From phd-skills
Sets up and troubleshoots LaTeX environments on Linux/macOS, detects TeX tools like pdflatex/biber/bibtex, analyzes .tex files, installs venue-specific packages (NeurIPS/CVPR) via tlmgr/apt/brew.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/phd-skills:latex-setupThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
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.
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.
Before installing anything:
Check installed TeX distribution:
which pdflatex && pdflatex --version
which xelatex && xelatex --version
which lualatex && lualatex --version
Check bibliography processor:
which biber && biber --version
which bibtex && bibtex --version
Check package manager:
which tlmgr && tlmgr --version
Read the main .tex file to determine requirements:
\documentclass{article}, \documentclass{IEEEtran}, etc.\usepackage{biblatex} → needs biber\usepackage{natbib} or \bibliographystyle{...} → needs bibtex\usepackage{...} declarationsIf the user mentions a venue, search for the official template:
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 |
Based on analysis, install only what's missing:
# 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.
# Full installation (recommended)
brew install --cask mactex
# Minimal
brew install --cask basictex
sudo tlmgr update --self
sudo tlmgr install <package-name>
# If specific packages are missing
sudo tlmgr install <package-name>
Set up the correct compilation pipeline:
pdflatex main.tex
bibtex main
pdflatex main.tex
pdflatex main.tex
pdflatex main.tex
biber main
pdflatex main.tex
pdflatex main.tex
\bibliography{...} path is correctAfter configuration:
Produce:
npx claudepluginhub fcakyon/phd-skills --plugin phd-skillsAutomates conversion of LaTeX academic papers between publisher formats (Springer/IPOL to MDPI/IEEE/Nature) via extraction, content injection, formatting fixes, and PDF compilation.
Generates LaTeX-formatted academic papers from user content, using provided school/journal templates to create chapters, main.tex, figures dirs, and BibTeX references.
Template-based LaTeX/Word typesetting for journals, conferences, schools, and competitions. Handles title hierarchy, margins, TOC, abstract, keywords, equations, figures, algorithms, references, headers, footers, page numbers, single/double columns, numbering, cross-references, and compilation.