latex-workshop

name	latex-workshop
description	Use when compiling or troubleshooting a LaTeX document inside a VS Code project whose build is governed by LaTeX Workshop. Do not use for LaTeX compilation outside a VS Code project.

Generated from blueprint.yaml. Do not edit this block by hand.

Used Interfaces: none

Skill: latex-workshop

Goal

Behave the way VS Code LaTeX Workshop is configured to behave for the target LaTeX document.

Do not assume that outputs belong beside the source file, that latexmk is the intended tool, or that _build is the correct outdir unless the effective LaTeX Workshop configuration implies that.

Workflow

1. Resolve the effective LaTeX Workshop configuration.

• Check workspace-level config first:
  • .vscode/settings.json
  • any *.code-workspace file in the repo
• Look for relevant LaTeX Workshop settings, especially:
  • latex-workshop.latex.outDir
  • latex-workshop.latex.recipes
  • latex-workshop.latex.tools
• If no workspace-level override exists, check user-level VS Code settings:
  • Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/settings.json
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\\Code\\User\\settings.json
• Workspace-level config overrides user-level config.
• If the outdir contains %DIR%, resolve it relative to the directory of the target .tex file.

2. Reconstruct the LaTeX Workshop build behavior.

• Prefer the configured recipe/tool behavior when it is readable from settings.
• If no recipe/tool information is available, use the effective outdir setting and a conservative latexmk fallback.
• If there is a repo script or Makefile that clearly matches the configured LaTeX Workshop workflow, it is fine to use that instead.

3. Compile with the effective behavior.

• Typical fallback when an outdir is configured:

latexmk -pdf -outdir="<resolved-outdir>" -interaction=nonstopmode -halt-on-error "<file>.tex"

• Typical fallback when no outdir is configured:

latexmk -pdf -interaction=nonstopmode -halt-on-error "<file>.tex"

4. Read artifacts from the effective output location.

• Inspect logs, PDFs, and bibliography artifacts in the resolved output directory, not next to the source file unless the effective config implies that.
• If an earlier compile was run in the wrong location, say so plainly and switch to the configured location for later runs.

5. Report the source of truth.

• State whether the effective behavior came from workspace config, user config, or a fallback.
• If fallback behavior was used because LaTeX Workshop settings were incomplete, say exactly what was missing.

Retrieval Commands

• Workspace-level search:

rg -n 'latex-workshop\\.latex\\.(outDir|recipes|tools)' .vscode *.code-workspace

• User-level search on Linux:

rg -n 'latex-workshop\\.latex\\.(outDir|recipes|tools)' ~/.config/Code/User/settings.json

Notes

• There is usually no direct terminal command that means "invoke LaTeX Workshop itself." In practice, use the discovered LaTeX Workshop settings to reconstruct the intended build behavior.
• Treat user mentions of VS Code or LaTeX Workshop as a signal to inspect these settings before compiling.
• Prefer matching LaTeX Workshop behavior over ad hoc shell habits.