TeXRA

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Best practices ​

Effective prompting ​

Specific instructions reduce ambiguity: the model doesn't have to guess your intent and spends its tokens on your actual goal.

Be specific ​

Instead of "Make this better", try:

Improve the clarity of the methodology section by simplifying complex sentences and adding transition phrases. Maintain all technical terminology.

Define boundaries ​

State what should and should not change:

Enhance writing style in the introduction and discussion. Preserve all citations and mathematical expressions. Do not modify the results section.

Provide context ​

Polish this abstract for submission to Nature Physics. Target audience: physicists with expertise in quantum field theory.

Use structured instructions ​

For complex tasks:

  1. Fix grammatical errors throughout
  2. Make the introduction more engaging
  3. Ensure consistent terminology
  4. Improve transitions between sections

Model selection ​

Match model capability to task complexity: overpowered models waste money, underpowered ones produce poor results.

Match model to taskcapability vs. complexity
SimpleCorrections, quick edits
gpt6--deepseek41haiku45
ComplexTransformations, rewrites
fable51opus55gpt6-gemini31p
Reasoning-heavyDeep, multi-step thinking
fable51sonnet5Topus55deepseek41T

Find the row that matches your task, then pick one of the recommended model handles.

Read the AI models for detailed comparisons.

File management ​

Project structure ​

project/
├── main.tex
├── chapters/
├── figures/
├── build/
└── .texra/

Best practices ​

  • Include only the files the task needs in selections
  • Use the Pack button to preserve milestones
  • Clean unneeded outputs regularly

Workflow integration ​

Staged approach ​

A typical project moves through five stages, each owned by one or more agents:

Staged workflowresearch → finalization
  1. ResearchFind papers and verify ideas
    searchresearch
  2. WritingDraft LaTeX content interactively
    researchorchestrator
  3. DevelopmentRefine clarity and style
    polish
  4. VisualizationProduce figures and slides
    researchpresenter
  5. FinalizationProofread the finished draft
    correct

A typical project flows from research to finalization, with each stage handed to the agent best suited for it.

Quality assurance ​

Review AI-generated content after every run, using the same checks each time:

Review every AI-generated changeafter each run
Compiles without LaTeX errors
Cross-references & citations resolve
Figure & table numbering correct
Math expressions verified
No omissions or duplications

A short review pass after each run catches the errors automation cannot see for itself.

Use LaTeX Diff to visualize changes between versions.

LaTeX tips ​

  • Use a logical document structure with proper sectioning
  • Keep preambles clean
  • Use consistent label naming
  • Comment TikZ code for clarity
  • Use BibTeX consistently with a single bibliography file

Next steps ​