Word2latex

word2latex Skill

Prerequisites

Before running, verify:

1. pandoc installed: pandoc --version
2. python-docx available (used by docx_inspect.py): python -c "import docx; print('OK')" — if missing, pip install python-docx
3. pdflatex and pdftoppm reachable from the shell (any TeX distribution + poppler)
4. The .docx file is closed in Word (otherwise the ~$ lock file blocks reads)

Mode dispatch

$ARGUMENTS is the path to the .docx file (or a directory containing exactly one .docx).

/word2latex 

Optional flags appended after the path:

| Flag | Effect | |---|---| | --engine=pdflatex (default) | Use helvet to approximate Arial | | --engine=xelatex | Use fontspec with native Arial | | --no-banner | Skip the first-page TikZ banner block (use for plain documents without a colored header strip) | | --legal-landscape | Enable the Legal-landscape macros (14×8.5 in) — needed only if the docx has ` | | --bibliography | Manuscript mode: extract the numbered bibliography to a first-pass .bib, rewrite inline citations to \cite, then validate via /bibclean + /scopus`. Opt-in; off for form gabarits. |

Workflow

Step 1 — Inspect the .docx

Run the inspector to extract every value the LaTeX preamble needs:

cd ""
python "/.claude/skills/word2latex/scripts/docx_inspect.py" 

The script prints a structured report with:

• Default font + size
• Line spacing
• Each `` (orientation, page size, margins, header/footer references)
• Heading1 / Heading2 / Title styles (font, size, color, alignment)
• Table border defaults
• Image catalog (path, dimensions, dominant color, transparency stats)
• Header and footer text per section

Save the report — every preamble decision below traces back to it.

Step 2 — Run pandoc

pandoc "" -o ".tex" --extract-media="img_"

This produces a .tex with longtables, hyperlinks, and image references in place but without the visual fidelity adjustments. Do not edit the pandoc output until step 3.

Step 3 — Delegate to the word-to-latex agent

Hand off to the agent with the inspector report as context:

Use the word-to-latex agent to patch .tex against the inspector report above.
Apply the full standard patch sequence in order. The banner uses image.png
(white wordmark) on the left; pages – are landscape .

The agent applies the 10-step patch sequence documented in .claude/skills/word2latex/references/preamble_patches.md.

Step 3b — Manuscript bibliography (optional, --bibliography only)

Skip this step for form gabarits. Run it only when the .docx is a manuscript (numbered references + inline citations) and --bibliography was passed.

1. Second pandoc pass to markdown (keeps explicit 1. numbering):

``powershell pandoc "" -t gfm -o ".md" ``

1. Extract the bibliography and rewrite citations:

``powershell python "/.claude/skills/word2latex/scripts/manuscript_bib.py" ".tex" --bib-source ".md" `` Produces .cited.tex (citations as \cite{...}) and .first-pass.bib`.

1. Validate and enrich the bibliography (respects the project reference rules —

approved publishers, clickable DOI): `` /bibclean .first-pass.bib /scopus validate .first-pass.bib ``

1. The agent (Step 3) then injects the biblatex preamble and replaces the

pandoc-rendered reference list with \printbibliography.

Full details: .claude/skills/word2latex/references/manuscript_bibliography.md.

Step 4 — Compile and render

pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode -output-directory=out ".tex"
pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode -output-directory=out ".tex"
Remove-Item out\page-*.png -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
pdftoppm -png -r 120 out\.pdf out\page

Two pdflatex passes are required for \pageref{LastPage} and longtable column widths.

Step 5 — Visual verification

Read at minimum:

• Page 1 — banner, white wordmark on left, title centered, icon on right, no duplicate header
• Each landscape page — text + table on the same page, full grid visible
• The last page — footer reads correctly, no orphan content from a previous section

If any page does not match, return to the agent with the specific page index and the discrepancy.

Output formatting

Final response to the user lists:

1. The .tex file path
2. The page count of the resulting PDF
3. For each landscape page: dimensions in inches
4. Any unresolved overfull \hbox ≥ 5 pt (smaller are absorbed by \hfuzz=3pt)
5. The verification rendering folder (out/page-*.png)

Error handling

| Error | Action | |---|---| | pandoc: command not found | Ask user to install pandoc or add it to PATH | | python-docx missing | pip install python-docx then retry | | ~$.docx lock present | Ask user to close the document in Word | | ! Misplaced \noalign | A \toprule/\midrule was missed by the rule-replacement pass — re-run replace booktabs rules with \hline | | Command \endLegalLand already defined | Macro name collides with \begin{LegalLand} / \end{LegalLand} semantics — rename to \Open.../\Close... | | paperwidth not available in \newgeometry | Geometry forbids paper-size keys mid-document — set \pdfpagewidth and \paperwidth before the \newgeometry call | | Calendar table spills to a second page | Apply row-compaction: replace minipage+enumerate cells with \textbf{N) text}, set \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{0.95}, use \footnotesize | | Right header text missing | Header logo image has no width constraint and pushes the right slot off-page — set width=3.5cm,keepaspectratio on the \includegraphics in \fancyhead[L] | | Entries : 0 from manuscript_bib.py | The bibliography is not numbered as 1./2. in the source — run the -t gfm markdown pass and pass it via --bib-source | | Unresolved cites > 0 after validation | A \cite{refN} survived — the source citation number has no matching numbered reference; fix the source numbering or the reference list |

See also

• Agent: .claude/agents/word-to-latex.md
• Patch reference: .claude/skills/word2latex/references/preamble_patches.md
• Manuscript bibliography reference: .claude/skills/word2latex/references/manuscript_bibliography.md
• Inspector script: .claude/skills/word2latex/scripts/docx_inspect.py
• Bibliography module: .claude/skills/word2latex/scripts/manuscript_bib.py

Source & license

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

• Author: LARi-UQAC
• Source: LARi-UQAC/ResearchTools
• License: MIT

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