A Claude Code skill for creating publication-quality PDF documents using LaTeX. Describe what you want in plain English — Claude writes the LaTeX, compiles it, and hands you the PDF. No LaTeX knowledge required.
Invoices, reports, CVs, presentations, academic papers, letters, contracts, certificates — anything you'd normally fight Word formatting for.
| CV | Invoice | Research Paper |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| Demo Report (charts!) | Report | Letter |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
# 1. Install LaTeX
brew install --cask mactex-no-gui
# or lighter: brew install basictex
# 2. Install the skill
git clone https://github.com/b1rd33/pdflatex-skill.git ~/.claude/skills/pdflatex
# 3. Done — use /pdflatex in Claude CodeUsing BasicTeX? You may need to install extra packages as you go:
sudo tlmgr update --self sudo tlmgr install collection-fontsrecommended booktabs siunitx enumitem fontawesome5MacTeX Full includes everything — no extra installs needed.
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install -y texlive-full
# Fedora
sudo dnf install texlive-scheme-full
# Install the skill
git clone https://github.com/b1rd33/pdflatex-skill.git ~/.claude/skills/pdflatex# Option A: WSL (best experience)
# 1. Install WSL if not already: wsl --install
# 2. Inside WSL:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y texlive-full
git clone https://github.com/b1rd33/pdflatex-skill.git ~/.claude/skills/pdflatex
# Option B: Native Windows (MiKTeX)
# 1. Install MiKTeX from https://miktex.org/download
# 2. Install Claude Code for Windows
# 3. Clone the skill:
# git clone https://github.com/b1rd33/pdflatex-skill.git %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\pdflatex
#
# Note: WSL is the recommended path. Native Windows has not been tested —
# if you hit issues with path separators or shell scripts, switch to WSL.To make the skill available only within a specific project:
git clone https://github.com/b1rd33/pdflatex-skill.git .claude/skills/pdflatex# Check LaTeX is available
pdflatex --version
latexmk --version
# Check the skill is in place
ls ~/.claude/skills/pdflatex/SKILL.mdOpen Claude Code and describe what you want. The skill activates automatically when you mention LaTeX, documents, or any of the supported document types.
Just describe what you want in plain English. The skill activates automatically.
Create documents from scratch:
Make me a professional invoice for consulting work — 3 line items, company logo placeholder, payment terms
Create a 10-page research report template with table of contents and bibliography
Build a modern CV for a software engineer — single page, clean layout, ATS-friendly
Make a beamer presentation about Q1 results, 12 slides, modern theme
Write a formal business letter declining a partnership proposal
Work with existing files:
Compile this .tex file and fix any errors
Add a bibliography to my paper using biblatex and biber
Convert my paper to PDF/A format for thesis submission
Generate a revision diff between the submitted and current version of my paper
Academic workflows:
Set up a new research paper project with ACM template, biber bibliography, and latexmk automation
Format this paper for IEEE Transactions submission
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Business | Invoices, proposals, contracts, NDAs, memos, reports |
| Professional | CVs/resumes, cover letters, formal letters |
| Academic | Research papers, theses, dissertations, journal articles, conference papers |
| Presentations | Beamer slide decks, lecture notes, posters |
| Other | Certificates, books, cheat sheets, documentation |
If you've ever spent 20 minutes fighting Word's auto-formatting, page breaks, or numbered lists — LaTeX solves that permanently. Here's why professionals use it:
Publication-quality typesetting. LaTeX was built by computer scientists who cared obsessively about how text looks on a page. The same system typesets papers in Nature, IEEE, and ACM. Your documents look like they came from a professional print shop.
Consistency without effort. Define your style once — every heading, margin, caption, and page number follows the rules automatically. No more "why does page 7 look different from page 3."
Math, tables, citations just work. Numbered equations, cross-references that update themselves, bibliographies that format correctly for any journal. Things that are painful in Word are trivial in LaTeX.
Version control friendly. LaTeX files are plain text. You can track changes with git, diff revisions, collaborate with pull requests. Try that with a .docx file.
Free and open source. No Microsoft license. Works on every operating system. Your documents will compile identically in 20 years.
With Claude Code + this skill, you never touch LaTeX syntax. You describe what you want in plain English. Claude writes the LaTeX, picks the right packages, handles compilation, fixes errors, and gives you a PDF. It's like having a professional typesetter who works instantly for free.
pdflatex-skill/
├── SKILL.md # The skill file (loaded by Claude Code)
├── references/ # Detailed reference docs
│ ├── packages.md # Package reference (40+ packages)
│ ├── cross-references.md # Smart refs with cleveref
│ ├── tables-siunitx.md # Publication-quality tables
│ ├── latexmk-config.md # Build automation
│ ├── journal-submission.md # ACM, IEEE, Springer, Elsevier
│ ├── version-control.md # Git + latexdiff for revisions
│ ├── pdfa-archival.md # PDF/A for thesis submission
│ ├── fonts.md # Font guide (all engines)
│ └── troubleshooting.md # Common errors and fixes
├── scripts/
│ ├── compile_latex.sh # Multi-engine compilation
│ ├── clean_latex.sh # Remove auxiliary files
│ └── preview_pdf.sh # Open PDF (macOS/Linux/WSL)
└── examples/ # Ready-to-compile templates
├── research-paper.tex # Academic paper with bibliography
├── references.bib # Example bibliography file
├── invoice.tex # Professional invoice
├── report.tex # Business report with TOC
├── demo-report.tex # Rich report with charts and plots
├── letter.tex # Formal business letter
├── cv.tex # Modern CV/resume
└── .latexmkrc # Build configuration template
| Engine | Use case |
|---|---|
pdflatex |
Default — fastest, widest package support |
xelatex |
System fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.) via fontspec |
lualatex |
Advanced scripting, complex Unicode/typography |
latexmk |
Recommended wrapper — auto-detects how many passes to run |
Both traditional and modern bibliography workflows:
- BibTeX — traditional, required by most journal templates
- Biber + biblatex — modern, more flexible, recommended for new projects
- latexmk — auto-detects which bibliography tool to run
The skill includes a comprehensive troubleshooting guide (references/troubleshooting.md), but here are the hits:
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
?? appears in PDF |
Run pdflatex twice (or use latexmk) |
Citations show as [?] |
Run biber/bibtex, then pdflatex twice |
File 'xxx.sty' not found |
sudo tlmgr install packagename |
Undefined control sequence |
Missing \usepackage{} — check the error line |
| Figures in wrong position | Use [H] placement (requires float package) |
| Want system fonts | Switch to xelatex with fontspec |
Found a bug? Want to add a template? PRs welcome.
- Templates should compile with
pdflatexusing only standard TeX Live packages - Keep it lean — one good template per category beats five mediocre ones
- Test compilation before submitting:
latexmk -pdf your-template.tex
MIT — see LICENSE.