MathType for Word and PowerPoint

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An installable AI Agent skill, Codex/Claude plugin, and MCP server for creating editable MathType 7 equations in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Word documents also support MathType-native equation numbering and dynamic cross-references.

Silent AI-agent operation

When an AI agent edits Word, PowerPoint, or MathType content, it must operate silently in the background: do not show or activate application windows, steal keyboard focus, display modal dialogs, or automate visible UI with mouse or keyboard input. If a requested step cannot be completed silently, stop and report the limitation instead of taking over the user's desktop.

Related MCP server: PowerPoint MCP Server

Features

• Creates genuine, editable Equation.DSMT4 objects instead of Word OMath, images, or typed Unicode equations.

• Supports inline and centered display equations in DOCX.

• Classifies raw manuscript expressions as inline, unnumbered display, numbered display, or dynamic reference after scanning the complete document; a read-only scan finds plain-text mathematics (including Word sub/superscripts), and a mark step turns reviewed spans into markers.

• Inserts Word equation numbers such as (1) and dynamic MathType references.

• Creates centered floating MathType equations in PowerPoint through a hidden Word conversion document.

• Preserves the source Office file and validates the generated output.

• Provides a portable cross-agent skill/plugin plus a local MCP server for Codex and Claude hosts; ChatGPT uses the same capability through a remote endpoint or Secure MCP Tunnel.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or 11.

• Microsoft Word and PowerPoint desktop with COM automation.

• Python 3 on PATH. The server uses only the standard library, so there is nothing to install with pip.

• PowerShell 7 or later as pwsh.exe. When it is missing, the plugin installs PowerShell 7.6 LTS for the current user and tells you; see PowerShell 7.

• Desktop MathType for Windows from the MathType download page.

This project is developed and tested with MathType-win-zh-7.11.1.462 (ProductVersion 7.11.1.462). Install MathType for Windows, not only MathType Add-In for Microsoft 365. The Microsoft 365 task-pane add-in does not provide the desktop OLE, Word template, PowerPoint add-in, and COM workflow used here.

MathType and Microsoft Office are proprietary products and are not distributed by this repository.

Terminal compatibility

The Office bridge is a Windows PowerShell 7 script. The surrounding terminal may be PowerShell 7, Bash on Windows including Git Bash, or CMD, but the bridge process itself must run through pwsh.exe.

The following command works from PowerShell 7, Git Bash, and CMD:

pwsh.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/mathtype-word.ps1 -Action probe

PowerShell 7

The MCP server is a Python program, and no PowerShell 7 is needed to start it: Claude Code's plugin launch command runs under Windows PowerShell 5.1 (powershell.exe), which every supported Windows has, and the Codex plugin and the hand registrations below start python directly. The bridge runs in PowerShell 7. When no PowerShell 7 exists, the first tool call that needs it installs PowerShell 7.6.6 (LTS) for the current user and tells you what it installed:

• The official ZIP release of PowerShell from GitHub, accepted only when its SHA-256 matches the hash pinned in scripts/ensure-pwsh.ps1 and pwsh.exe is validly signed by Microsoft.

• Installed into %USERPROFILE%\.mathtype-for-word\PowerShell\<version>. No administrator rights, prompt, PATH change, or registry change; only this plugin uses it, and deleting the folder removes it. It is updated only with a new release of this plugin.

• A download of about 106 MB that takes about 300 MB on disk. While it runs, a tool call answers that PowerShell 7 is being installed and where; the call after it finishes reports what was installed, and the next one does the work.

Without MCP, run the same installer from any terminal; it prints the pwsh.exe path to use, and the download can take several minutes. python scripts/mathtype_batch.py render installs it the same way when needed:

powershell.exe -NoLogo -NoProfile -NonInteractive -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/ensure-pwsh.ps1

When the download is blocked (offline, a proxy, or a policy), install PowerShell 7 yourself, for example with the MSI installer (winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget --installer-type wix, administrator rights), or see the Microsoft PowerShell update FAQ.

