OpalaTex

OpalaTex is a free, open-source LaTeX editor with an integrated AI assistant. It combines a source editor, local PDF preview, project tools, Git integration, and optional local or cloud AI models.

LaTeX compilation is performed locally with Tectonic. Local editor features do not require an Opala Cloud account; cloud credits and user-provided API keys are optional.

Features

• Split source editor and PDF preview with SyncTeX support
• Local LaTeX compilation with Tectonic
• AI assistance for writing, tables, equations, TikZ, and compilation errors
• Local models through Ollama and configurable external providers
• Project, terminal, Git, and document-export tools
• English and Brazilian Portuguese interface

Minimum Software Requirements

• Linux: Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04
• Windows: Windows 10 or 11

Install a packaged release

The installer downloads the current OpalaTex Community release from GitHub Releases, extracts it into the user profile, creates shortcuts, and does not require administrator privileges.

Linux / macOS (Terminal One-Liner via curl)

Run terminal and execute:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/opalacoderdev/OpalaTex/master/install.sh | bash

To inspect the script first:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/opalacoderdev/OpalaTex/master/install.sh -o install.sh
less install.sh
bash install.sh

The application is installed under ~/.local/share/OpalaTex, with a command symlink in ~/.local/bin/opalatex and a desktop launcher in ~/.local/share/applications/opalatex.desktop.

Windows (PowerShell One-Liner via irm)

Open PowerShell and execute:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/opalacoderdev/OpalaTex/master/install.ps1 | iex

Alternatively, download and inspect install.ps1 before running:

Invoke-WebRequest https://raw.githubusercontent.com/opalacoderdev/OpalaTex/master/install.ps1 -OutFile install.ps1
Get-Content .\install.ps1
.\install.ps1

The application is installed under %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpalaTex. The installer adds its executable directory to the user PATH and creates shortcuts on the Desktop and Start menu.

Development setup

Requirements: Python 3.10 or newer, Node.js/npm, and Git.

PowerShell

git clone https://github.com/opalacoderdev/OpalaTex.git
cd OpalaTex
python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
npm install --prefix .\gui_src
npm run build --prefix .\gui_src
python .\main.py

If script execution is disabled for the current PowerShell process, run Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass before activating the virtual environment.

Bash (Linux/macOS)

git clone https://github.com/opalacoderdev/OpalaTex.git
cd OpalaTex
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
npm install --prefix ./gui_src
npm run build --prefix ./gui_src
python main.py

Build and test

Run the test suite from the repository root:

python -m pytest

Rebuild only the web interface with:

npm run build --prefix gui_src

Create a packaged desktop build with the platform-specific script:

.\build_exe.ps1

bash ./build_exe.sh

These scripts install build dependencies, build the React/Vite interface, download pinned Tectonic and Pandoc releases, and package the application with PyInstaller. Outputs are written under dist/.

Release publishing

The binpacking.ps1 and binpacking.sh scripts are maintainer tools. They package an existing build and upload it over SSH. They intentionally contain no server address, username, credential, or private server path. Maintainers must provide:

• OPALATEX_RELEASE_HOST
• OPALATEX_RELEASE_USER
• OPALATEX_RELEASE_DIR

Authentication is handled by the local SSH client (preferably with an SSH key or agent); credentials must never be committed to the repository.

Security and credentials

• API keys configured in the application are local user data and must not be committed.
• Environment files, private keys, credentials, databases, logs, build outputs, and local runtime data are excluded by .gitignore.
• Report a suspected leaked credential privately to the maintainers. Revoke and rotate any credential that may have entered Git history; deleting it only from the latest commit is not sufficient.

Contributing

Although OpalaTex is open-source under the MIT License, the repository does not accept pull requests or code contributions from third parties.

If you would like to request a specific feature or report a bug, please open an Issue describing what you would like to see in OpalaTex. The maintainer will review and prioritize requests accordingly.

License

OpalaTex is available under the MIT License.