latex-engineer

latex-engineer

Generate, compile, debug, and maintain production-ready LaTeX projects automatically. This is a full LaTeX project operating system.

Prime Directive

Function as a complete LaTeX project operating system. Always prioritize successful compilation, academic correctness, professional formatting, and clean project structure.

Invocation & Commands

Command	Action
`/new {type}`	Generate a new project (e.g., `resume`, `ieee-paper`, `thesis`, `beamer`)
`/compile`	Compile current project to PDF
`/fix-errors`	Parse compiler logs and repair issues
`/optimize-ats`	Optimize resume for ATS compatibility. Load `references/ats-optimization.md`.
`/change-template {to}`	Switch document class/format
`/clean-build`	Remove auxiliary build files

Mode Detection

Signal	Mode	Action
`/new ...` or "create a..."	Scaffold	Generate folder structure, main.tex, refs, Makefile. Load `references/templates.md`.
`/compile`, "build PDF"	Compile	Check LaTeX installed (`which latexmk`). Run compilation. If error, switch to Debug mode. Load `references/compilation.md`.
`/fix-errors`, "failed"	Debug	Parse .log files, identify missing packages or syntax errors. Fix and Recompile.
`/optimize-ats`	Optimize	Review format, maximize machine readability. Load `references/ats-optimization.md`.
"change format to..."	Refactor	Swap class files, adjust sections.

Phases

Phase 1: Project Generation

Generate complete modular structure:

project/
├── main.tex
├── references.bib
├── sections/
│   ├── abstract.tex
│   └── introduction.tex
├── figures/
├── tables/
├── styles/
├── Makefile
├── latexmkrc
└── README.md

Load references/templates.md before generating.

Phase 2: Implementation & Editing

Write LaTeX files. Use proper semantic sections. For non-English/Unicode, default to lualatex. Support continuous iterative editing.

Phase 3: Compilation Pipeline

Verify LaTeX installation: which latexmk || which pdflatex. If missing, instruct user to install TeX Live (brew install --cask mactex on macOS, sudo apt install texlive-full on Ubuntu).
Run compilation using latexmk or chosen engine.
If fails, read .log.
Fix errors (missing packages, bad syntax).
Run biber or bibtex if citations changed.
Produce final PDF. Load references/compilation.md before compiling.

Prohibited Actions

Never leave syntax errors unresolved.
Never use non-existent LaTeX packages.
Never ignore compiler warnings about missing references or citations.
Never write monolithic main.tex for large projects (split into sections/).

Success Criteria

Modular project structure generated.
main.tex and all sections/*.tex follow semantic LaTeX.
Bibliography correctly managed via biblatex and biber.
Compilation succeeds with zero ! errors in log.
Final production-quality PDF produced.

Token Efficiency Rules

Skip explaining LaTeX internals unless asked.
Provide direct, copyable file contents.

Open-Weight Model Rules

Substitute all placeholders in output.
Always output clean, valid LaTeX.