Markdown to LaTeX Conversion
Convert Markdown documents to professional LaTeX with advanced typesetting, TikZ/PGFPlots visualizations, and PDF compilation.
When to Use This Skill
| Use this skill when... | Use another skill when... |
|---|---|
| Converting Markdown to presentation-quality PDF | Writing Markdown documentation (/docs:generate) |
| Creating reports with diagrams and visualizations | Simple text formatting |
| Generating print-ready strategic documents | Creating HTML documentation |
| Building lifecycle reports with charts and timelines | Syncing existing docs (/docs:sync) |
Context
- LaTeX installed:!
which pdflatex - Current directory:!
pwd - Available.md files:!
find. -maxdepth 2 -name '*.md' -not -name 'CHANGELOG.md' -not -name 'README.md'
Parameters
<file>: Path to the Markdown source file (required)--no-compile: Generate.texfile only, skip PDF compilation--visualizations: Include TikZ/PGFPlots diagrams (timelines, charts, risk matrices)--report-type: Document structure preset
- roadmap: Phase-based roadmap with timeline visualization - lifecycle: Project lifecycle with release charts and velocity graphs - general: Standard professional document (default)
Execution
Execute this Markdown-to-LaTeX conversion workflow:
Step 1: Analyze the Markdown source
Read the source Markdown file and extract:
- Document title and metadata
- Section hierarchy (map
#levels to LaTeX chapters/sections) - Tables, lists, code blocks, callout blocks, and blockquotes
- Priorities or status indicators for color-coded markers
- Numerical data suitable for visualization
Step 2: Generate the LaTeX document
Create a .tex file adjacent to the source. Use the document preamble, color definitions, custom environments, and conversion rules from REFERENCE.md.
Apply the Markdown-to-LaTeX conversion rules:
| Markdown | LaTeX |
|---|---|
# Title | \chapter{Title} |
## Section | \section{Section} |
### Subsection | \subsection{Subsection} |
**bold** | \textbf{bold} |
*italic* | \textit{italic} |
` code ` | \texttt{code} |
- item | \begin{itemize}\item...\end{itemize} |
1. item | \begin{enumerate}\item...\end{enumerate} |
> quote | \begin{tcolorbox}...\end{tcolorbox} |
[text](url) | \href{url}{text} |
| Tables | booktabs tables with \toprule, \midrule, \bottomrule |
| Code blocks | \begin{lstlisting}...\end{lstlisting} |
- [] / - [x] | $\square$ / $\boxtimes$ (requires amssymb) |
Step 3: Add visualizations (when --visualizations or data suggests it)
Choose appropriate TikZ/PGFPlots visualizations based on document content. Use the visualization templates from REFERENCE.md:
- Timeline for roadmaps with phases
- Bar/pie charts for release or metric data
- Risk matrix for documents with risk/impact data
- Test pyramid for QA/testing documents
Step 4: Compile to PDF
- Install LaTeX toolchain if not available:
apt-get update && apt-get install -y texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-recommended \ texlive-fonts-extra texlive-science latexmk - Compile with two passes for cross-references:
pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode DOCUMENT.tex pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode DOCUMENT.tex - If compilation fails, check REFERENCE.md for common compilation fixes.
Step 5: Clean up repository artifacts
Add LaTeX build artifacts to .gitignore if not already present: *.aux, *.log, *.out, *.toc, *.lof, *.lot, *.fls, *.fdb_latexmk, *.synctex.gz, *.bbl, *.blg, *.nav, *.snm, *.vrb.
Post-actions
- Report the output PDF path, page count, and file size
- Summarize what visualizations were generated
- List any compilation warnings that may need attention
- Suggest the
.gitignoreadditions if not already present
Agentic Optimizations
| Context | Command |
|---|---|
| Check LaTeX installed | which pdflatex 2>/dev/null |
| Quick compile | pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode -halt-on-error FILE.tex |
| Full compile (with TOC) | pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode FILE.tex && pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode FILE.tex |
| Check PDF page count | pdfinfo FILE.pdf 2>/dev/null |
| Check PDF file size | stat -f %z FILE.pdf 2>/dev/null |
| Install toolchain | apt-get install -y texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-fonts-extra texlive-science |
| Errors only | pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode FILE.tex 2>&1 |
For detailed LaTeX patterns, TikZ templates, and package reference, see REFERENCE.md.