Handwriting To Latex

Handwriting to LaTeX Skill

Recognise handwritten notes or problem sets (images or PDFs) and convert them into a complete, Overleaf-ready .tex file.

Supported Input Types

| Format | Handling | |---|---| | JPG / PNG images | Direct visual recognition | | Scanned PDFs | Page-by-page recognition | | iPad handwriting PDFs | Same as above — pay attention to stylus stroke recognition |

If the user uploads multiple pages, process them in order and merge into a single .tex file.

Output Structure

Generate a complete, self-contained .tex file with the following structure:

\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{article}

% ─── Packages ────────────────────────────────────
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb, amsthm}  % Mathematics
\usepackage{physics}                    % \dv, \pdv, \bra, \ket etc.
\usepackage{geometry}                   % Page margins
\usepackage{graphicx}                   % Images
\usepackage{booktabs}                   % Tables
\usepackage{array}                      % Enhanced matrices
\usepackage{hyperref}                   % Hyperlinks
\usepackage{setspace}                   % Line spacing
\usepackage{enumitem}                   % List formatting
\geometry{margin=2.5cm}
\setstretch{1.3}

% ─── Cover page (optional — remove if not needed) ─
\title{Assignment / Notes Title}
\author{Your Name \\ Your Institution}
\date{\today}
% ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

\begin{document}

\maketitle   % Remove this line if no cover page is needed

% Body content starts here
...

\end{document}

Recognition and Conversion Rules

Mathematical Expressions

• Inline expressions: $...$
• Multi-step derivations: \begin{align*}...\end{align*} (with * — no line numbering)
• Single standalone equations: \[ ... \] — do not use \begin{equation}
• Never output numbered equation tags — do not use \tag{}, \label{}, or \ref{} unless the user explicitly requests them
• Preserve every step of a derivation exactly as written — do not skip steps
• Common symbol reference:

| Handwritten | LaTeX | |---|---| | Vector arrow | \vec{v} or \mathbf{v} | | Partial derivative | \frac{\partial f}{\partial x} or \pdv{f}{x} | | Integral | \int_{a}^{b} f(x)\,dx | | Summation | \sum_{i=1}^{n} | | Infinity | \infty | | Quantum state | \ket{\psi}, \bra{\phi} | | Expectation value | \langle \hat{A} \rangle | | Reduced Planck constant | \hbar | | Hamiltonian | \hat{H} |

Matrices and Tables

• Matrices: \begin{pmatrix}...\end{pmatrix} (round brackets) or bmatrix (square brackets)
• Augmented matrices: \left[\begin{array}{cc|c}...\end{array}\right]
• Data tables: booktabs style — use \toprule, \midrule, \bottomrule

Text Paragraphs

• Write all paragraphs and explanations in English
• If handwriting contains non-English annotations, translate them to English naturally
• Preserve the paragraph structure as written
• Problem numbers: use \section*{Problem 1} or \subsection*{(a)}

Cover Page (Optional)

Only add a cover page when the user explicitly requests one. When included, prompt the user for:

• Title (assignment name / course name)
• Author name
• Institution
• Date (defaults to \today)

Workflow

Step 1 — Receive Input

• Obtain the image or PDF from the conversation
• If multiple images are uploaded, confirm the page order with the user:

> "Please confirm the page order: Page 1 → Page 2 → Page 3, or do you need to reorder?"

Step 2 — Pre-conversion Confirmation

Before starting the conversion, show the user a brief summary and ask for confirmation:

I can see the following:
- Content: {brief description, e.g. "QM derivation, ~3 equations, 1 matrix"}
- Sections: {detected section or problem numbers}
- Cover page: Yes / No

Shall I proceed with the conversion?

Wait for user confirmation before generating the .tex file.

Step 3 — Recognise Content

• Read every line of handwritten content carefully
• For ambiguous passages, add a LaTeX comment: % [Unclear: transcribed as X, please verify]
• Do not skip any step, even intermediate calculations

Step 4 — Convert Block by Block

• Text → paragraphs
• Equations → align* environment
• Matrices → pmatrix / bmatrix
• Tables → booktabs tables

Step 5 — Generate File

• Filename: {course-code}-{content-description}.tex (e.g. PHYS101-QM-hw3.tex)
• Save to /mnt/user-data/outputs/
• Also display the complete LaTeX source in the chat for easy copying

Step 6 — Quality Check

• Confirm every \begin has a matching \end
• Confirm math environments are not nested (e.g. no equation inside align)
• If anything is uncertain, append a "Please verify" list at the end of the reply

Important Notes

• Never simplify derivations — if the handwriting has five steps, output five steps, aligned at each equals sign
• Physics packages included by default — the physics package is always loaded, providing \dv, \pdv, \ket, \bra, and other commands commonly used in physics and physical chemistry
• Compiler target — optimised for Overleaf pdfLaTeX by default; no settings changes needed, just hit Compile
• Language — all body text and explanations should be in English; translate any non-English handwritten annotations naturally
• Ambiguous handwriting — always add a comment rather than silently guessing: % [Unclear: transcribed as X, please verify]
• Cover page — omitted by default unless the user explicitly says "add cover page"

Source & license

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

• Author: yangcodingmaster
• Source: yangcodingmaster/Claude-Code-Skill-handwriting-to-latex
• License: MIT

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