ZLEditor

ZLEditor is a local-first LaTeX workspace for academic writing. It combines a browser-based editor, PDF preview, bibliography workflows, optional Zotero integration, and an AI assistant in a self-hosted app that runs on your machine.

The goal is simple: make writing, compiling, and iterating on LaTeX projects feel closer to a modern code editor without depending on a hosted platform.

Highlights

• Browser-based LaTeX editor with CodeMirror 6
• Inline PDF preview with local compilation
• Import/export full projects as .zip
• .bib parsing and \cite{} autocomplete
• Optional Zotero Better BibTeX integration
• AI assistant with streaming responses and compile-log explanation
• Multi-language UI: Portuguese, English, and Spanish
• Docker workflow and desktop launcher support

Features

• Modern editor experience

  • LaTeX syntax highlighting
  • Command autocomplete
  • Citation autocomplete from local .bib files and Zotero
  • Quick Open with Ctrl+P for file search and in-project text search

• Project management

  • Import complete LaTeX projects from .zip
  • Preserve nested folders, binary assets, fonts, and images
  • Create and delete files directly from the app
  • Set any .tex file as the compilation root
  • Export the current project back to .zip

• Compilation workflow

  • Compile with pdflatex, xelatex, or lualatex
  • Automatic bibtex pass when bibliography data is required
  • Inline PDF rendering after successful compilation
  • Detailed compilation log modal with copy-to-clipboard support
  • Optional auto-compile while editing

• Bibliography workflow

  • Parse local .bib files automatically
  • Update citation suggestions immediately after .bib edits
  • Search Zotero through Better BibTeX
  • Insert \cite{key} directly from the Zotero panel
  • Optionally write Zotero entries into a project .bib file

• AI assistant

  • Sidebar chat panel with streaming responses
  • Support for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Ollama, and DeepSeek
  • Configurable context mode: none, current file, or full project
  • "Explain log with AI" flow for LaTeX compilation failures
  • Conversation memory via MemPalace integration

• Quality-of-life

  • Autosave to local storage
  • Restore previous session on reload
  • Runtime language switcher (PT, EN, ES)
  • Desktop launcher with tray icon for packaged builds

Tech Stack

• Backend: FastAPI, Uvicorn, Python
• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript, CodeMirror 6, modular CSS
• AI layer: LiteLLM-based provider adapters
• Bibliography: Zotero Better BibTeX proxy + local .bib parsing
• Packaging: Docker, PyInstaller

Getting Started

Option 1: Docker

This is the easiest way to run ZLEditor with LaTeX available inside the container.

git clone https://github.com/brenaki/ZLEditor.git
cd ZLEditor
docker compose up --build

Open http://localhost:8765.

Notes:

• The Docker image includes TeX Live and the backend runtime.
• The provided docker-compose.yml uses network_mode: host, which is especially useful on Linux for reaching Zotero Better BibTeX at localhost:23119.

Option 2: Local development

Requirements:

• Python 3.11+
• A LaTeX distribution with pdflatex available
• Node.js 20+ and npm for rebuilding frontend bundles

Setup:

git clone https://github.com/brenaki/ZLEditor.git
cd ZLEditor
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
npm install
npm run build
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765

Open http://127.0.0.1:8765.

AI Configuration

ZLEditor ships with an optional AI assistant. You can configure providers directly from the in-app settings modal.

Supported providers:

• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• Google Gemini
• Ollama
• DeepSeek

The app stores non-secret AI settings in config.json and provider secrets in config.secrets.json.

Zotero Integration

Zotero support is optional.

To enable it:

1. Install Zotero.
2. Install Better BibTeX.
3. Keep Zotero running while using ZLEditor.

ZLEditor proxies approved Better BibTeX JSON-RPC methods through /bbt-proxy, so the browser UI can query your local library safely.

Releases

Desktop binaries are intended to be distributed through GitHub Releases:

• Repository: https://github.com/brenaki/ZLEditor
• Releases: https://github.com/brenaki/ZLEditor/releases

The packaged app launches the local server in the background, opens the browser automatically, and keeps a tray icon available while running.

Project Structure

app/        FastAPI app, routers, services, providers
scripts/    Frontend app, UI modules, services, i18n
styles/     Layout and component styles
tests/      Backend and integration tests
openspec/   Product/spec documentation

Testing

pytest

For coverage-focused runs:

pytest --cov=app --cov-fail-under=90 -v

Contributing

Issues, bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests are welcome.

Good contribution areas:

• LaTeX authoring UX
• bibliography and Zotero workflows
• AI-assisted editing flows
• test coverage
• packaging and cross-platform improvements
• UI polish and accessibility

Contributors

• Victor Cerqueira (@brenaki) - creator and maintainer

Maintainer

• Maintained by Victor Cerqueira (@brenaki)
• Email: victor.legat.cerqueira@gmail.com

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.