--- name: overleaf-cli-guide-528ee83cdde4 description: "Sync and manage Overleaf LaTeX projects from the command line" metadata: openclaw: emoji: "💻" category: "tools" subcategory: "code-exec" keywords: ["Overleaf", "LaTeX", "CLI", "sync", "git", "collaboration", "academic writing"] source: "https://github.com/overleaf/overleaf" --- # Overleaf CLI Guide Sync, manage, and automate Overleaf LaTeX projects from the command line. Work in your preferred local editor while keeping Overleaf as the collaboration and compilation hub for your research team. ## Overview Overleaf is the dominant online LaTeX editor in academia, used by millions of researchers for collaborative paper writing. However, many researchers prefer local editors (VS Code, Neovim, Emacs) for their superior editing capabilities, version control integration, and ability to run custom scripts. The Overleaf CLI bridge enables a hybrid workflow: edit locally with full tooling, then sync changes to Overleaf for collaboration and compilation. This skill covers three approaches to Overleaf CLI integration: Overleaf's built-in Git bridge (available on paid plans), the open-source `overleaf-sync` tool (works with free plans), and direct API interaction. Each approach has different trade-offs in terms of cost, features, and reliability. Beyond simple sync, this guide covers automation workflows that are particularly valuable for research: automated bibliography updates from reference managers, figure regeneration from data analysis scripts, CI-based PDF compilation, and multi-author merge conflict resolution. ## Overleaf Git Bridge Overleaf Server Pro and paid plans include a Git bridge that exposes each project as a Git repository. ### Setup ```bash # Clone your Overleaf project (requires paid plan) git clone https://git.overleaf.com/YOUR_PROJECT_ID my-paper cd my-paper # The remote is already configured git remote -v # origin https://git.overleaf.com/YOUR_PROJECT_ID (fetch) # origin https://git.overleaf.com/YOUR_PROJECT_ID (push) ``` ### Daily Workflow ```bash # Pull latest changes from collaborators git pull origin master # Edit locally in your preferred editor vim main.tex # Push changes back to Overleaf git add -A git commit -m "Revise methodology section" git push origin master ``` ### Conflict Resolution When collaborators edit the same section simultaneously: ```bash git pull origin master # If conflicts occur: # 1. Open conflicted files # 2. Resolve LaTeX merge conflicts (look for <<<<<<< markers) # 3. Verify the document compiles git add -A git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict in results section" git push origin master ``` ## Open-Source Sync Tools ### overleaf-sync (Python) For free Overleaf accounts without Git bridge access: ```bash # Install pip install overleaf-sync # Login (stores credentials securely) ols login # List your projects ols list # Download a project ols download "My Research Paper" --path ./my-paper # Upload local changes ols upload ./my-paper --project "My Research Paper" # Two-way sync (pull then push) ols sync ./my-paper --project "My Research Paper" ``` ### Automated Sync Script ```bash #!/bin/bash # sync-overleaf.sh - Run periodically or before/after editing sessions PROJECT_DIR="$1" PROJECT_NAME="$2" echo "Pulling latest from Overleaf..." ols download "$PROJECT_NAME" --path "$PROJECT_DIR" --skip-existing echo "Compiling locally to verify..." cd "$PROJECT_DIR" latexmk -pdf -interaction=nonstopmode main.tex if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then echo "Compilation successful. Pushing to Overleaf..." ols upload "$PROJECT_DIR" --project "$PROJECT_NAME" else echo "Compilation failed. Fix errors before syncing." exit 1 fi ``` ## Automation Workflows ### Auto-Update Bibliography from Zotero ```python import subprocess from pathlib import Path def sync_bibliography(zotero_lib_id, bib_file, project_dir): """Export Zotero library and sync to Overleaf project.""" # Export from Zotero using Better BibTeX subprocess.run([ "curl", "-s", f"http://localhost:23119/better-bibtex/export/library?