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overleaf-paper-mcp

overleaf-paper-mcp

by jcswhldbb
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
TypeScript
Local

overleaf-paper-mcp

MCP server for managing academic LaTeX projects in Overleaf: create projects, transfer files, compile documents, inspect compiler output, and download PDFs.

Install

Requirements: Node.js 20+ and Playwright Chromium.

npm install
npx playwright install chromium
npm run build

Run the published package with:

OVERLEAF_EMAIL="your@email.com" \
OVERLEAF_PASSWORD="yourpassword" \
npx -y @youzhijc/overleaf-paper-mcp

Related MCP server: Overleaf MCP Server

Configuration

Provide credentials as runtime environment variables; do not commit a .env file.

Variable

Purpose

OVERLEAF_EMAIL

Overleaf login email.

OVERLEAF_PASSWORD

Overleaf login password.

OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR

Recommended absolute root for all MCP-managed local resources. Downloads are kept in workspace/; browser login state is kept in browser-data/.

OVERLEAF_WORKSPACE_DIR

Legacy alternative for the workspace only. Use OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR for new configurations.

Use absolute paths for local_path and zip_path when possible. Relative paths are accepted only inside OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR/workspace (or the legacy OVERLEAF_WORKSPACE_DIR). With OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR, all local state is kept below one directory:

OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR/
├── workspace/      # downloaded project files and PDFs
└── browser-data/   # Overleaf login session and browser cache

Do not upload or share browser-data/: it can contain your Overleaf login session. Delete workspace/ to clear downloads, browser-data/ to sign out, or the full data directory to reset the MCP.

Workflow

overleaf_list_files (optional)
→ overleaf_download_file
→ edit the local file
→ overleaf_upload_file (overwrite: true when replacing a file)
→ overleaf_compile
→ overleaf_download_pdf

overleaf_compile always inspects output.log: a rendered PDF does not prove that LaTeX completed without errors. If the log contains an error, it clears cached files and retries once; persistent errors return parsed diagnostics plus the compiler log. Successful results may still contain warnings.

overleaf_upload_file currently writes to the project root. To import a full project archive, use overleaf_create_project_from_zip.

Tools

Tool

Purpose

ping

Check server availability.

overleaf_login / overleaf_logout

Start or close the browser session.

overleaf_list_projects / overleaf_open_project

Find or open a project.

overleaf_create_project

Create an empty project.

overleaf_create_project_from_zip

Create a project from a local ZIP archive.

overleaf_list_files

List project files and paths.

overleaf_download_file / overleaf_upload_file

Transfer one project file.

overleaf_create_folder / overleaf_create_file

Create empty root-level items.

overleaf_rename_file / overleaf_delete_file

Rename or delete a file.

overleaf_compile

Compile and, after a failed retry, return LaTeX diagnostics and output.log.

overleaf_download_pdf

Download the compiled PDF.

Codex configuration

[mcp_servers.overleaf-paper-mcp]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@youzhijc/overleaf-paper-mcp"]
env = {
  OVERLEAF_EMAIL = "your@email.com",
  OVERLEAF_PASSWORD = "yourpassword",
  OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR = "/absolute/path/to/your/overleaf-paper-mcp-data"
}
startup_timeout_sec = 120
tool_timeout_sec = 120

License

MIT

Available Tools

16 tools
overleaf_compileA

Compile an Overleaf project after uploading source or resource changes. This tool always inspects output.log because a PDF can render despite LaTeX errors. If any error is found, it clears cached files and retries once; a persistent error returns parsed diagnostics and output.log. Successful results can include warnings. This is the only compilation-diagnostics tool.

Inputs: project_id (required).

overleaf_create_fileA

Create one empty root-level file. Usually unnecessary because overleaf_upload_file creates a new root-level file when no same-named file exists; use only when an empty file is specifically needed.

Inputs: file_name (required), project_id (required).

overleaf_create_folderA

Create one folder in the project root. Use only for an empty folder; nested paths are not supported yet and uploads currently target the project root.

