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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/chrisgrieser/alfred-bibtex-citation-picker/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The Supercharged Citation Picker integrates with common academic apps and tools on macOS. Most integrations require only a single workflow variable to be set in the Configure Workflow panel.

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Zotero

Set open_entries_in to Zotero in the workflow configuration. Pressing ⇧↵ on any entry opens it directly in Zotero using the URI: 
zotero://select/items/bbt:{citekey}
The bbt: prefix ensures the item is located in your personal Zotero library using the Better BibTeX citekey. Requirements:
Adding or removing entries via the workflow does not sync back to Zotero when using Better BibTeX. Better BibTeX performs a one-way sync only (Zotero → .bib file). Any entries added or deleted through the citation picker will be overwritten the next time Zotero syncs the .bib file.

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BibDesk

Set open_entries_in to BibDesk in the workflow configuration. Pressing ⇧↵ opens the entry in BibDesk using its native URI scheme: 
x-bdsk://{citekey}
Requirements:

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VS Code

Set open_entries_in to VS Code in the workflow configuration. Pressing ⇧↵ opens the .bib file in VS Code at the exact line where the entry’s citekey appears, using: 
code -g /path/to/library.bib:{lineNo}
Requirements:
  • VS Code installed
  • The code command available in your PATH (install via VS Code’s Shell Command: Install ‘code’ command in PATH action)

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Sublime Text

Set open_entries_in to Sublime in the workflow configuration. Pressing ⇧↵ opens the .bib file in Sublime Text at the entry’s line number using the full binary path: 
/Applications/Sublime Text.app/Contents/SharedSupport/bin/subl /path/to/library.bib:{lineNo}
Using the full path ensures the integration works even if subl has not been added to your shell PATH. Requirements:
  • Sublime Text installed at the default /Applications/ location

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Obsidian

Set literature_note_folder to a path inside your Obsidian vault in the workflow configuration. No additional setting is required — Obsidian detection is fully automatic. When you press ⌃⌥↵ to open or create a literature note, the workflow checks Obsidian’s vault registry at: 
~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json
If the literature note’s path falls within a registered Obsidian vault, the note is opened in Obsidian directly via: 
obsidian://open?path={encoded-note-path}
Otherwise, the note opens in the system default Markdown editor. Requirements:
  • Obsidian installed
  • literature_note_folder pointing to a folder inside an Obsidian vault

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Pandoc

Pandoc is required for two features:
  1. Formatted bibliography paste (⌘⌥↵) — pastes a fully formatted bibliographic entry in the configured citation style
  2. Formatted single-entry citation format — the “Formatted single entry” citation mode selected via scp → Change citation format
Install Pandoc: https://pandoc.org/installing.html Customize the citation style: Set csl_for_pandoc to the path of any .csl file. The default style is APA 7th edition, bundled with the workflow at support/apa-7th.csl. You can download additional .csl styles using the built-in style searcher: type scp in Alfred and select Search & download .csl files. Downloaded files are saved to the folder specified by csl_folder (default: ~/.pandoc/csl/).

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AlfredExtraPane

Install AlfredExtraPane to enable live URL preview of entries directly inside the Alfred window — without opening a browser. The citation picker sets the quicklookurl field for every entry that has a URL or DOI. AlfredExtraPane picks this up automatically and renders the page in a side panel alongside the Alfred results list. Requirements:
  • AlfredExtraPane installed and configured
  • Entry must have a url field or a doi field (which generates https://doi.org/{doi} as the URL)
You can also preview a URL without AlfredExtraPane by pressing ⌘Y on any entry to open a standard macOS QuickLook window for that URL.

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