PaperPilot is an AI-powered LaTeX workspace. It combines a professional LaTeX editing environment with autonomous research and writing agents, functioning as a specialized IDE for writing papers, resumes, and more.
The project is divided into three main components:
- frontend/: A Next.js web application providing the user interface, project management, and AI chat integration.
- backend/: A Python/FastAPI service used during development for LaTeX compilation using Docker.
- production-backend/: An optimized version of the backend designed for cloud deployment (e.g., Azure Container Apps) where LaTeX is installed directly.
The research agent is integrated with Semantic Scholar and arXiv via MCP. It can:
- Search for academic papers, authors, and citations.
- Download and analyze full-text arXiv preprints.
- Maintain a structured
research-notes.mdfile to organize literature reviews. - Generate formatted BibTeX and APA citations automatically.
The writing agent has direct access to the project workspace and can perform active document manipulation:
- Content Implementation: Drafting sections based on research notes or user prompts.
- Document Restructuring: Proactively splitting large files into modular chapters and sections.
- Style Maintenance: Ensuring consistent LaTeX formatting and package usage.
The editor is built on Monaco and provides syntax highlighting and autocomplete for LaTeX commands, and real time content sync. It supports complex multi-file projects with a dedicated file explorer and persistent file management.
A side-by-side previewer provides immediate visual feedback. It supports both native browser rendering and a custom PDF viewer to ensure compatibility and performance across different document sizes.
A collection of pre-configured templates for journals, conferences, and resumes. These allow for rapid project initialization with standard document classes and pre-defined structures.
Comprehensive file handling capabilities for complex LaTeX projects:
- Import: Support for single file uploads, bulk file imports, and full folder uploads to quickly port existing projects.
- Export: Options to export the final compiled PDF or download the entire project source as a structured ZIP file.
- Organization: Integrated file explorer for managing assets, nested directories, and multiple source files.
PaperPilot monitors LaTeX compilation logs in real time. If a compilation fails, the AI agent analyzes the log output to diagnose issues such as missing packages or syntax errors and can apply fixes to the source code automatically.
The AI maintains an updated map of the project structure, including active files and cross-references. This context allows the agents to make informed edits that respect the existing document hierarchy.
- Frontend: Next.js 15 (App Router), Tailwind CSS 4, Framer Motion, Supabase.
- Backend: FastAPI, Docker (dev), TeX Live (prod).
- AI Integration: Vercel AI SDK (Gemini, OpenAI, Cerebras, Groq, xAI).
Refer to the individual directory READMEs for specific setup and development instructions: