LaTeX Forge for VS Code
VS Code extension for LaTeX Forge, the CLI that
generates standalone LaTeX projects with live PDF preview. This extension lets you create
LaTeX Forge projects directly from the editor, without touching the terminal.
Requirements
This extension is a thin wrapper around the latex-forge CLI: it does not duplicate any of
its logic, it simply runs the binary and displays the results in VS Code. You need the CLI
installed and available on your PATH:
pipx install latex-forge
See the PyPI page for alternative installation
methods. If the extension cannot find the latex-forge binary, it will offer to copy the
install command to your clipboard or open the PyPI page.
Features
All commands are available from the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and
stream their output to the LaTeX Forge output channel.
LaTeX Forge: Create Project
- Pick a template (built-in or user-installed).
- Enter a name for the new project.
- Choose the destination folder (defaults to your workspace folder when one is open).
Runs latex-forge create and offers to open the generated project once it's ready.
LaTeX Forge: Rename Project
Pick a project folder, enter its new name, and the extension runs latex-forge rename
from inside that folder. Offers to reopen the project at its new location.
LaTeX Forge: Setup Environment
Select any combination of --check-only, --skip-extensions, and --install-tex, and
the extension runs latex-forge setup with those flags — useful for checking or
installing your LaTeX toolchain and recommended VS Code extensions.
LaTeX Forge: List Templates
Runs latex-forge list-templates and shows the result in the output channel.
LaTeX Forge: Browse Template Gallery
Opens a panel inside VS Code that lists the curated templates from the
latex-forge-gallery repository, with
preview images, descriptions, tags, LaTeX engine, and a category filter. Each card also
offers a Preview PDF link (when available) to open a full-size rendered preview in your
browser, and a View in gallery repo link to the template's folder on GitHub. Selecting
Install runs latex-forge template install <url> and refreshes the Templates view on
success.
This is the only feature that talks to the network: it fetches gallery.json and preview
images from raw.githubusercontent.com. Everything else in the extension only talks to the
local latex-forge CLI.
Templates view (activity bar)
A dedicated LaTeX Forge view in the activity bar lists built-in and user-installed
templates (via latex-forge template list):
- Browse Template Gallery (toolbar button): opens the gallery panel described above.
- Install Template (toolbar button or LaTeX Forge: Install Template command):
prompts for a source (GitHub URL, ZIP URL, or local path) and an optional name, then
runs
latex-forge template install.
- Remove Template (inline action on user-installed templates, or the
LaTeX Forge: Remove Template command): asks for confirmation, then runs
latex-forge template remove.
- Refresh reloads the list.
Reads and writes default_template and default_output_dir in ~/.latex-forge.toml
(the same file the CLI itself reads), through a simple menu — no manual TOML editing
required.
Extension Settings
This extension does not contribute any VS Code settings. Defaults that influence
latex-forge create (default template and output directory) live in ~/.latex-forge.toml
and can be managed with LaTeX Forge: Configure Defaults.
Known Limitations
Project creation, renaming, setup, and template management are covered. A tree view of
generated projects is not provided: the CLI has no central registry of created
projects, and scanning the filesystem for them would mean guessing at project structure —
logic that belongs in the CLI, not in this thin wrapper.
Contributing
Issues and pull requests are welcome on the
GitHub repository.
License
MIT