Install with an AI agent

If you want to use MathType for Word and PowerPoint in Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, or ChatGPT Desktop, paste the following prompt. The agent will configure it for the current environment:

Install or upgrade the MathType for Word and PowerPoint toolkit from https://github.com/felimet/mathtype-for-word. Detect my available terminal and use PowerShell 7, Bash on Windows including Git Bash, or CMD. Do not run the Office bridge under Windows PowerShell 5.1; if 5.1 is active, switch to Git Bash or CMD and invoke Windows pwsh.exe. From WSL Bash, invoke Windows pwsh.exe rather than Linux pwsh. If pwsh.exe is missing, run scripts/ensure-pwsh.ps1 with Windows powershell.exe, which installs PowerShell 7 for the current user, and tell me what it installed; if it fails, stop and tell me to install PowerShell 7 using https://learn.microsoft.com/zh-tw/powershell/scripting/install/microsoft-update-faq?view=powershell-7.6. Verify desktop MathType for Windows ProductVersion 7.11.1.462 plus Microsoft Word and PowerPoint desktop, for Codex and Claude Code, install or upgrade the plugin from the repository's marketplace (`codex plugin marketplace add felimet/mathtype-for-word` or `codex plugin marketplace upgrade mathtype-for-word`, then `codex plugin add mathtype-for-word@mathtype-for-word`; `claude plugin marketplace add felimet/mathtype-for-word` or `claude plugin marketplace update mathtype-for-word`, then `claude plugin install` or `claude plugin update mathtype-for-word@mathtype-for-word`) and do not also copy the skill or register the MCP server by hand; if a hand registration or a copied skill already exists, tell me and ask before removing it; for other hosts, install the portable skill and register the local stdio MCP server; run both MathType probes and the repository tests, preserve existing agent configuration, and report every changed file. Do not claim success unless the outputs contain editable Equation.DSMT4 objects and validation returns ok: true.

Then tell your agent which DOCX or PPTX file to edit and describe the required equations.

Platform-specific skill locations and MCP configuration are documented in the installation matrix.

Add the skill and MCP to each agent

Replace <REPO_ROOT> with the absolute local checkout path. Preserve existing MCP entries when editing configuration files.

Codex

Install the plugin from this repository's marketplace. The plugin carries the skill and the MCP server, starts the server from its installed folder, sets the 1200 s tool limit and forwards the MATHTYPE_* settings:

codex plugin marketplace add felimet/mathtype-for-word
codex plugin add mathtype-for-word@mathtype-for-word

To upgrade, run codex plugin marketplace upgrade mathtype-for-word and then the codex plugin add command again. Restart Codex after installing or upgrading.

To register the parts by hand instead, copy skills/mathtype-for-word to %USERPROFILE%\.codex\skills\mathtype-for-word or %USERPROFILE%\.agents\skills\mathtype-for-word, then register the server:

codex mcp add mathtype-for-word -- python "<REPO_ROOT>\scripts\mcp_server.py"
codex mcp get mathtype-for-word

Codex ends a tool call after 300 s by default, and one Word session of a render can run longer. Add the limit the plugin itself sets to the server's entry in %USERPROFILE%\.codex\config.toml; a manifest that needs several sessions still belongs in the background (background: true):

[mcp_servers.mathtype-for-word]
tool_timeout_sec = 1200

Codex passes MCP servers only a fixed set of environment variables. To change MATHTYPE_OFFICE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS or another MATHTYPE_* setting, list it in env_vars in the same entry.

Use the plugin or the hand registration, not both: a server registered with codex mcp add under the same name takes precedence over the plugin's server. The plugin forwards MATHTYPE_WORD_POWERSHELL, MATHTYPE_OFFICE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS (or its 1.3.0 name MATHTYPE_WORD_TIMEOUT_SECONDS) and MATHTYPE_BRIDGE_LOCK_WAIT_SECONDS.

Claude Code

Install the plugin from this repository's marketplace:

claude plugin marketplace add felimet/mathtype-for-word
claude plugin install mathtype-for-word@mathtype-for-word

To upgrade, run claude plugin marketplace update mathtype-for-word and claude plugin update mathtype-for-word@mathtype-for-word.

