Overleaf Skill

Manage Overleaf LaTeX projects via the olcli CLI.

Installation

# Homebrew (recommended)
brew tap aloth/tap && brew install olcli

# npm
npm install -g @aloth/olcli

Authentication

Sign in once through a browser window (needs olcli 0.16 or newer and Node 22 or newer). Works with SSO and two-factor logins; olcli keeps only the session cookie:

olcli auth --browser

Without a display (a server, a container), paste the session cookie instead: log into overleaf.com, open DevTools (F12), Application, Cookies, and copy the value of overleaf_session2:

olcli auth --cookie "YOUR_SESSION_COOKIE"

Check the setup (exits 1 when not signed in, so olcli auth status || olcli auth --browser signs in only when needed):

olcli auth status

Clear stored credentials:

olcli logout

Common Workflows

Pull a project to work locally

olcli pull "My Paper"
cd My_Paper/

Edit and sync changes

# After editing files locally
olcli push              # Upload changes only
olcli sync              # Bidirectional sync (pull + push)

See what a push would change

olcli diff                     # unified diff against Overleaf as it is right now
olcli diff --name-only         # just the changed paths
olcli diff --latexdiff --pdf   # marked-up PDF of the revision, compiled on Overleaf

olcli push replaces whole files on Overleaf. Run olcli diff first when coauthors edit the same project.

Use Overleaf as a git remote

git clone overleaf::https://www.overleaf.com/project/<id> paper
cd paper
git pull                       # bring in coauthors' edits
git commit -am "Rewrite results"
git push                       # refused while Overleaf has edits you have not pulled

Needs olcli 0.16.1 or newer. If a push is refused, run git pull, resolve any conflict, commit and push again. git push --force overwrites Overleaf on purpose.

Compile and download PDF

olcli pdf                      # Compile and download
olcli pdf -o paper.pdf         # Custom output name
olcli compile                  # Just compile (no download)

Download .bbl for arXiv submission

olcli output bbl               # Download compiled .bbl
olcli output bbl -o main.bbl   # Custom filename
olcli output --list            # List all available outputs

Upload figures or assets

olcli upload figure1.png "My Paper"          # Upload to project root
olcli upload diagram.pdf                      # Auto-detect project from .olcli.json

Download specific files

olcli download main.tex "My Paper"           # Download single file
olcli zip "My Paper"                          # Download entire project as zip

arXiv Submission Workflow

Complete workflow for preparing an arXiv submission:

# 1. Pull your project
olcli pull "Research Paper"
cd Research_Paper

# 2. Compile to ensure everything builds
olcli compile

# 3. Download the .bbl file (arXiv requires .bbl, not .bib)
olcli output bbl -o main.bbl

# 4. Download any other needed outputs
olcli output aux -o main.aux    # If needed

# 5. Package for submission
zip arxiv.zip *.tex main.bbl figures/*.pdf

# 6. Verify the package compiles locally (optional)
# Then upload arxiv.zip to arxiv.org

Commands Reference

Tips

• Auto-detect project: Run commands from a synced directory (contains .olcli.json) to skip the project argument
• Dry run: Use olcli push --dry-run to preview changes before uploading
• Force overwrite: Use olcli pull --force to overwrite local changes
• Project ID: You can use project ID instead of name (24-char hex from URL)
• Debug auth: Run olcli auth status to see the account and where credentials are loaded from
• Before a push: Run olcli diff to see what the push would overwrite