# Compile Tex

> >-

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-koppor-claude-tex-skills-compile-tex`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [koppor](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/koppor)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [koppor](https://github.com/koppor)
- **Source:** https://github.com/koppor/claude-tex-skills/tree/main/plugins/compile-tex/skills/compile-tex

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-koppor-claude-tex-skills-compile-tex
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Compile TeX documents with the texlive/texlive Docker image

Build LaTeX, plain TeX, and ConTeXt documents to PDF using the
[Island of TeX](https://gitlab.com/islandoftex/images/texlive)
`texlive/texlive` image — no host TeX Live install. This file collects the
bits a general-purpose agent (or human) tends to get wrong without
documentation; ordinary `pdflatex foo.tex`–level usage is taken for granted.

## Image-specific facts

- **Working directory:** `/workdir`. Mount the project source there
  (`-v "${PWD}:/workdir"`); do not invent `/data`, `/tex`, or similar.
- **Default user:** `root`. The unprivileged `texlive` user has shipped
  since 2025-02 — use `--user texlive` (or `-u "$(id -u):$(id -g)"`) on
  Linux hosts to avoid root-owned output files. Unnecessary on macOS/Windows.
- **`latest` tag is rebuilt weekly.** Pass `--pull=always` to `docker run`
  so the local cache does not go stale. Omit for historic and dated tags
  (those change rarely).
- **Schemes:** `minimal`, `basic`, `small`, `medium`, `full` (default for
  `latest`), and `context`. Tag form: `latest-`, e.g.
  `latest-medium`. Smaller schemes pull faster but ship fewer CTAN
  packages and may omit `latexmk`, `arara`, or `context`.
- **Historic tags:** `TLYYYY-historic`, e.g. `TL2024-historic`. Rebuilt
  monthly for OS updates only; TeX Live contents are frozen.
- **`-doc` and `-src` flavors** add *documentation* and *source* files for
  already-installed packages. They do **not** add more packages. If a
  package is missing, switch to a larger scheme or run
  `tlmgr install ` (plus `tlmgr path add` for new binaries on
  non-`full` schemes).

## Engine choice

Default to **LuaLaTeX** (`lualatex`) for new documents: native UTF-8,
OpenType / system fonts via `fontspec`, embedded Lua, active upstream
development. For plain TeX, the equivalent default is `luatex`.

Pick a different engine only with a concrete reason:

- `pdflatex` / `pdftex` — legacy documents tied to the classic 8-bit
  toolchain, or packages that only work there.
- `latex` / `tex` — DVI output specifically (e.g. `dvips` workflows).

ConTeXt sources (`\starttext`, `.mkiv`/`.mkxl`) → `context`.

Magic comments are honored by editors and respected by `latexmk` with the
matching configuration: `% !TEX program=lualatex`, `% !TEX root=main.tex`.

## Build tools

The `full` scheme (default for `latest`) ships every tool below. Smaller
schemes drop the heavier ones — pick a tag at least at the listed minimum
scheme, or run `tlmgr install ` inside the container.

| Tool | Use when | Min scheme |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `lualatex foo.tex` (or `pdflatex`, `latex`) | LaTeX, single-pass, no bibliography/index. | `basic` |
| `luatex foo.tex` (or `pdftex`, `tex`) | Plain TeX, single-pass. | `basic` |
| `latexmk -lualatex foo.tex` (or `-pdf`) | Multi-pass; auto-runs Biber/BibTeX/makeindex; honors `latexmkrc`. | `small` |
| `context foo.tex` | ConTeXt sources. | `medium` (or `latest-context`) |
| `arara foo.tex` | Source declares its build steps as `% arara: …` directives. | `medium` |

[`arara`](https://gitlab.com/islandoftex/arara) is part of the Island of
TeX. The source declares the pipeline as magic comments:

```tex
% arara: lualatex
% arara: biber
% arara: lualatex
% arara: lualatex
```

When such directives (or an `.araraconfig.yaml`) exist, prefer `arara` —
the source documents its own build.

## Run

Mount the project at `/workdir`; use `--pull=always` for `latest`:

```sh
docker run --rm --pull=always -v "${PWD}:/workdir" texlive/texlive:latest \
  latexmk -lualatex -interaction=nonstopmode -halt-on-error foo.tex
```

PowerShell:

```powershell
docker run --rm --pull=always -v "${PWD}:/workdir" texlive/texlive:latest `
  latexmk -lualatex -interaction=nonstopmode -halt-on-error foo.tex
```

Swap `latexmk -lualatex foo.tex` for any row in the Build tools table
(`lualatex foo.tex`, `arara foo.tex`, `context foo.tex`, …).

## File ownership on Linux

Run as the caller's UID/GID:

```sh
docker run --rm --pull=always -u "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "${PWD}:/workdir" \
  texlive/texlive:latest latexmk -lualatex foo.tex
```

…or use the unprivileged `texlive` user shipped in the image:

```sh
docker run --rm --pull=always --user texlive -v "${PWD}:/workdir" \
  texlive/texlive:latest latexmk -lualatex foo.tex
```

Unnecessary on macOS and Windows Docker Desktop.

## Error reporting

Extract the actual error from `foo.log`: search for lines starting with
`! ` together with the `l.` line reference. Show that; do not paste the
full log.

## Housekeeping

- `latexmk -c foo.tex` — remove auxiliary files, keep the PDF.
- `latexmk -C foo.tex` — remove the PDF too.
- `context --purge foo.tex` — ConTeXt equivalent.

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [koppor](https://github.com/koppor)
- **Source:** [koppor/claude-tex-skills](https://github.com/koppor/claude-tex-skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-koppor-claude-tex-skills-compile-tex
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/koppor
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.