TeXRA

Appearance

Installation Guide ​

This guide will walk you through the process of installing TeXRA and all its dependencies to ensure optimal performance.

System Requirements ​

TeXRA is designed to work on all major operating systems with the following minimum requirements:

  • Visual Studio Code: Version 1.105 or newer (for the VS Code extension)
  • Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
  • Internet Connection: Required for API access to language models

Installing the Extension ​

From Extension Marketplaces ​

The easiest way to install TeXRA is directly from an extension marketplace:

  1. Open VS Code or your VSCodium-compatible editor.
  2. Go to the Extensions view (click the square icon in the Activity Bar or press Ctrl+Shift+X).
  3. Search for "TeXRA".
  4. Find the extension published by "texra-ai".
  5. Click the "Install" button.
  6. Reload your editor if prompted.

TeXRA is available on both the official VS Code Marketplace and the Open VSX Registry:

Open in VS CodeView on Open VSX

You can also install TeXRA directly in your preferred editor using protocol-based links:

CLI ​

The standalone texra command is published to npm. Install it globally (requires Node.js >=22.9.0):

bash
npm install -g @texra-ai/cli

Or with Homebrew on macOS and Linux:

bash
brew install texra-ai/tap/texra

See TeXRA CLI for usage, shell completion, and workspace defaults.

From VSIX File ​

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Obtain the newest release (.vsix file, e.g., texra-<version>.vsix)
  3. Find the .vsix file in the VS Code file explorer
  4. Right-click on the .vsix file
  5. From the context menu, select "Install Extension VSIX"

Installing Required Dependencies ​

Now for the slightly less fun part – making sure TeXRA has the tools it needs. Only a LaTeX distribution is strictly required for core document processing; the other tools below unlock specific features. Install the ones you need and follow the instructions for your operating system.

LaTeX distributionRequired

Core document processing — compiling and rendering .tex.

MiKTeX / TeX Live
PerlOptional

Backs the latexindent and latexdiff scripts.

auto-formatLaTeX diffs
GraphicsMagick / ImageMagickOptional

Figure and image processing.

figures
GhostscriptOptional

Rasterizes PDF figures for the image tools above.

figures

Install only what you need: a LaTeX distribution is the one hard requirement; Perl, GraphicsMagick/ImageMagick, and Ghostscript each unlock a specific optional feature.

Check what's detected with texra doctor

Run texra doctor to see what TeXRA found — the LaTeX toolchain, runtime and authentication, and which optional tools are deferred until first use.

$ texra doctor
LaTeX toolchain
  • latexmkfound
  • pdflatexfound
  • xelatexfound
  • lualatexfound
  • bibtexfound
  • biberfound
  • latexdifffound
  • latexindentfound
Runtime & auth
  • Node.js22.11.0found
  • Authenticationsigned infound
  • Models availableAnthropic, OpenAIfound
Optional · checked on demand
  • GraphicsMagick / ImageMagickchecked when needed
  • Ghostscriptchecked when needed
  • Wolframchecked when needed
✓ Core dependencies ready

texra doctor groups its findings: the full LaTeX toolchain and runtime/auth are verified up front, while the optional image tools and Wolfram are checked on demand the first time a feature needs them.

Homebrew ​

WHAT IS HOMEBREW?

Homebrew is a free package manager for macOS and Linux that makes it easy to install command-line tools and applications from the terminal. Many of the macOS instructions below use brew install commands, which require Homebrew to be installed first.

If you're on macOS and don't have Homebrew yet, open the Terminal app (found in Applications → Utilities) and paste this command:

bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation. Once finished, you can use any of the brew install commands in the sections below.

TIP

If you prefer not to use Homebrew, each section also links to the tool's official website where you can download a traditional installer.

LaTeX Distribution ​

IMPORTANT

A LaTeX distribution is required for TeXRA to properly process LaTeX documents.

Windows ​

Install either MiKTeX or TeX Live (MiKTeX is easier for beginners):

MiKTeX (recommended for Windows):

  1. Go to miktex.org/download
  2. Click the download button for the Windows installer
  3. Run the downloaded .exe file and follow the setup wizard
  4. When prompted, choose "Install missing packages on the fly" — this lets MiKTeX automatically download LaTeX packages as you need them

TeX Live (alternative):

  1. Go to tug.org/texlive/windows.html
  2. Download the install-tl-windows.exe installer
  3. Run the installer — the full installation may take a while as TeX Live downloads all packages upfront

After installing either distribution, restart VS Code so TeXRA can detect the new programs. You can verify the installation by opening a terminal (Command Prompt or PowerShell) and running:

bash
pdflatex --version

macOS ​

Install TeX Live via Homebrew — this is the recommended option for most TeXRA users because it is smaller, stays current with brew upgrade, and skips the Mac-specific GUI apps that VS Code users don't need:

bash
brew install texlive

Alternative distributions:

