latex-setup

Development

LaTeX environment setup on macOS. TRIGGERS - install LaTeX, MacTeX, Skim viewer, SyncTeX setup.

QUICK START

How to use this skill

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I want to install this Agent Skill for this project in Codex.

Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/blob/HEAD/skills/data/latex-setup/SKILL.md

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LaTeX Environment Setup

Quick Reference

When to use this skill:

Installing LaTeX on a new machine
Setting up MacTeX distribution
Configuring Skim PDF viewer with SyncTeX
Verifying LaTeX installation
Troubleshooting missing packages

Recommended Stack

Component	Purpose	Status
MacTeX 2025	Full LaTeX distribution (TeX Live 2025)	✅ Recommended
Skim 1.7.11	PDF viewer with SyncTeX support	✅ macOS only
TeXShop 5.57	Integrated LaTeX IDE (optional)	✅ Native macOS

Quick Start

Install MacTeX

brew install --cask mactex
# Size: ~4.5 GB (includes everything)

Verify Installation

tex --version
# Expected: TeX 3.141592653 (TeX Live 2025)

pdflatex --version
latexmk --version

Test Compilation

echo '\documentclass{article}\begin{document}Hello World!\end{document}' > test.tex
pdflatex test.tex
ls test.pdf  # Verify PDF created

Post-Installation Checklist

Verify tex --version shows TeX Live 2025
Verify latexmk --version shows 4.86a+
Verify pdflatex test.tex creates PDF
Install Skim if using mactex-no-gui
Test SyncTeX: compile with -synctex=1 flag
Configure Skim preferences for editor integration
Add /Library/TeX/texbin to PATH if needed
Test package installation: sudo tlmgr install <package>

Reference Documentation

For detailed information, see:

Installation - Full MacTeX vs lightweight options, Skim installation
Verification - Check installation, verify PATH, test compilation
Package Management - Check, install, search for packages with tlmgr
Skim Configuration - Enable SyncTeX, configure preferences for editor integration
Troubleshooting - PATH issues, tlmgr problems, permissions

See Also:

Build Workflows: Use latex/build skill for latexmk automation
Table Creation: Use latex/tables skill for tabularray usage