Use the annotation view
Open the annotation sidebar, follow the active Zotero reader, and pull highlights into your notes.
The annotation view is a sidebar panel that lists a Zotero item's annotations. You can browse highlights, drag them into your notes, and optionally follow the active Zotero reader so the view updates as you read.
Open the annotation view
Open the command palette and run:
ZotLit: Open Zotero annotationsThe Zotero annotations panel opens in the right sidebar. A ribbon icon (highlighter) also opens the view with a single click.
By default, the view follows the active literature note. When no literature note is open, it shows: "Open a literature note to see annotations."
Follow the active Zotero reader
The view can track which item is open in Zotero's PDF reader, updating automatically as you switch between reader tabs.
Enable the ZotLit server
Reader-following requires the ZotLit server. If the server is not enabled, the follow-reader button is disabled and its tooltip reads: "Enable the ZotLit server in settings to follow the Zotero reader."
See Set up live updates to enable the server.
Activate reader-following
In the annotation view header, click the follow-reader button. Its tooltip changes to "Stop following the Zotero reader" while active.
When you open or switch items in the Zotero reader, the annotation view updates to show that item's annotations.
If the ZotLit server becomes unavailable while reader-following is active, the view reverts to following the active literature note.
Follow modes
The annotation view has three follow modes:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Note (default) | Follows the active literature note in Obsidian. |
| Reader | Follows the item open in the Zotero PDF reader. Requires the ZotLit server. |
| Linked | Pinned to a manually chosen item. |
To pin the view to a specific item, click the link button (tooltip: "Link to a Zotero item...") and search for an item. Click unlink (tooltip: "Unlink") to return to the default note-following mode.
Pull annotations into a note
Drag an annotation row from the sidebar and drop it into the editor. ZotLit renders the annotation through your annotation template and inserts the result at the drop position. Image excerpts are saved to the vault automatically.
Context menu actions
Right-click an annotation row for additional options:
- Copy backlink: copies a link back to the annotation's location in the PDF.
- Copy annotation text: copies the highlighted or underlined text.
- Copy citation: copies a formatted citation for the annotation's parent item.
- Explore template data: opens the Template Data Explorer with the annotation's data.