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Create ready-to-write LaTeX projects, browse a gallery of 80+ templates, and manage your whole LaTeX setup, without leaving VS Code or touching a terminal.
This extension is the visual companion of the LaTeX Forge CLI: pick a template, name your project, and start writing. The PDF preview is already wired up.
Getting started
- Install this extension (click Install on the banner above).
- Install the CLI it drives:
pipx install latex-forge. If the extension can't find it, it offers to copy this command or open the PyPI page.
- Open the Command Palette (
Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run LaTeX Forge: Create Project.
That's it: pick a template, enter a name, choose a folder, and open your new project.
A Get Started with LaTeX Forge walkthrough also appears on VS Code's Welcome page after install, walking through the same steps plus the gallery and your profile.
Features
All commands live in the Command Palette under the LaTeX Forge: prefix and stream their output to the LaTeX Forge output channel.
Create Project
Pick a template (built-in or installed), enter a name, choose the destination folder, and the extension runs latex-forge create and offers to open the generated project. If the chosen folder already contains LaTeX files, it warns you before nesting projects.
Browse Template Gallery
A panel inside VS Code showing the curated templates from the gallery, with preview images, descriptions, tags, engine badges, and category + text filtering. Each card offers:
- Install: one click runs
latex-forge template install
- Install & Create: installs the template, then jumps straight into project creation
- Preview PDF: full-size rendered preview in your browser
- View in gallery repo: the template's source on GitHub
Hovering a template in the Templates view also shows its preview image in a tooltip.
The gallery website also has an Open in VS Code button on every template; clicking it installs the template in this extension and jumps straight into project creation.
Templates view (activity bar)
A dedicated LaTeX Forge icon in the activity bar lists built-in and user-installed templates, with toolbar actions:
- Browse Template Gallery: opens the gallery panel
- Install Template: from a GitHub URL, ZIP URL, or local folder (any template with a
main.tex works, not just gallery ones)
- Update Templates: checks the gallery for newer versions of your installed templates
- Remove Template: with confirmation
- Refresh: reloads the list
Project view & Rename
When the open workspace is a LaTeX Forge project, the Project view surfaces project actions, including Rename Current Project: folder, main .tex file, and build artifacts are renamed consistently via latex-forge rename.
Edit Profile
A form inside VS Code to edit your LaTeX Forge profile (name, email, university, supervisor…) stored in ~/.latex-forge/profile.toml. Every project you create afterwards is pre-filled with these values, the same file the CLI's latex-forge profile uses.
Reads and writes default_template and default_output_dir in ~/.latex-forge.toml through a simple menu (no manual TOML editing).
Setup Environment & Diagnose
- Setup Environment: runs
latex-forge setup with your choice of --check-only, --skip-extensions, --install-tex; installs the LaTeX toolchain for your OS.
- Diagnose Environment: runs
latex-forge diagnose and presents the health check (TeX Live, latexmk, profile, defaults) with actionable fixes.
CLI updates
The extension checks once per session whether a newer CLI version is on PyPI and offers a one-click pipx upgrade latex-forge (also available manually via Check for CLI Update). A status bar item signals when an update is available.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
LaTeX Forge: Create Project |
New project from a template |
LaTeX Forge: Browse Template Gallery |
Visual gallery with previews and one-click install |
LaTeX Forge: Install Template |
Install from URL, ZIP, or local folder |
LaTeX Forge: Update Templates |
Update installed gallery templates |
LaTeX Forge: Remove Template |
Remove an installed template |
LaTeX Forge: List Templates |
List templates in the output channel |
LaTeX Forge: Rename Project / Rename Current Project |
Rename folder + main file consistently |
LaTeX Forge: Edit Profile |
Auto-fill profile (name, email, university…) |
LaTeX Forge: Configure Defaults |
Default template & output directory |
LaTeX Forge: Setup Environment |
Install / check the LaTeX toolchain |
LaTeX Forge: Diagnose Environment |
Environment health check |
LaTeX Forge: Check for CLI Update |
Compare installed CLI with PyPI |
LaTeX Forge: Refresh Templates |
Reload the Templates view |
Requirements
- The latex-forge CLI (
pipx install latex-forge): the extension is a thin wrapper around it and duplicates none of its logic.
- A LaTeX distribution for compiling (the extension can install it for you via Setup Environment).
- LaTeX Workshop is recommended for the live PDF preview; generated projects are pre-configured for it.
Privacy note: the gallery panel is the only feature that talks to the network (it fetches gallery.json and preview images from raw.githubusercontent.com, plus the PyPI version check). Everything else only talks to the local CLI.
Extension Settings
This extension does not contribute VS Code settings. Defaults that influence latex-forge create live in ~/.latex-forge.toml and are managed with LaTeX Forge: Configure Defaults.
Known Limitations
- The extension requires the CLI to be installed separately (it will guide you if it's missing).
Release Notes
See the CHANGELOG.
Contributing
Issues and pull requests are welcome on the GitHub repository. See CONTRIBUTING.md for setting up the development environment, building, and testing.
License
MIT
Author
Made by thmsgo18
