Agent Skills: LaTeX Environment Setup

LaTeX Environment Setup

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

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

Quick Reference

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

Troubleshooting

| Issue | Cause | Solution | | ------------------------- | ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | tex command not found | PATH not configured | Add /Library/TeX/texbin to PATH in shell profile | | Permission denied (tlmgr) | Need sudo for system packages | Use sudo tlmgr install <package> | | Package not found | Missing from TeX Live | Run tlmgr search <package> to find correct name | | Skim not showing PDF | SyncTeX not enabled | Compile with -synctex=1 flag | | Outdated TeX Live | Old MacTeX version | Run sudo tlmgr update --self --all | | Compilation hangs | Infinite loop in document | Check for circular includes or missing \end{} | | Missing font error | Font not in TeX distribution | Install with tlmgr install <font-package> | | Disk space error | Full TeX Live too large | Consider BasicTeX (smaller) if space limited |