In the current study, noble metal nanoparticle functionalized MoS₂ coated biodegradable low-cost paper sensors were fabricated for the selective detection of low concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A MoS₂ layer was grown on flexible cellulose paper by a two-step hydrothermal route and functionalized further by using noble metal nanoparticles like Au, Pd and Pt by a spray coating technique. MoS₂ nanoflakes aggregating into a micro-flower morphology was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy authenticated the existence of noble metal nanoparticles on the MoS₂ surface. Sensors were then tested with seven different VOCs (≤100 ppm) of ketones, alcohols and aromatic hydrocarbon groups. Au–MoS₂ and Pd–MoS₂ showed inherent acetone and benzene selectivity with 50.5% and 45.7% responses, respectively, after exposure to 100 ppm concentrations at 50 °C. Paper sensors exhibited highly stable baseline resistances, less sensitivity towards humidity (∼75% RH) and an acceptable response/recovery time within 3–6 min at low temperature (50 °C). An additional effort was devoted to discriminating and recognizing different VOCs by using suitable classification algorithms utilizing four types of paper sensors, i.e. pure, Au, Pd and Pt MoS₂. Principal component analysis and logistic regression schemes successfully classified five VOCs among the seven. Moreover, the sensing mechanism of the noble metal modified MoS₂ paper sensor is discussed in light of the Schottky barrier model.