listener
Enable Receive updates from Zotero. This starts the ZotLit server (a local HTTP listener) that the companion connects to.
The default port is 9091 and the default hostname is 127.0.0.1. You can change the port in the same settings page. The hostname setting is under the Advanced group: keep it on 127.0.0.1 unless you need network access from another machine.
Enable the companion's notify preference
Open Zotero preferences
In Zotero, open Edit > Settings (Windows/Linux) or Zotero > Settings (macOS). Select the ZotLit pane.
Enable notifications
Under the Obsidian Notifications section, check Enable.
Set the Notify URL
Set the Notify URL to point at the ZotLit server. The default value is http://localhost:9091, which matches the default port.
If you changed the port in Obsidian, update the URL here to match (e.g. http://localhost:12345).
Verify the connection
After enabling both sides, open an item in the Zotero PDF reader with the annotation view open in Obsidian. If reader-following is active, the annotation view updates to show that item's annotations. If it does not update, check that both the port and hostname match between the ZotLit server settings and the companion's Notify URL.
Source ID filtering
The ZotLit server accepts requests only from the Zotero install whose profile and data directory match the connected source. Requests from other Zotero installs are silently ignored. The source identifiers are displayed read-only under Settings > ZotLit > Zotero database.