latexmk-mcp

latexmk-mcp

A Model Context Protocol server for latexmk that exposes LaTeX compilation, log parsing, dependency inspection, citation checking, and other utilities as MCP tools for any compatible AI agent or client.

!NPM Version !NPM Downloads !CI

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• latexmk on $PATH — bundled with most TeX distributions (TeX Live, MiKTeX)
• A TeX distribution with the engines and packages your project requires

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install latexmk texlive-full

# macOS
brew install --cask mactex

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S texlive

Usage

Add this to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "latexmk": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "latexmk-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

The example above applies for clients such as Gemini CLI, Claude Code, etc. Additionally, some tools allow you to add MCP servers imperatively:

codex mcp add latexmk -- npx -y latexmk-mcp

Global install via npm

Alternatively, you can install the package globally and invoke it directly without npx:

npm install -g latexmk-mcp
which latexmk-mcp  # note the absolute path

Then point your MCP client at the local binary using node:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "latexmk": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/node/vX.Y.Z/bin/latexmk-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Development

bun install
bun test
bun run build
node dist/index.js

Tools

latexmk_compile

Full compile of a LaTeX document with configurable engine, output format, bibliography processor, and latexmk flags.

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description | | --------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | tex_content | string | — | Raw LaTeX source (mutually exclusive with file_path) | | file_path | string | — | Path to existing .tex file | | output_format | pdf\|dvi\|ps\|xdv | pdf | Target format | | engine | pdflatex\|xelatex\|lualatex\|latex\|pdftex | pdflatex | TeX engine | | bibtex | bibtex\|biber\|none | none | Bibliography processor | | shell_escape | boolean | false | Enable --shell-escape | | synctex | boolean | false | Generate SyncTeX data | | extra_args | string[] | [] | Extra latexmk CLI flags | | working_dir | string | temp dir | Build directory | | return_pdf | boolean | false | Return compiled PDF as base64 when building PDF output |

Returns: success, exit_code, output_file, page_count, structured errors[], structured warnings[], missing_packages[], install_hints[], working_dir, stdout, stderr, and optional pdf_base64.

latexmk_draft_compile

Fast single-pass compile (no reruns, no bibliography) — ideal for quick syntax/error checks while editing.

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description | | ------------- | ------ | ---------- | ------------------- | | tex_content | string | — | Raw LaTeX source | | file_path | string | — | Path to .tex file | | engine | string | pdflatex | TeX engine | | working_dir | string | temp dir | Build directory |

Returns: success, structured errors[], structured warnings[], missing_packages[], install_hints[], stdout, stderr.

latexmk_clean

Remove build artifacts using latexmk -c (auxiliaries only) or latexmk -C (auxiliaries + output files).

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description | | ------------- | ------- | ------------ | ------------------------- | | working_dir | string | required | Directory to clean | | job_name | string | — | Clean a specific job only | | clean_all | boolean | false | -C instead of -c |

latexmk_check

Detect whether latexmk is installed and which TeX engines are available on the system.

Returns: latexmk_available, latexmk_version, latexmk_path, engines_available map.

latexmk_list_dependencies

List all file dependencies of a document (included .tex files, .bib files, packages, images…) via latexmk -deps.

| Parameter | Type | Description | | ------------- | ------ | ------------------- | | tex_content | string | Raw LaTeX source | | file_path | string | Path to .tex file | | working_dir | string | Working directory |

Returns: dependencies[] (deduplicated list of file paths).

latexmk_watch_start / latexmk_watch_stop / latexmk_watch_list

Manage background latexmk -pvc watch sessions. Start returns a session_id; stop terminates it; list shows active sessions with PID, job name, and start time.

latexmk_write_config / latexmk_read_config

Write or inspect .latexmkrc files. The write tool can set engine, output mode, shell escape, extra pdflatex args, and custom Perl rules.

latexmk_list_citations

Extract citation keys from LaTeX source and optionally compare them to a .bib file.

Returns: cited_keys[], cited_count, and when bib_path is provided, bib_entries[], missing_from_bib[], and unused_in_bib[].

License

MIT