| name | latex-forge |
| description | Create, fill in, compile and export LaTeX documents (project reports, internship reports, theses, research papers, lab reports, CVs, posters, presentations, letters, books...) using the latex-forge CLI and its 80+ template gallery. Use this skill whenever the user asks to write a report, paper, thesis, CV or any academic/professional LaTeX document, or to scaffold, build, watch or export a latex-forge project. |
LaTeX Forge
LaTeX Forge turns a single command into a complete, self-contained, ready-to-write
LaTeX project: folder structure, embedded styles, bibliography setup, and a
pre-configured VS Code workspace with live PDF preview. This skill drives the
latex-forge CLI and its
template gallery (80+ templates)
to scaffold the project, then writes the actual content for the user.
Always work inside the project that latex-forge create generates. Never hand-roll
a LaTeX project structure when a suitable template exists.
Step 1 - Make sure the CLI is available
latex-forge --version
If the command is not found, install it without asking (it is a small, reversible,
user-level Python package):
command -v pipx >/dev/null 2>&1 || python3 -m pip install --user pipx
pipx ensurepath
pipx install latex-forge
If latex-forge is still not on PATH after install, call it via
~/.local/bin/latex-forge (or pipx run latex-forge ...) for the rest of the
session, or open a new shell.
Step 2 - Check the LaTeX toolchain
latex-forge diagnose --json
This reports whether a TeX distribution (pdflatex/xelatex/lualatex), latexmk
and biber are available. If the toolchain is missing, ask the user before
running the heavy installer (it downloads a full TeX distribution):
latex-forge setup --install-tex
If the user just wants the project files (no local compilation), you can skip
this step entirely.
Step 3 - Choose the right template
Ask the user (briefly, only what's needed): document type (report, thesis, CV,
paper, poster, presentation, letter...), language, and any institutional
requirements (university template, IEEE/ACM/AFNOR style, etc.).
Six templates are built in and need no install:
| Template | Use for |
|---|
blank | Minimal document, anything custom |
project-report-en | University project report, ISO/IEEE style (English) |
project-report-fr | Rapport de projet universitaire, AFNOR/ISO (French) |
research | Two-column research article |
cv-en | English CV / résumé |
cv-fr | CV en français |
For everything else (theses, internship reports, lab reports, conference
papers, posters, beamer slides, letters, books, the UPC L3 report set, and
many more CVs), see references/templates.md for
the full catalog with install URLs. A gallery template must be installed once
before it can be used:
latex-forge template install https://github.com/thmsgo18/latex-forge-gallery/tree/main/templates/<category>/<name>
The user can also point to their own template (any GitHub repo, ZIP, or
local folder with a main.tex at its root) — see
references/commands.md.
Step 4 - Create the project
Use the non-interactive form so it works from a script:
latex-forge create --name <project-name> --template <template> --output <dir> [--git]
<project-name>: kebab-case, derive it from the document's subject if the
user didn't give one.<template>: a built-in name or the name used at install time for a gallery
template.--output: ask where to put it if unclear (defaults to the current directory).--git: pass it if the user wants version control from the start.
Step 5 - Read AGENTS.md first, before touching anything
Every generated project ships an AGENTS.md at its root: a self-contained
briefing written specifically for this project and template. Read it before
making any edit. It documents:
- the file structure and what each folder is for
- the exact compile command (and engine: pdflatex/xelatex/lualatex)
- custom LaTeX commands defined by the template's styles
- how to add sections, bibliography entries, images, and appendices
- common compilation errors and their fixes
- files that must not be modified (usually
styles/packages/* and
assets/logos/)
Treat AGENTS.md as the source of truth for that project; this skill covers
everything before and around it (choosing/installing the template,
building, exporting).
Step 6 - Fill in metadata and personal info
Edit frontmatter/metadata.tex (or sections/heading.tex / sections/en-tete.tex
for CV templates) with the user's real information: title, authors, university,
supervisor, contact details, links, etc. AGENTS.md lists the exact commands
used by that template (e.g. \reporttitle, \addauthor{Name}{}, \cvname,
\universityname...).
If the user wants their info pre-filled automatically on future projects
too, see references/commands.md for the
profile schema (~/.latex-forge/profile.toml) — write it directly with the
file tools rather than latex-forge profile set, which requires an
interactive terminal.
Step 7 - Write the content
Ground the report in its source material first. A report documents real work, not
imagination. If the user points you to a project — a code repository, a dataset,
notes, an existing draft, a folder — read it thoroughly before writing, and base every
factual claim, code excerpt, architecture description and result on what is actually
there. If you are writing in-place inside an existing project, that surrounding project
is the source. Where a needed result or figure isn't available, mark it with a
% TODO rather than inventing it.
Following the structure described in AGENTS.md:
- one
.tex file per section under sections/, \input{} from the main file
- bibliography entries go in
bibliography/references.bib, cited with \cite{}
- images go in
images/ (or figures/ for TikZ sources)
- appendices after
\startannexes (or the template's equivalent)
Write real content based on what the user provides (notes, transcripts, code,
data, existing drafts) — don't leave placeholder text in the final document.
Step 8 - Build, fix errors, iterate
latex-forge build
latex-forge build --clean
latex-forge build --verbose
latex-forge watch
latex-forge build already auto-installs missing LaTeX packages via tlmgr
when possible. If compilation still fails, read build/<name>.log, fix the
.tex source, and rebuild. Cross-check unexpected errors against the "Common
errors and fixes" table in AGENTS.md.
Step 9 - Export when the document is done
latex-forge export
latex-forge export --output FILE.zip
Bundles the sources and the compiled PDF into a clean ZIP, ready for
submission.
Other useful commands
latex-forge rename new-name
latex-forge list-templates
latex-forge template list
latex-forge template update
Full reference: references/commands.md.
