AI research: references and search
Research, save, and cite: reference managers, read-later, and your own search.
Direct answer: Reference and read-later managers (Zotero, Wallabag, Linkding, Karakeep) with self-hosted search (SearXNG) and an AI answer engine (Vane), plus research skills and Zotero and arXiv MCP servers. Researching well is a discipline of its own within productivity.
Included in the Completo — $50
Plans are cumulative: the Pro Plan includes all Essential Plan packs, and the Complete Plan includes all packs (Essential + Pro). This pack unlocks with the Completo ($50).
Buy with the Completo ($50) Or build your custom plan
Use cases
- Save references and cite them in academic work
- Save articles to read later and organize them with tags
- Search the web from your own self-hosted engine
- Consult Zotero references and arXiv papers from the assistant
How to get started
- Start with the simplest resource in the pack and try it on a small real case.
- Connect the second resource only once the first one already works in your daily flow.
- Review the full list of 10 resources and keep the ones you use every week.
Suggested starter prompt
Act as my assistant using the tools from the pack «Productivity: Research». Research, save, and cite: reference managers, read-later, and your own search. Start with the simplest resource, explain each step before running it, and ask for confirmation before changing data, settings, or permissions.
Included resources (10)
- Zotero (Software, zotero/zotero, ★ 15.7k) — Reference manager for collecting, organizing, citing, and sharing research. GitHub
- Wallabag (Software, wallabag/wallabag, ★ 13.0k) — App for saving articles and reading them later, distraction-free. GitHub
- Linkding (Software, sissbruecker/linkding, ★ 11.3k) — Self-hostable bookmark manager with tags, search, and link archiving. GitHub
- Karakeep (Software, karakeep-app/karakeep, ★ 29.9k) — Save links, notes, and images with automatic AI tagging and full-text search. GitHub
- SearXNG (Software, searxng/searxng, ★ 38.8k) — Private metasearch engine that aggregates results from many search engines without tracking the user. GitHub
- Vane (Software, ItzCrazyKns/Vane, ★ 37.7k) — AI answer engine with citations that searches the web with local or cloud models. GitHub
- tapestry-skills (Skill, michalparkola/tapestry-skills, ★ 562) — Productivity collection that extracts articles and YouTube transcripts and turns them into concrete action plans. GitHub
- learn-from-materials (Skill, dmoshehun-prog/learn-from-materials, ★ no data) — Turn documents into interactive learning pages grounded in the original sources. GitHub
- Zotero MCP Server (swairshah) (MCP Server, swairshah/zotero-mcp-server, ★ 20) — Search and manage your Zotero library, its notes, and article summaries from MCP clients. GitHub
- arxiv-latex-mcp (MCP Server, takashiishida/arxiv-latex-mcp, ★ no data) — MCP server that extracts LaTeX from arXiv articles for accurate interpretation. GitHub
Versions by tool
Related packs
- Productivity: Tasks and Projects
- Productivity: Notes and Knowledge
- Productivity: Email and Calendar
- Productivity: Automation
Frequently asked questions
What is this pack?
A set of 10 tools for researching, saving, and citing sources.
Who is it for?
For researchers, students, and analysts who work with references and reading.
What does it include?
Reference and read-later managers, self-hosted search, an AI answer engine, and Zotero and arXiv MCP servers.