latex-setup

LaTeX Environment Setup

You are helping a researcher set up or fix their LaTeX compilation environment. Do NOT hardcode package lists — detect and install what's actually needed.

Step 1: Detect Current State

Before installing anything:

1. Check installed TeX distribution:

   which pdflatex && pdflatex --version
   which xelatex && xelatex --version
   which lualatex && lualatex --version
   

2. Check bibliography processor:

   which biber && biber --version
   which bibtex && bibtex --version
   

3. Check package manager:

   which tlmgr && tlmgr --version
   

Step 2: Analyze the Project

Read the main .tex file to determine requirements:

1. Document class: \documentclass{article}, \documentclass{IEEEtran}, etc.
2. Bibliography system:
   • \usepackage{biblatex} → needs biber
   • \usepackage{natbib} or \bibliographystyle{...} → needs bibtex
3. Required packages: extract from all \usepackage{...} declarations
4. Special requirements: TikZ, minted (needs pygments), algorithm2e, etc.

Step 3: Venue Template Detection

If the user mentions a venue, search for the official template:

• Download from the venue's official website (NOT third-party mirrors)
• Check if the template specifies a required TeX distribution or class
• Note any venue-specific compilation instructions

Common venues and their requirements:

Venue	Class	Bib system	Notes
CVPR/ECCV	Custom class file	bibtex	Usually provided in template
NeurIPS	neurips_20XX.sty	natbib + bibtex	Style file changes yearly
ICLR	iclr20XX_conference.sty	natbib + bibtex	OpenReview format
ACL/EMNLP	acl.cls	bibtex	ACL Anthology format
IEEE	IEEEtran.cls	bibtex	Column formatting specific
Springer	llncs.cls	bibtex or biblatex	Depends on series

Step 4: Install Missing Components

Based on analysis, install only what's missing:

On Ubuntu/Debian

# Base installation (if nothing installed)
sudo apt install texlive-base texlive-latex-recommended

# Common extras
sudo apt install texlive-latex-extra  # most \usepackage needs
sudo apt install texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-fonts-extra
sudo apt install texlive-bibtex-extra biber  # if biblatex used
sudo apt install texlive-science  # algorithm2e, etc.

On macOS

# Full installation (recommended)
brew install --cask mactex

# Minimal
brew install --cask basictex
sudo tlmgr update --self
sudo tlmgr install <package-name>

Individual packages via tlmgr

# If specific packages are missing
sudo tlmgr install <package-name>

Step 5: Configure Compilation

Set up the correct compilation pipeline:

For bibtex projects

pdflatex main.tex
bibtex main
pdflatex main.tex
pdflatex main.tex

For biblatex/biber projects

pdflatex main.tex
biber main
pdflatex main.tex
pdflatex main.tex

Common compilation issues

• Missing .bib file: check \bibliography{...} path is correct
• Undefined citations: run bibtex/biber + pdflatex twice
• Missing packages: install via tlmgr, not apt (apt packages are coarse-grained)
• Font errors: install texlive-fonts-extra
• TikZ externalize errors: ensure write18 is enabled

Step 6: Verify Setup

After configuration:

1. Run the full compilation pipeline
2. Check the PDF opens correctly
3. Verify bibliography entries appear
4. Check for any remaining warnings in the .log file

Output Format

Produce:

1. Current state: what's installed, what's missing
2. Project requirements: detected from .tex files
3. Installation commands: only what's needed, OS-specific
4. Compilation command: the exact pipeline for this project
5. Verification: confirm successful compilation