varennes-ecofin/MCP-latex-server

MCP LaTeX Server - Windows Installation

This MCP LaTeX server, coded in Python, is intended for TeX Live and MikTeX users wishing for a deeper AI integration in their use of LaTeX. The installation is documented for Windows with Claude Desktop as an example, but it also works on Mac with other AIs.

📍 Locations on your system

• MCP Server: C:\Users\username\Documents\MCP\latex-server\
• LaTeX Projects: C:\Users\username\Documents\LaTeX\
• Claude Config: C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

⚡ Manual Installation

1. Create the directories:

   mkdir C:\Users\username\Documents\MCP\latex-server
   mkdir C:\Users\username\Documents\LaTeX
   

2. Install dependencies:

   cd C:\Users\username\Documents\MCP\latex-server
   pip install mcp aiofiles
   

3. Copy the server:

   • Place mcp_latex_server.py in C:\Users\username\Documents\MCP\latex-server\

4. Configure Claude Desktop:

   • Edit C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   • Add:

     {
       "mcpServers": {
         "latex-server": {
           "command": "python",
           "args": [
             "C:\\Users\\username\\Documents\\MCP\\latex-server\\mcp_latex_server.py",
             "--workspace",
             "C:\\Users\\username\\Documents\\LaTeX"
           ]
         }
       }
     }
     

5. Restart Claude Desktop

✅ Verification

Quick test in Claude Desktop

Type into Claude:

"Create a test.tex file with an article template"

If it works, Claude will create C:\Users\username\Documents\LaTeX\test.tex

Command line test

cd C:\Users\username\Documents\MCP\latex-server
python mcp_latex_server.py --workspace C:\Users\username\Documents\LaTeX

📂 Final Structure

C:\Users\username\
├── Documents\
│   ├── MCP\
│   │   └── latex-server\
│   │       ├── mcp_latex_server.py      # Main server
│   │       └── README.md                 # This file
│   │
│   └── LaTeX\                           # Your projects
│       ├── Articles\
│       ├── Presentations\
│       └── (your .tex files)
│
└── AppData\
    └── Roaming\
        └── Claude\
            └── claude_desktop_config.json  # Configuration

🎯 Daily Usage

Essential commands in Claude

Recommended Workflows

New article:

1. "Create an article on AI with mathematical support"
2. "Compile the article"

Existing project:

1. Copy your project into C:\Users\username\Documents\LaTeX\my-project\
2. "List the files in my-project"
3. "Compile my-project/main.tex"

🔧 Troubleshooting

The server does not load

• Verify that Claude Desktop has been properly closed and restarted
• Check the JSON config file (be careful with commas and quotes)

"python not recognized" error

• Add Python to the system PATH
• Or use the full path: "command": "C:\\Python312\\python.exe"
• If the error persists, opt for a virtual environment and add the PATH to the JSON config

LaTeX compilation error

• Check that MiKTeX or TeX Live is installed
• Test pdflatex --version in cmd

📞 Support

• Logs: In Claude Desktop, Ctrl+Shift+I → Console
• Test: mcp_latex_server.py in the server folder
• Debug: Add "--log-level", "DEBUG" in the args of the JSON config

MCP LaTeX Server v1.0.0 Server path: C:\Users\username\Documents\MCP\latex-server LaTeX Workspace: C:\Users\username\Documents\LaTeX