Inputs: project_id (required), folder_name (required).

overleaf_create_projectA

Create a new empty Overleaf project. Use when starting a paper from scratch; then upload locally prepared source files with overleaf_upload_file.

Inputs: project_name (required).

overleaf_create_project_from_zipA

Create a new Overleaf project from a local ZIP archive. Use for importing a complete existing paper; this creates a separate project and never overwrites one.

Inputs: zip_path (required), project_name.

overleaf_delete_fileA

Delete exactly one project file. First call with confirm omitted/false to inspect it; call again with confirm: true only after the user explicitly approves that exact path.

Inputs: file_path (required), project_id (required), confirm.

overleaf_download_fileA

Primary file-reading tool: download exactly one Overleaf file under OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR/workspace/files/<project_id>/ and return its path. To modify a paper, download it, edit the returned local file, then call overleaf_upload_file with overwrite: true.

Inputs: file_path (required), project_id (required).

overleaf_download_pdfA

Download the latest compiled PDF. Call overleaf_compile first and download only after a successful compilation; saves under OVERLEAF_DATA_DIR/workspace/pdfs/<project_id>/.

Inputs: project_id (required), filename.

overleaf_list_filesA

List every project file, including nested files and sizes, by downloading and inspecting the project ZIP. Use when a complete, path-accurate inventory is needed; it is slower than single-file download.

Inputs: project_id (required).

overleaf_list_projectsA

List the logged-in user's Overleaf projects and their IDs. Use this first when the project ID is unknown.

Inputs: no named parameters.

overleaf_loginA

Open Overleaf and establish a reusable authenticated browser session using runtime environment variables. Call this before other Overleaf actions if no session exists.

Inputs: no named parameters.

overleaf_logoutA

Close the reusable Overleaf browser session and release its browser resources. Call once at the end of a bounded Overleaf task only when the user has indicated that no further Overleaf work is needed; do not close it between ordinary tool calls.

Inputs: no named parameters.

overleaf_open_projectA

Open a project in the browser by its project ID. File tools open projects automatically, so use this mainly to inspect or recover the visible Overleaf UI.

Inputs: project_id (required).

overleaf_rename_fileA

Rename an existing project file without changing folders. List files first to obtain the exact old_path; this cannot move a file between folders.

Inputs: new_name (required), old_path (required), project_id (required).

overleaf_upload_fileA

Primary file-writing tool: upload one local file to the project root. Use after editing a file obtained with overleaf_download_file, or to add images, .bib, .cls, and .tex files. A same-named file is preserved unless overwrite: true is intentionally supplied; ZIP import uses overleaf_create_project_from_zip instead.

Inputs: local_path (required), project_id (required), overwrite.

pingA

Check that the MCP server is alive and reachable

Inputs: no named parameters.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

    Deploy Server
    One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

    TDQS

    A4/5.0

    Scored across 16 tools

    Disambiguation4/5

    Most tools are clearly distinct by action and resource (auth, project, file, compile/PDF), and descriptions explicitly disambiguate edge cases such as create_project vs create_project_from_zip. There is slight overlap between create_file and upload_file for creating new files, and open_project serves a niche 'inspect UI' purpose, but both are hedged clearly enough to avoid significant misselection.

    Naming Consistency4/5

    The dominant pattern overleaf_verb_noun is used consistently across all file and project operations. The exceptions are ping (missing the overleaf_ prefix) and login/logout/compile (verb-only), which are minor and conventional deviations.

    Tool Count3/5

    With 16 tools, the set sits just above the ideal 3-15 range. Ping, open_project, and create_file add marginal value and make it feel slightly heavy, though no tool is truly out of place in the Overleaf workflow.

    Completeness4/5

    The tool surface covers the core lifecycle well: auth, project creation (empty/zip), project listing, file CRUD (download/upload/rename/delete), compilation, and PDF download. Gaps include project deletion, folder deletion/rename/move, and nested-folder or nested upload support, but these are workable limitations rather than blocking dead ends.

    Maintenance

    ActivityInactive
    ResponsivenessNo recent community issues

    Resources

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