To register the parts by hand instead, copy skills/mathtype-for-word to %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\mathtype-for-word, then register the server:

claude mcp add --scope user mathtype-for-word -- python "<REPO_ROOT>\scripts\mcp_server.py"
claude mcp get mathtype-for-word

Use the plugin or the hand registration, not both, or Claude Code loads two servers and two skills. Restart Claude Code after installing or upgrading.

Claude Desktop

Upload dist/mathtype-for-word.skill from Customize > Skills. Then merge this server into %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mathtype-for-word": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["<REPO_ROOT>\\scripts\\mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

See Anthropic's skill upload instructions and local MCP setup guide.

ChatGPT Desktop

If Plugins is available for the account or workspace, install or enable the packaged capability through the supported ChatGPT plugin workflow. ChatGPT Desktop does not automatically discover this local repository. OpenAI's current full-MCP documentation applies to ChatGPT web; do not assume the desktop app has the same developer-mode surface unless it is visible for the account.

ChatGPT cannot connect directly to the bundled local stdio MCP command. It requires a remote MCP endpoint or Secure MCP Tunnel, with Developer mode or Apps enabled as allowed by the account or workspace. Because MathType automation must execute on the interactive Windows desktop, the endpoint or tunnel must route execution to that Windows host. This repository currently ships only the local stdio server.

Equation typography

Apply one notation standard throughout the document, including equations, inline math, prose, captions, and symbol definitions.

Use MathType styling or MathML mathvariant; do not imitate bold or italic mathematics with Unicode presentation characters. Preserve the document's selected math font family unless a journal or user specifies another one. IEEE requires variables to remain italic in both prose and equations, vectors to be bold, and functions to be upright. See the IEEE Mathematics Style Guide and IEEE Math Typesetting Guide.

Detailed bilingual prose and typography rules are in the academic equation style reference.

Supported outputs

PowerPoint rendering keeps Word, PowerPoint, and MathType hidden and does not use mouse, keyboard, focus, AppActivate, or SendKeys. It briefly uses the Windows clipboard to transfer the converted OLE object, which replaces whatever the user had copied.

Verify the installation

pwsh.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/mathtype-word.ps1 -Action probe
pwsh.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/mathtype-word.ps1 -Action probe-pptx
pwsh.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tests/run-tests.ps1 -IncludeLiveOffice

Quick AI-agent test prompt

Paste this prompt into an AI agent after installing the toolkit:

Use the installed MathType for Word and PowerPoint toolkit for a smoke test. Run both prerequisite probes, then use evals/fixtures/en-paper-draft.docx with en-word-manifest.json and evals/fixtures/en-presentation-draft.pptx with en-powerpoint-manifest.json to create new temporary DOCX and PPTX outputs. Keep Word, PowerPoint, and MathType silent and hidden throughout; do not overwrite the source fixtures. Validate both outputs and report their paths, MathType object counts, Word native number/reference counts, and the PowerPoint mathml_verified count. Do not claim success unless both validations return ok: true.

The bridge preserves source files, validates each temporary Office file before atomic publication, and refuses to replace an existing output unless -Overwrite is explicit. It removes the current run's tokenized temporary sibling on handled exits and sweeps only matching siblings older than 24 hours; MCP timeouts request cleanup with the same per-run token.

Large Word documents render in resumable batches of fresh Word sessions (batch_size, default 40), optionally in the background with get_mathtype_render_status for progress; the output is published only after strict validation of the whole manifest. One render job runs at a time. A timeout terminates only Office processes the bridge logged as its own, and PowerPoint work never closes a PowerPoint instance the user already had open.

Repository layout

Packaging

python scripts/package_plugin.py

The command creates dist/mathtype-for-word-plugin.zip and its SHA-256 file. The standalone skill package is dist/mathtype-for-word.skill.

Support

If you encounter any problems, please open a GitHub Issue to report them and discuss solutions.

License

MIT