TeXRA

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Installation guide ​

This guide covers installing TeXRA as a VS Code extension or standalone CLI, along with the optional system dependencies for compiling, diffing, and rendering LaTeX documents. Running agents requires only an API key or connected model provider; local LaTeX tools are used for building previews, generating visual diffs, and formatting equations.

System requirements ​

TeXRA runs on all major operating systems. Minimum requirements:

  • Visual Studio Code: Version 1.125 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 shortest path is an extension marketplace:

  1. Open VS Code or your VSCodium-compatible editor.
  2. Open the Extensions view (select 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. Select Install.
  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 in your preferred editor through a protocol link:

CLI ​

The standalone texra command is published to npm. Install it globally (requires Node.js 22.19.0 or later in 22.x, or Node.js 24 or later):

bash
npm install -g @texra-ai/cli

Or with Homebrew on macOS and Linux:

bash
brew install texra-ai/tap/texra

Read the TeXRA CLI guide for usage, shell completion, and workspace defaults.

From VSIX file ​

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

Installing required dependencies ​

TeXRA needs a few external tools. Only a LaTeX distribution is 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: compiles 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: Node.js, the workspace and packaged resources, your TeXRA account and available models, usage logging, the LaTeX toolchain (latexmk, pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex, bibtex, biber, latexdiff, latexindent), and the workspace config file. The optional image tools (GraphicsMagick/ImageMagick, Ghostscript) are not part of the doctor report; a feature that needs them tells you when they are missing.

$ 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 checks the runtime, your account and models, usage logging, the full LaTeX toolchain, and the workspace config. Optional image tools are not listed; the feature that needs them reports when one is missing.

Homebrew ​

WHAT IS HOMEBREW?

Homebrew is a free package manager for macOS and Linux that installs command-line tools and applications from the terminal. Many of the macOS instructions below use brew install commands, which require Homebrew.

If you're on macOS and don't have Homebrew yet, open the Terminal app (in Applications, under 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. Then 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

TeXRA needs a LaTeX distribution to 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. Download the Windows installer
  3. Run the downloaded .exe file and follow the setup wizard
  4. When prompted, choose "Install missing packages on the fly" so MiKTeX downloads 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 because TeX Live downloads all packages up front

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

bash
pdflatex --version

macOS ​

Install TeX Live through Homebrew. This is the recommended option for most TeXRA users: 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. To verify, open Terminal and run:

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). You only need it if you use auto-formatting or LaTeX diffs. It ships with macOS and with TeX Live, and is present on most Linux installs, but not with MiKTeX, and not on minimal or container Linux images. Check with perl --version rather than assuming.

Windows ​

TeX Live for Windows ships its own Perl, so latexindent and latexdiff work without further setup. MiKTeX does not bundle Perl. If you installed MiKTeX (the option recommended above for beginners), install Perl separately:

  1. Download Strawberry Perl
  2. Run the installer, which adds Perl to your PATH
  3. Restart VS Code, then verify in Command Prompt or PowerShell:
bash
perl --version

If you skip this on MiKTeX, TeXRA still compiles documents; only auto-formatting and LaTeX diffs are unavailable. The setup assistant flags the missing dependency and points to the same download.

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

GraphicsMagick/ImageMagick use Ghostscript 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 shortest path: open the TeXRA Dashboard, go to the Providers & Models tab, and select the provider you want. Paste the key and it is saved in VS Code's secret storage. You can also run TeXRA: Set API Key from the Command Palette, or put 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.

ProviderStatusActions
Anthropic
 Key set
OpenAI
 Key set
Google
 Env
xAI
 Not set
DeepSeek
 Not set

The Dashboard's Providers & 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 that it is 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

If you prefer not to manage keys, connect a provider subscription instead. A ChatGPT subscription unlocks the Codex models, and a Grok (xAI SuperGrok) subscription unlocks the xAI models. texra auth login separately signs in to your TeXRA account:

bash
texra auth chatgpt login
texra auth grok login
texra auth status

Read the TeXRA CLI guide for provider keys, subscriptions, and workspace defaults.

Getting API Keys

Verifying installation ​

To verify that TeXRA and its dependencies are installed correctly:

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Select the TeXRA icon in the Secondary Side Bar
  3. The TeXRA panel should load without errors
  4. Create or open a LaTeX document
  5. Try a simple command like TeXRA: Indent Current TeX from the Command Palette (the editor title bar only shows TeXRA's Fix Compilation button for LaTeX files)

If a component is missing, TeXRA shows an error message that names 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 1.125 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 an installation problem persists:

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

Next steps ​

With TeXRA and its dependencies installed, you're ready to start. Read the Quick start guide to learn the basics, or explore specific features in the other documentation sections.