Semantic Researcher Overleaf
Open Overleaf (ShareLaTeX) projects in VS Code with local replica workflows tuned for semantic-researcher use.
This extension is a fork of Overleaf Workshop. It keeps the upstream AGPL-3.0 license and original contributor credits while carrying local workflow fixes for this fork.
User Guide
The user guide is available in docs/wiki.md.
Features
[!NOTE]
Login in Browser is the recommended default, especially for https://www.overleaf.com, SSO, two-factor authentication, or captcha-enabled servers.
It lets you sign in normally in your desktop browser, then imports the session automatically. Use Login with Cookies only as a fallback when browser login is unavailable.
Login Server, Open Projects and Edit Files
On-the-fly Compiling and Previewing
Ctrl+Alt+B to compile, Ctrl+Alt+V preview.
SyncTeX and Reverse SyncTeX
Ctrl+Alt+J to jump to PDF.
Double click on PDF to jump to source code
Chat with Collaborators
Open Project Locally, Compile/Preview with LaTeX-Workshop
Use Open Project Locally ... to create a replica under a parent folder, or Select Project Folder Locally ... to use an exact folder as the replica root while keeping the current VS Code window and activating local Overleaf features against that folder.
In the project list, hover over a project to use the default inline actions: open in the current window, open in a new window, or select an exact local folder for that project. The folder selection action is placed at the right edge for quick local-replica setup.
Files written directly on disk, including unopened source files and images written by coding agents, synchronize to Overleaf. Overleaf collaborator changes synchronize back to the selected folder. The replica records a durable baseline and reports a conflict when both sides changed and a safe merge cannot be proven.
Local Replica sync resumes when the extension is activated by VS Code startup, the Overleaf Activity Bar, an Overleaf command, an Overleaf virtual workspace, or a workspace that contains .semantic-researcher-overleaf/settings.json or legacy .overleaf/settings.json. Startup activation restores a previously selected external replica from the current window's workspace state when its marker file still exists; otherwise no Overleaf project connection or replica sync is started.
[!IMPORTANT]
One VS Code window has one active Local Replica. Selecting a different project first confirms and disconnects the current live replica without deleting its local files, then activates the new project with isolated project state. Use a separate VS Code window when you need two replicas live at the same time.
How to Login in Browser
Choose Login in Browser from the login method list. The extension opens a Chrome, Edge, or Chromium window and navigates to the Overleaf project page, which shows the login page when needed. Sign in there as usual, including Google, SSO, or two-factor authentication. Once Overleaf reaches the project page, the extension reads the browser session cookies and completes the same cookie login flow automatically.
In a local VS Code window, no extra extension is needed. In a VS Code Remote window, install Semantic Researcher Overleaf Remote Pack locally so the remote extension can ask your desktop VS Code to open the local browser. For VSIX installs, install the main extension in the remote window and the Remote Pack VSIX in the local desktop VS Code. If the browser is not found automatically, set semantic-researcher-overleaf.auth.browserPath for the main extension or semantic-researcher-overleaf-remote-pack.browserPath for the Remote Pack.
How to Login with Cookies
In an already logged-in browser (Firefox for example):
Open "Developer Tools" (usually by pressing F12) and switch to the "Network" tab;
Then, navigate to the Overleaf main page (e.g., https://www.overleaf.com) in the address bar.
Filter the listed items with /project and select the exact match.
Check the "Cookie" under "Request Headers" of the selected item and copy its value to login.
The format of the Cookie value would be like: overleaf_session2=... or sharelatex.sid=...
Compatibility
The following Overleaf (ShareLatex) Community Edition docker images provided on Docker Hub have been tested and verified to be compatible with this extension.
Development
Please refer to the development guidance in CONTRIBUTING.md
References
