# latex-mcp-server [Health: Active] **Category:** 🛠️ Other Tools and Integrations **Repository:** https://github.com/Yeok-c/latex-mcp-server **GitHub Stars:** 7 **Views:** 2 **Installs:** 0 **Upvotes:** 0 **Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/latex-mcp-server ## Description An MCP Server to compile latex, download/organize/read cited papers, run visualization scripts and add figures/tables to latex. ## Claude Desktop Quick Installation Heuristic fallback — verify the package name and runner against the repository README before running it. Uses `npx` (confidence: low): ```json "mcpServers": { "latex-mcp-server": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y","latex-mcp-server"] } } ``` ## Documentation & README # LaTeX MCP Server An **MCP (Model Context Protocol) server** that can supercharge your VSCode + LaTex Workshop writing workflow Currently houses MCP tools, and new tools can be easily added in either Python and TypeScript. The Python process is the MCP server; selected tools are delegated to a small Node/TypeScript module via a bridge. ## LaTex MCP Server + Copilot/Claude/Cursor, what can you do? - Read your cited papers, verify / add onto your claims - Access your python scripts to generate new figures / latex tables based on your experiment data, and **place them into latex autonomously** - Can verify every step and ensure your pdf compiles - Functionally it can autonomously take your outline + experimental results and turn it into a paper (may looks like slop though)

--- ### Python Tools - **list_tex_files** Lists all `.tex` files under your LaTeX workspace (relative paths). Useful for LLMs or agents to discover available chapters and sections. - **read_file** Reads a text or binary-safe slice of a file given a relative path inside the workspace. Supports specifying a maximum number of bytes to return. - **extract_bibliography** Parses a BibTeX file and returns structured entry metadata, including download URLs (DOI, arXiv). Helps agents or scripts work with citation data programmatically. - **download_bibliography** Downloads PDFs for bibliography entries listed in `resources/cited_papers/index.json`. Can force re-downloads and limit the number of new downloads. - **compile_latex** Runs LaTeX compilation (`pdflatex`/`xelatex` via `latexmk`) on the main document and returns success plus a log snippet. Supports specifying the entry `.tex` file and number of passes. - **read_pdf** Extracts text and metadata from a PDF filepath using `pypdf`, with page and character limits. Stores a JSON artifact for downstream use. - **read_pdf_from_citation** Resolves a citation key via `resources/cited_papers/index.json` to its PDF and extracts text (auto-downloads if needed). Returns extracted text, metadata, and the citation key. --- ### TypeScript Bridge Tools - **summarize_text** Produces a concise natural language summary of provided LaTeX or text content. Accepts a maximum sentence count for the summary. - **suggest_bib_key** Suggests a stable BibTeX key based on authors, year, and title metadata. Useful for generating consistent citation keys. --- ## Install (with `uv`) From the repository root: ```bash cd latex-mcp-server uv tool install -e . ``` or ``` uv tool install -e ./latex-mcp-server ``` This will make the console script `latex-mcp-server` available on your PATH. > If you prefer a one-off run without installing as a tool: > > ```bash > uv run latex-mcp-server > ``` ## MCP Configuration Snippet Add to your `mcp.json` (VS Code / Claude Desktop user settings): ```jsonc "latex-mcp-server": { "command": "uv", "args": ["tool", "run", "latex-mcp-server", "--workspace", "ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_YOUR_PROJECT_ROOT"] } ``` If you omit `--workspace`, the server will infer the current working directory. ### Windows example On Windows (PowerShell / Bash), if your paper_1 root is at `C:\Users\User\projects\paper_1`, use: ```jsonc "latex-mcp-server": { "command": "uv", "args": [ "tool", "run", "latex-mcp-server", "--workspace", "C:/Users/User/projects/paper_1" ] } ``` Forward slashes are fine; they avoid the need to escape backslashes. Be sure to replace the placeholder `ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_YOUR_PAPER_1_ROOT` — leaving a placeholder like `WORKSPACE_FOLDER_PATH` will cause the runtime error: ``` Workspace does not exist: C:\Users\User\WORKSPACE_FOLDER_PATH\PAPER_1 ``` ### Alternative: Install once, then call