/" f"{zotero_lib_id}/library.biblatex", "-o", str(Path(project_dir) / bib_file) ]) print(f"Updated {bib_file} from Zotero library {zotero_lib_id}") ``` ### Auto-Regenerate Figures from Data ```python import subprocess from pathlib import Path def regenerate_figures(scripts_dir, figures_dir): """Run all figure generation scripts and update outputs.""" scripts = sorted(Path(scripts_dir).glob("fig_*.py")) for script in scripts: print(f"Running {script.name}...") subprocess.run(["python", str(script)], cwd=figures_dir) print(f"Regenerated {len(scripts)} figures in {figures_dir}") ``` ### CI/CD PDF Compilation ```yaml # .github/workflows/compile-paper.yml name: Compile LaTeX Paper on: push: branches: [main] paths: ['**.tex', '**.bib', '**.sty'] jobs: compile: runs-on: ubuntu-latest container: image: texlive/texlive:latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - name: Compile PDF run: | latexmk -pdf -interaction=nonstopmode main.tex - name: Upload PDF uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4 with: name: paper-pdf path: main.pdf - name: Check for warnings run: | grep -i "warning" main.log | grep -v "Font" || true ``` ## Project Organization Recommended directory structure for CLI-managed Overleaf projects: ``` my-paper/ main.tex # Main document sections/ 01-introduction.tex 02-related-work.tex 03-methodology.tex 04-results.tex 05-discussion.tex 06-conclusion.tex figures/ fig1-architecture.pdf fig2-results.pdf tables/ tab1-comparison.tex references.bib custom.sty # Custom LaTeX macros scripts/ # Not synced to Overleaf fig_architecture.py fig_results.py sync.sh .gitignore ``` ### .gitignore for LaTeX Projects ```gitignore # LaTeX build artifacts *.aux *.bbl *.blg *.fdb_latexmk *.fls *.log *.out *.synctex.gz *.toc # Local scripts (don't sync to Overleaf) scripts/ # OS files .DS_Store ``` ## Editor Integration ### VS Code Install the "LaTeX Workshop" extension and configure local compilation: ```json { "latex-workshop.latex.tools": [ { "name": "latexmk", "command": "latexmk", "args": ["-pdf", "-interaction=nonstopmode", "%DOC%"] } ] } ``` ### Neovim with VimTeX ```lua -- init.lua vim.g.vimtex_compiler_method = 'latexmk' vim.g.vimtex_view_method = 'skim' -- macOS ``` ## Troubleshooting | Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | Git push rejected | Pull first, resolve conflicts, then push | | Sync tool authentication error | Re-run login, check 2FA settings | | Compilation differs locally vs Overleaf | Match TeX Live versions; Overleaf uses TeX Live 2024 | | Binary files (images) cause large diffs | Use `.gitattributes` to mark as binary | | Overleaf rate limiting | Add delays between API calls, use Git bridge if available | ## References - Overleaf Git bridge documentation: https://www.overleaf.com/learn/how-to/Git_integration - overleaf-sync: https://github.com/moritzgloeckl/overleaf-sync - LaTeX Workshop (VS Code): https://github.com/James-Yu/LaTeX-Workshop - latexmk documentation: https://mg.readthedocs.io/latexmk.html --- Source attribution: wentorai Original project: https://github.com/wentorai/research-plugins/blob/bf44b3cd617fa94c8a1b254c5d1987142ca3d631/skills/tools/code-exec/overleaf-cli-guide/SKILL.md License: MIT License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub. ## Upstream license notice MIT License Copyright (c) 2026 Wentor AI Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. 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IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. # Mega AI Hub resource metadata Creator / publisher: wentorai Original project: https://github.com/wentorai/research-plugins/blob/bf44b3cd617fa94c8a1b254c5d1987142ca3d631/skills/tools/code-exec/overleaf-cli-guide/SKILL.md Attribution basis: Source repository record Fields of work: Education & Research, Marketing, Product Management Roles: Content Marketer, Product Manager, Researcher Specialties: API, Git Tools: Overleaf Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Source catalog labels Instruction SHA-256: e92e9b7eac4a9edec8d69affd658cb3cc1fd3f98170ab19f017c062336da9648