io.github.YounesBensafia/overleaf-mcp-server

Overleaf MCP Server

An MCP server for managing Overleaf projects through Git synchronization.

PyPI Package · MCP Registry

What This Server Does

• Connects MCP-compatible clients to your Overleaf project through Git sync.
• Exposes file-level tools to list, read, write, and sync project content.
• Keeps workflow simple: pull latest files, edit, then push back to Overleaf.

Architecture

flowchart LR
  C[MCP Client\nClaude Desktop / other MCP host] -->|Tool Call| S[Overleaf MCP Server]
  S -->|Git Sync| O[Overleaf Git Remote]
  S -->|Read / Write| L[Local Repo Mirror]
  L -->|Commit + Push| O
  O -->|Pull / Fetch| L
  S -->|Tool Result| C

Tool Workflow

sequenceDiagram
  participant Client as MCP Client
  participant Server as Overleaf MCP Server
  participant Local as Local Mirror
  participant Overleaf as Overleaf Git

  Client->>Server: list_files / read_file
  Server->>Local: Ensure local clone
  Server->>Overleaf: git pull
  Overleaf-->>Server: latest content
  Server-->>Client: file list / file content

  Client->>Server: write_file(path, content)
  Server->>Local: update file
  Server->>Local: git commit
  Server->>Overleaf: git push
  Server-->>Client: success + metadata

Requirements

• Python 3.13+
• uv package manager
• An Overleaf plan with Git integration (individual, group, or institution license). Check if your institution provides free access at Overleaf for Institutions - use your institutional email. If your institution is not listed, upgrade your plan.

Git Setup

1. Enable Git - open your project on Overleaf → Menu → enable Git under Integrations.
2. Copy project ID - from the browser URL (e.g. https://www.overleaf.com/project/69a4f7cc4eaf13bd56de5b04 → 69a4f7cc4eaf13bd56de5b04).
3. Generate a Git token - Account Settings → Git integration authentication tokens → Generate new token.
4. Configure .env - copy .env.example to .env and fill in:

OVERLEAF_TOKEN=your_git_token
PROJECT_ID=your_project_id

project_id can also be passed per tool call, but PROJECT_ID is still required by the server configuration.

The Overleaf Git token is account-wide credential material. Store it only in the MCP client's environment or a protected .env file, and rotate it if it is exposed.

Safety Notes

Files in an Overleaf project are untrusted input. A .tex file or project configuration can contain instructions aimed at the model; treat file contents as data, not as commands. Keep OVERLEAF_ALLOWED_PROJECTS restricted to the projects the server should be able to access:

OVERLEAF_ALLOWED_PROJECTS=project_id_a,project_id_b

The default allowlist contains only PROJECT_ID.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/younesbensafia/overleaf-mcp-server.git
cd overleaf-mcp-server
uv sync
cp .env.example .env   # then edit with your token/project id
uv run overleaf-mcp

Without a checkout, run the Git version directly with:

uvx --from git+https://github.com/younesbensafia/overleaf-mcp-server overleaf-mcp

Plain uvx overleaf-mcp is appropriate only after the project is published to PyPI.

The server listens on stdio - connect your MCP client (Claude Desktop, etc.) to it.

For a large project, call sync_project first. The initial Git clone can take longer than an MCP client's individual tool request timeout.

Available Tools

read_file accepts optional zero-based offset and bounded limit line parameters for reading large documents in chunks.

Claude Desktop Setup

Add to ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "overleaf": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "/path/to/overleaf-mcp-server", "run", "overleaf-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OVERLEAF_TOKEN": "your_git_token",
        "PROJECT_ID": "your_project_id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

• 403 Forbidden on git operations:
  • Your plan doesn't include Git integration - follow the Git Setup section.
  • Or the Git token is wrong - regenerate it at Account Settings → Git integration authentication tokens.
• Wrong project content:
  • Set the correct PROJECT_ID in .env.
  • Or pass project_id explicitly in tool calls.
• Sync conflicts:
  • Run sync_project before write_file if the remote changed.
• Server not starting:
  • Ensure dependencies are installed with uv sync.
  • Verify Python 3.13+ is available.

License

MIT - See LICENSE