  • MacTeX with GUI apps (includes TeXShop, BibDesk, etc., ~4 GB): brew install --cask mactex, or download the .pkg from tug.org/mactex
  • MacTeX without GUI apps (smaller MacTeX variant): brew install --cask mactex-no-gui

After installing, restart VS Code so TeXRA can detect the new programs. You can verify by opening Terminal and running:

bash
pdflatex --version

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian) ​

Install TeX Live:

bash
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install texlive-full

After installing, restart VS Code and verify with:

bash
pdflatex --version

Perl ​

OPTIONAL

Perl backs the latexindent and latexdiff LaTeX tools (both are Perl scripts). Install it only if you use auto-formatting or LaTeX diffs — it's usually already bundled with MiKTeX/TeX Live and pre-installed on macOS/Linux.

Windows ​

  • Included with MiKTeX or TeX Live
  • Verify installation by running perl --version in Command Prompt

macOS ​

  • Pre-installed
  • Verify with perl --version in Terminal

Linux ​

bash
sudo apt-get install perl

GraphicsMagick/ImageMagick ​

OPTIONAL

Needed only for TeXRA's figure and image processing features. GraphicsMagick is the recommended option for better performance; ImageMagick is a drop-in alternative.

GraphicsMagick ​

Windows:

macOS:

bash
brew install graphicsmagick

Linux:

bash
sudo apt-get install graphicsmagick

ImageMagick (Alternative) ​

Windows:

macOS:

bash
brew install imagemagick

Linux:

bash
sudo apt-get install imagemagick

Ghostscript ​

OPTIONAL

Ghostscript is used by GraphicsMagick/ImageMagick to rasterize PDF figures. Install it alongside GraphicsMagick/ImageMagick only if you use TeXRA's figure/image processing features.

Windows ​

macOS ​

bash
brew install ghostscript

Linux ​

bash
sudo apt-get install ghostscript

Setting Up API Keys ​

TeXRA talks to model providers directly with an API key you supply. You need a key from at least one provider — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, etc. — and you give it to TeXRA the same way on every platform: the key is named ANTHROPIC_API_KEY / OPENAI_API_KEY / GOOGLE_API_KEY and so on.

In the VS Code Extension ​

The friendliest path: open the TeXRA Dashboard, go to the Models tab, and click the provider you want. Paste the key and it's saved in VS Code's secret storage. You can also run TeXRA: Set API Key from the Command Palette, or drop the keys in a .env file in your project — the extension reads it on startup.

Dashboard — texra-paper

API Configuration

Chat subscriptions (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, etc.) do not include API access — you need a key from the provider's developer platform.

Global default for all providers
ProviderStatusActions
Anthropic
 Key set
OpenAI
 Key set
Google
 Env
xAI
 Not set
DeepSeek
 Not set

The Dashboard's Models tab → API Configuration: each provider shows its key status (Set · Env · Not set) with Set, Get, and Remove actions.

In the CLI ​

Set the provider key in your shell, then check it's picked up:

bash
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-…
texra doctor

The CLI doesn't read .env files automatically (the extension does). If you already keep keys in a project .env, load them into the shell first — for example in bash or zsh:

bash
set -a; . .env; set +a
texra doctor

Prefer not to manage keys at all? Sign in to TeXRA for included hosted access:

bash
texra login
texra auth status

See TeXRA CLI for sign-in, workspace defaults, and switching between hosted and personal-key access.

Getting API Keys

Verifying Installation ​

To verify that TeXRA and all dependencies are correctly installed:

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Click on the TeXRA icon in the Activity Bar
  3. The TeXRA panel should load without errors
  4. Create or open a LaTeX document
  5. Try a simple command like "Indent Current TeX" from the editor title menu

If any component is missing, TeXRA will typically show an error message indicating what needs to be installed.

Troubleshooting Installation ​

Common Installation Issues ​

Most installation problems fall into one of four categories. Find your symptom and work through its checks:

Extension not loadingcheck these
VS Code is on 1.105 or newer
Output panel → "TeXRA" shows no errors
Reinstall the extension
LaTeX processing errorscheck these
LaTeX is on your system PATH
latexmk --version (or pdflatex) runs
Required LaTeX packages are installed
Image processing errorscheck these
GraphicsMagick / ImageMagick installed
Ghostscript installed and accessible
PATH environment variables are set
API key issuescheck these
Keys are entered correctly
You are within provider usage limits
Network allows the API endpoints

Four common failure modes and the checks for each: a loading extension, LaTeX or image processing, and API keys.

Getting Help ​

If you encounter persistent installation issues:

  1. Check the GitHub Issues page for known problems
  2. Look for error messages in the TeXRA ProgressBoard
  3. File a new issue with detailed information about your system and the specific error

Next Steps ​

With TeXRA and all dependencies installed, you're ready to start using the tool to enhance your academic research. Check out the Quick Start Guide to learn the basics, or examine specific features in the other documentation sections.