maximebaudette/latex

LaTeX Document Production

This skill lets agents create and compile professional LaTeX documents while respecting per-profile isolation via CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT.

Core Model

• Every profile has its own CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT (see Setup below).
• A project is a folder inside the correspondance root.
• Projects are designed from the start to support multiple compilable documents (entrypoints) that can share common files.
• Common / shared files go in common/ by convention (documented per correspondance root — see AGENTS.md guidance).
• Entry points are listed in latex-project.json.

This structure works well for:

• Single letters or CVs
• Packages with several related documents (e.g. USCIS submissions with cover letter + multiple supporting letters)
• Projects that evolve over time by adding new entrypoints

Setup — CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT

Each profile must declare its own root. Add it to the profile's .env (recommended) or clearly document it in the profile's AGENTS.md.

Standard values:

# Andy
CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT=/home/mars/.hermes/profiles/career-manager/workspace/correspondance

# Cooper
CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT=/home/mars/.hermes/profiles/health-coach/workspace/correspondance

# MARS
CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT=/home/mars/.hermes/workspace/correspondance

Create the directory if it doesn't exist:

mkdir -p "$CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT"

Restart the gateway or start a fresh session after setting the variable.

Important: Inside each CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT, create an AGENTS.md file (or similar) that documents local conventions for that profile's correspondance work. This is where you explain the common/ pattern, naming preferences, etc.

Project Structure (Multi-Entrypoint by Default)

A typical project looks like this:

<project-name>/
├── latex-project.json
├── common/                    # Shared files (preambles, constants, letterhead, macros, etc.)
│   ├── constants.tex
│   └── letterhead.tex
├── cover-letter.tex           # Entrypoint
├── letter-of-intent.tex       # Entrypoint
├── expedite-request.tex       # Entrypoint
├── .gitignore
└── output/
    ├── cover-letter.pdf
    ├── letter-of-intent.pdf
    └── expedite-request.pdf

latex-project.json

{
  "name": "2026-05-USCIS-AOS",
  "entrypoints": [
    { "file": "cover-letter.tex", "label": "Cover Letter" },
    { "file": "letter-of-intent.tex", "label": "Letter of Intent" },
    { "file": "expedite-request.tex", "label": "Expedite Request" }
  ],
  "upload": {
    "gdrive_folder_id": null,
    "email": null
  }
}

• entrypoints lists every document that should produce its own PDF.
• The skill and scripts use this list to know what can be compiled.

Creating a New Project

Use the convenience script (recommended for consistency):

bash ~/.hermes/skills/latex/scripts/new-project.sh "2026-05-motivation-letter-acme"

This creates a project already structured for multiple entrypoints + a common/ directory.

You can also create the structure manually following the layout above.

Compiling

Recommended: Use the compile script

From inside the project directory or by passing the full path:

# Compile EVERY entrypoint listed in latex-project.json
bash ~/.hermes/skills/latex/scripts/compile.sh /path/to/project

# Compile only one specific document
bash ~/.hermes/skills/latex/scripts/compile.sh /path/to/project cover-letter.tex

The script will:

• Compile the requested entrypoint(s)
• Place PDFs in output/ named after the .tex file (e.g. cover-letter.pdf)
• Respect the project root so \input and \include resolve correctly

Direct tectonic usage (robust & transparent)

You can (and often should) compile directly:

cd "$CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT/my-project"
mkdir -p output

# Compile one document
tectonic --outdir output cover-letter.tex

# Compile another
tectonic --outdir output letter-of-intent.tex

This is the most reliable method. The scripts are conveniences on top of this.

Always run tectonic from the project root.

Discovering Entry points

When working on an existing project:

1. Read latex-project.json
2. Look at the entrypoints array — these are the documents you can (and usually should) compile separately.

The skill instructions should make agents check this file first when asked to compile or update documents in a project.

Shared Files Convention (common/)

Place files that are meant to be \input or \include (but never compiled alone) in a common/ directory at the project root.

Example usage in an entrypoint:

\input{common/constants}
\input{common/letterhead}

This is a recommended convention, not enforced by the compiler. Document the exact pattern used in a given correspondance root inside an AGENTS.md file at the root of that profile's CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT. This gives flexibility across different projects and profiles.

Upload & Delivery

After successful compilation, PDFs live in output/.

Use the google-workspace skill for:

• Uploading specific PDFs to Drive
• Sending them by email

The latex-project.json still supports the upload section for optional automation hints.

Installing Tectonic

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf \
  https://github.com/tectonic-typesetting/tectonic/releases/download/tectonic%400.15.0/tectonic-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz \
  | tar xz -C ~/bin

Ensure ~/bin is in PATH for the relevant profiles.

Best Practices

• Default to multi-entrypoint projects from the beginning (easier to grow).
• Keep shared logic in common/.
• Name entrypoint files clearly (they determine the PDF names).
• Always compile from the project root.
• Use the scripts for scaffolding and bulk work; fall back to direct tectonic when you need precision or debugging.
• Document profile-specific conventions in an AGENTS.md at the correspondance root level.

Notes

• Output is always git-ignored (output/ in .gitignore).
• The skill is intentionally a mix of clear conventions + helpful scripts on top of the excellent direct tectonic experience.

This model supports both simple single documents and complex multi-document packages while keeping everything isolated per profile.

Shared Templates & Examples

A ready-to-use multi-document example lives here:

skills/latex/templates/example-multi-document/

It contains two entrypoints (cover-letter.tex and motivation-letter.tex) that share files from common/.

Copy the folder into a real CORRESPONDANCE_ROOT, rename it, and start editing. This is the recommended starting point for most new projects.