A Modern Agentic L^aT_eX Editor

Change 1 Comment

Writing L^aT_eX, why read L^aT_eX source? I just read the PDF! 😎

main.tex · line 6

Writing \LaTeX{}, Iwhy read \LaTeX{} source, then hunt in? I just read the PDF 😭! 😎

$ npm install -g papilot

Version 0.9.4 · Free and open source · MIT License

Supported Coding Agents

Codex
Claude
Cursor
GitHub Copilot
Grok
Antigravity
Kimi
GLM
DeepSeek
Qwen
OpenCode

What Matters in a Paper Is the Idea and the Story

Rewording and layout shouldn't take attention away from them.

main.tex

\subsection{Typing}
A lambda $\lambda x.\,e$ has a
function type when its
body does:
\begin{mathpar}
  \inferrule
    {\Gamma, x{:}\tau_1 \vdash e : \tau_2}
    {\Gamma \vdash \lambda x.\, e
       : \tau_1 \to \tau_2}
\end{mathpar}
Application is typed
in the same way.

3.2 TypingΓ, x : τ₁ ⊢ e : τ₂T-AbsΓ ⊢ λx. e : τ₁ → τ₂

Before AI

Writing L^aT_eX by Hand

Source on the left, preview on the right, every line typed by hand.

AI added to the editor

Checking L^aT_eX Diffs

The AI edits the source. Once the diffs pile up, they go unread and the AI decides.

Papilot

Reviewing the PDF

The AI edits the source, and each change is reviewed on the typeset page.

01Annotate

Point at What Should Change

Select a sentence, or box an equation or a figure, and write what should change. The agent gets the exact source lines, with no need to know which file they are in.

The type system markedly increases the expressiveness of the language while keeping type checking decidable.

=+(4)

2 notes on the PDF 1Page 2 · main.tex:24

Say it more plainly

2Page 2 · main.tex:31

Move the legend to the top right

12 Claude

What should change here?

02Review

Every Change, Decided One by One

A paper is written to be read, so every change has to be right. However many there are, each one is shown typeset, and nothing that hasn't been accepted reaches the paper. If one isn't right yet, comment on it and the agent revises it.

3.2

Change 1

Before

~~The type of λx. e is determined by the types of x and its body e.~~

After

If e has type τ₂ in the context Γ, x : τ₁, then λx. e has type τ₁ → τ₂.Γ, x : τ₁ ⊢ e : τ₂T-AbsΓ ⊢ λx. e : τ₁ → τ₂

=+(7)

Review feedback · 1 comment

Write this as an inference rule

1 review update not sent yetSend feedback

Codex

What should the agent change here?

03Commit

Every Change on the Record

Each task runs in its own Git worktree, and committing and pushing accepted changes is a separate step. Every change to the paper stays in its Git history.

3.2

Γ, x : τ₁ ⊢ e : τ₂T-AbsΓ ⊢ λx. e : τ₁ → τ₂

main

1 file staged

main.tex+3 −1

Commit message

Commit 1 file

Write T-Abs as a rule3f9c2a1

ecce73e

91b07d4

5a2e8c0

PushPushed to the remote.

Get Papilot

The desktop app runs on macOS, Linux and Windows, and the command-line version installs from npm (Node.js 22.22+). Both use Git and your own TeX distribution (MacTeX or TeX Live). Papilot is free and open source under the MIT License.

Setting up an agent Changelog

Terminal

$ npm install -g papilot
$ papilot demo
Example paper ready: Papilot paper (~/.papilot/example-paper)
Papilot is running at http://127.0.0.1:7274

A Modern Agentic LaTeX Editor