directly After running: ```bash cd latex-mcp-server uv tool install -e . ``` You can simplify the config to: ```jsonc "latex-mcp-server": { "command": "latex-mcp-server", "args": ["--workspace", "C:/Users/User/projects/paper_1"] } ``` ### Troubleshooting | Symptom | Cause | Fix | |---------|-------|-----| | `No solution found when resolving tool dependencies` | The tool name `latex-mcp-server` isn’t published on PyPI and `uv` tried to resolve it as a dependency (often happens if you used a config field like `requires` or didn’t install locally) | Run `uv tool install -e ./latex-mcp-server` from repo root, then update your `mcp.json` to invoke the installed script directly | | `Workspace does not exist: C:\\Users\\...WORKSPACE_FOLDER_PATH...` | Placeholder path left unchanged | Replace with the real absolute path | | `TypeScript runtime unavailable` in tool results | Node.js not installed (only needed for TS bridge tools) | Install Node.js 18+ or ignore if you don’t need TS tools | If you change TypeScript sources, rebuild and re-vendor (`npm run build`) before restarting the server. ## TypeScript Bridge The TypeScript sources live in `ts_functions/src`. Their compiled JavaScript output is vendored into the Python package under `latex_mcp_server/ts_dist` so users do **not** need `npm` or `tsc` just to run the server. To modify or add TS functions: ```bash cd latex-mcp-server/ts_functions npm install npm run build ``` Then copy (or allow the provided helper script to sync) the `dist/` contents into `latex_mcp_server/ts_dist/`. ## Adding New Python Tools Add functions in `latex_mcp_server/functions/latex_ops.py` (or new modules) and register them in `server.py` inside `register_python_tools`. ### Citation-Aware PDF Reading When a user asks about a paper (e.g. “Explain how \cite{smith2023model} differs from …”), the agent should: 1. Parse citation key(s) from the request. 2. Call `read_pdf_from_citation` for each key (fetches / downloads PDF and extracts text snippet + metadata). 3. Ground its answer on the extracted text (and optionally call `summarize_text` for a concise summary). 4. Indicate if extraction was truncated (check the `truncated` flag) and avoid over-claiming beyond available pages/characters. The `read_pdf_from_citation` tool returns the same schema as `read_pdf` plus `citation_key` so multi-citation responses can attribute snippets correctly. ## Auto-Updating `index.json` (Chosen Method: VS Code Tasks) This project is configured to refresh `resources/cited_papers/index.json` before each LaTeX build using VS Code tasks (method #3 from the suggested approaches). Added file: `.vscode/tasks.json` with three tasks: - `update-index`: Runs a short Python one-liner invoking `extract_bibliography` on `src/references.bib`. - `latex-build`: Invokes `latexmk -pdf` on `main.tex`. - `build+index`: Sequentially runs `update-index` then `latex-build`. ### How to Use 1. In VS Code, open the command palette and run “Tasks: Run Task”. 2. Choose `build+index` (recommend marking it as the default build task when prompted). 3. The BibTeX index will regenerate first; then LaTeX compilation proceeds. If LaTeX Workshop cannot import the package (ModuleNotFoundError), a helper script `latex-mcp-server/update_index.py` is provided. The workspace settings have been updated to call: ``` python latex-mcp-server/update_index.py ``` so that a local editable install is not strictly required. ### Make It the Default Build When prompted by VS Code after first run, accept setting `build+index` as the default. You can also add to your workspace settings: ```jsonc // .vscode/settings.json (optional) { "latex-workshop.latex.recipe.default": "build+index" } ``` ### Why This Approach * No background watcher process. * Deterministic: index refresh tied explicitly to build command. * Minimal overhead (BibTeX parsing is fast relative to PDF compilation). If you later need an alternative (e.g., Makefile or on-demand freshness check), you can still layer it on; the tasks approach is non-invasive. ## Adding New TS Tools 1. Create a new file in `ts_functions/src/functions/` exporting a function. 2. Add it to the export map in `ts_functions/src/index.ts`. 3. Rebuild and sync dist output. 4. Register a Python wrapper in `server.py` using `bridge.register_ts_tool`. ## Protocol Notes This server follows the MCP JSON-RPC message patterns. If the `mcp` Python package updates its APIs, adjust imports accordingly. ## License MIT