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 PDF
• list_templates - List available LaTeX templates
• get_template - Get template source code

Snippets System

• list_snippets - List available LaTeX snippets/macros
• get_snippet_info - Get detailed info about a snippet including parameters
• render_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)

1. Build the image:

docker build -f Dockerfile.simple -t mcp-latex-simple .

2. Run the container:

docker run -d --name mcp-latex-server --restart unless-stopped -p 8083:8080 mcp-latex-simple

Manual Installation

1. 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

2. Run the server:

python server.py

Configuration

Set environment variables:

• PORT - Server port (default: 8080)
• LATEX_BASE_URL - Base URL for compiled files
• LATEX_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 setup
• mcp-latex.service - Systemd service
• nginx-include.conf - Nginx configuration