LaTeX MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for LaTeX compilation and document generation.
Features
- LaTeX Compilation: Compile LaTeX source to PDF using various engines (pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex)
- Template System: Manage reusable LaTeX templates
- Snippets/Macros: Use predefined LaTeX components (equations, figures, multiple choice questions, etc.)
- Automatic Cleanup: Old files are automatically cleaned up during compilation
- Caching: Compiled documents are cached to avoid recompilation
- Security: Dangerous LaTeX commands are blocked
MCP Tools
Core Tools
compile_latex- Compile LaTeX source to PDFlist_templates- List available LaTeX templatesget_template- Get template source code
Snippets System
list_snippets- List available LaTeX snippets/macrosget_snippet_info- Get detailed info about a snippet including parametersrender_snippet- Render a snippet with provided parameters
Available Snippets
- multiple_choice - Creates multiple choice questions with 4 options
- equation - Creates numbered equations with optional labels
- figure - Creates figures with captions and optional labels
Installation
Docker (Recommended)
- Build the image:
docker build -f Dockerfile.simple -t mcp-latex-simple .
- Run the container:
docker run -d --name mcp-latex-server --restart unless-stopped -p 8083:8080 mcp-latex-simple
Manual Installation
- Install system dependencies:
# Install LaTeX
sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-latex-extra
# Install Python dependencies
pip install fastmcp jinja2 pydantic pyyaml uvicorn
- Run the server:
python server.py
Configuration
Set environment variables:
PORT- Server port (default: 8080)LATEX_BASE_URL- Base URL for compiled filesLATEX_MAX_FILE_AGE_HOURS- File cleanup age in hours (default: 24)
Usage with Claude
Configure Claude Desktop to connect to your MCP server:
- URL:
https://your-domain.com/ - Transport: HTTP
API
The server exposes a Model Context Protocol interface on the configured port and path.
Security
- Dangerous LaTeX commands are blocked
- File system access is restricted
- No shell escapes allowed during compilation
- Automatic cleanup prevents disk space issues
Development
See the included configuration files:
docker-compose-standalone.yml- Docker Compose setupmcp-latex.service- Systemd servicenginx-include.conf- Nginx configuration