Extension Details
- LaTeX Render Fast
- by Akira Yamanashi
- 3 Recent Installs | 3 Total Installs
- Full-featured LaTeX editing: syntax highlighting, completions, build, LSP, and SyncTeX.
- Repository
- Bug Reports
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Read & Write Files
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Launch Subprocesses
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This extension is allowed to:
Readme
LaTeX Render Fast (LRF)
Full-featured LaTeX and BibTeX support for Nova, inspired by VS Code's LaTeX Workshop.
Features
- Syntax Highlighting — Tree-sitter-based highlighting for LaTeX and BibTeX with code folding, document outline, and begin/end tag matching
- Language Server (texlab) — Completions, hover documentation, go-to-definition, diagnostics, document symbols, references, and rename
- Build System — Build, Clean, and Run tasks via latexmk with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, or LuaLaTeX
- Issue Parsing — LaTeX errors, warnings, and bad boxes reported in Nova's Issues sidebar
- Completions & Snippets — Tab-triggered environment shortcuts, Greek letter shortcuts, font commands, section shortcuts, and 100+ LaTeX command completions
- BibTeX Support — Entry type templates, field completions, and full syntax highlighting
- Auto-Build on Save — Optionally rebuild when saving .tex files
- Auto-Clean — Optionally remove auxiliary files after successful builds
- SyncTeX — Forward search (Nova → Skim) and reverse search (Skim → Nova)
- Math Preview — Render math expressions under your cursor as a PDF tab (Shift+Cmd+M)
- Word Count — Count words via texcount
- File Type Icons — Custom icons for .tex and .bib files
Requirements
- TeX distribution — TeX Live or MacTeX (provides
latexmk,pdflatex, etc.)
brew install --cask mactex
Optional
- texlab — Language server providing IntelliSense, hover, diagnostics, and go-to-definition
brew install texlab - Skim — PDF viewer with SyncTeX support
brew install --cask skim - texcount — For the Word Count feature
brew install texcount
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd+B | Build (latexmk) |
| Cmd+Shift+K | Clean auxiliary files |
| Cmd+R | Run (open PDF in Skim) |
| Shift+Cmd+J | Forward Search (SyncTeX) |
| Shift+Cmd+M | Preview Math |
Build
Compiles the current or configured main .tex file using latexmk. The PDF engine (pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX) is configurable in Extension Preferences or per-project in Project Settings.
SyncTeX Setup
Forward Search (Nova → Skim)
Use Shift+Cmd+J or the Run task to jump from your source position to the corresponding location in Skim.
Reverse Search (Skim → Nova)
- Open Skim → Preferences → Sync
- Set the PDF-TeX Sync preset to Nova
If "Nova" doesn't appear in the dropdown, select "Custom" and enter:
- Command: /usr/local/bin/nova
- Arguments: --line %line "%file"
Snippet Reference
Environment Shortcuts
Type the trigger and press Tab to expand.
| Trigger | Environment |
|---|---|
BEQ |
equation |
BSEQ |
equation* |
BAL |
align |
BSAL |
align* |
BGA |
gather |
BIT |
itemize |
BEN |
enumerate |
BDE |
description |
BFI |
figure (with includegraphics, caption, label) |
BTA |
table (with tabular, toprule/bottomrule) |
BTR |
tabular |
BFR |
frame (beamer) |
BTH |
theorem |
BPR |
proof |
BLE |
lemma |
BDF |
definition |
BTI |
tikzpicture |
BCA |
cases |
Greek Letters
| Trigger | Symbol | Trigger | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
@a |
\alpha |
@G |
\Gamma |
@b |
\beta |
@D |
\Delta |
@g |
\gamma |
@Q |
\Theta |
@d |
\delta |
@L |
\Lambda |
@e |
\epsilon |
@X |
\Xi |
@z |
\zeta |
@P |
\Pi |
@h |
\eta |
@S |
\Sigma |
@q |
\theta |
@F |
\Phi |
@l |
\lambda |
@Y |
\Psi |
@m |
\mu |
@W |
\Omega |
@p |
\pi |
@ve |
\varepsilon |
@s |
\sigma |
@vf |
\varphi |
@w |
\omega |
Font / Math Font Shortcuts
| Trigger | Command | Trigger | Command |
|---|---|---|---|
FBF |
\textbf{} |
MRM |
\mathrm{} |
FIT |
\textit{} |
MBF |
\mathbf{} |
FTT |
\texttt{} |
MBB |
\mathbb{} |
FEM |
\emph{} |
MCA |
\mathcal{} |
FUL |
\underline{} |
MFR |
\mathfrak{} |
Section Shortcuts
| Trigger | Command |
|---|---|
SCH |
\chapter{} |
SSE |
\section{} |
SSS |
\subsection{} |
SS4 |
\subsubsection{} |
Configuration
Extension Preferences
- texlab Path — Path to the texlab binary (default:
texlab) - latexmk Path — Path to latexmk (default:
latexmk) - PDF Engine — pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX, or Default
- Auto-build on save — Automatically compile on save
- Clean after build — Remove auxiliary files after successful builds
- Skim.app Path — Path to Skim (default:
/Applications/Skim.app) - Keep Skim in background — Don't bring Skim to front on forward search
- Use Skim reading bar — Show reading bar indicator in Skim
Project Settings
- PDF Engine — Override for this project
- Main .tex File — Root file for multi-file projects
- Auto-build on save — Override for this project
- Clean after build — Override for this project
Note
If you have the "LaTeX" extension by Marco Varisco installed, please disable it to avoid syntax conflicts.
Release Notes
Changelog
March 24, 2026
- Added everything and anything (all of the time)