LaTeX

Write LaTeX documents with correct syntax, packages, and compilation workflow.

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only LaTeX authoring guide that is internally consistent with its stated purpose and does not request extra permissions or install code.

Purpose & Capability

The name and description match the SKILL.md content: LaTeX syntax, packages, compilation workflow and common pitfalls. There are no unexpected requirements (no binaries, env vars, or config paths) that would be inconsistent with a documentation/authoring guide.

Instruction Scope

The instructions are purely authoring guidance (syntax, package recommendations, float handling, references, compile order). They do not instruct the agent to read local files, access environment variables, transmit data externally, or run system commands. They mention compilation workflows in conceptual terms (e.g., compile twice, latex→bibtex→latex) but do not include build commands or steps that would access credentials or system state.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files are present. This is the lowest-risk format: nothing will be written to disk or fetched at install time.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, no credentials, and no config paths. There is nothing disproportionate relative to the stated purpose.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill is user-invocable. It does not request persistent presence or modify other skills or system configuration.

Assessment

This skill is an offline, instruction-only LaTeX guide and appears safe to install from an internal-consistency perspective. Before installing, note: (1) it does not include a LaTeX compiler or tooling — it only gives authoring and workflow advice; (2) if you plan to compile documents produced with these instructions, be cautious when compiling untrusted .tex files because TeX engines can be configured to run external programs (e.g., shell-escape / \write18); disable shell-escape for untrusted sources; (3) because this skill has no code today, future updates that add an install script, network access, or environment variables should be re-reviewed. If you need the agent to compile or run LaTeX on your machine, prefer explicitly granting or reviewing only the minimal tooling and privileges required.

Special Characters

• Reserved chars need escape: \# \$ \% \& \_ \{ \} \textbackslash
• Tilde as character: \textasciitilde not \~ (that's an accent)
• Caret: \textasciicircum not \^
• Backslash in text: \textbackslash not \\ (that's line break)

Quotes & Dashes

• Opening quotes: `` not "; closing: ''—never use straight " quotes
• Hyphen -, en-dash -- (ranges: 1--10), em-dash --- (punctuation)
• Minus in math mode: $-1$ not -1 in text

Math Mode

• Inline: $...$ or \(...\); display: \[...\] or equation environment
• Text inside math: $E = mc^2 \text{ where } m \text{ is mass}$
• Multiline equations: align environment, not multiple equations
• \left( ... \right) for auto-sizing delimiters—must be paired

Spacing

• Command followed by text needs {} or \ : \LaTeX{} or \LaTeX\ is
• Non-breaking space: ~ between number and unit: 5~km
• Force space in math: \, thin, \: medium, \; thick, \quad \qquad

Packages

• \usepackage order matters—hyperref almost always last
• inputenc + fontenc for UTF-8: \usepackage[utf8]{inputenc} \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
• graphicx for images, booktabs for professional tables, amsmath for advanced math
• microtype for better typography—load early, subtle but significant improvement

Floats (Figures & Tables)

• [htbp] suggests placement: here, top, bottom, page—not commands
• LaTeX may move floats far from source—use [H] from float package to force
• Always use \centering inside float, not center environment
• Caption before \label—label references the last numbered element

References

• Compile twice to resolve \ref and \pageref—first pass collects, second uses
• \label immediately after \caption or inside environment being labeled
• For bibliography: latex → bibtex → latex → latex (4 passes)
• hyperref makes refs clickable—but can break with some packages

Tables

• tabular for inline, table float for numbered with caption
• Use booktabs: \toprule, \midrule, \bottomrule—no vertical lines
• @{} removes padding: \begin{tabular}{@{}lll@{}}
• Multicolumn: \multicolumn{2}{c}{Header}; multirow needs multirow package

Images

• Path relative to main file or set with \graphicspath{{./images/}}
• Prefer PDF/EPS for pdflatex/latex; PNG/JPG for photos
• \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{file}—no extension often better

Common Errors

• Overfull hbox: line too long—rephrase, add \- hyphenation hints, or allow \sloppy
• Missing $: math command used in text mode
• Undefined control sequence: typo or missing package
• \include adds page break, \input doesn't—use \input for fragments

Document Structure

• Preamble before \begin{document}—all \usepackage and settings
• \maketitle after \begin{document} if using \title, \author, \date
• article for short docs, report for chapters without parts, book for full books