ZimoLiao/scholaraio

What it solves

ScholarAIO provides an "academic harness" for AI coding agents, enabling them to handle the complexities of the research process. While typical agents can reason and code, they often lack the durable context, structured evidence, and repeatable workflows required for academic work, such as managing paper libraries, citing sources, and performing literature reviews.

How it works

Instead of replacing the AI agent, ScholarAIO acts as a substrate that provides the agent with specific tools and context. It integrates PDF parsing (converting papers to structured Markdown), hybrid search (combining keyword and semantic retrieval), and a local library management system. It uses a system of "skills" and CLI contracts that allow agents (like Claude Code, Cursor, or GitHub Copilot) to stably search, read, organize, and write academic content. It also includes a WebUI for manual library management and supports importing from reference managers like Zotero and Endnote.

Who it’s for

Researchers and academics who use AI coding agents to assist in their research, literature exploration, and manuscript writing.

Highlights

• Deep PDF Parsing: Extracts structured Markdown from PDFs while preserving formulas and figures.
• Agent-Agnostic Integration: Works with a wide variety of agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cline, Qwen, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot) via standardized skills.
• Academic Writing Workflows: Specialized router-first workflows for literature reviews, gap analysis, rebuttals, and technical reports.
• Hybrid Retrieval: Combines full-text and vector search with line-addressable evidence for precise citations.
• Comprehensive Library Management: Supports citation graphs, topic discovery, and multi-source imports from Zotero and Endnote.