Quality Checks

Outline, cross-reference check, lint, format, word count, and BibTeX — vibeTeX's quality suite, led by latex_check_refs.

Compiling tells you the document builds. The quality suite tells you it's correct — that every reference resolves, the structure is sound, and the style is clean. These tools run against the working copy and need no Overleaf premium.

latex_check_refs — the headline tool

latex_check_refs cross-validates the document's reference graph:

every \ref / \eqref / \autoref points at a real \label;
every \cite key exists in a .bib file;
labels that are defined but never referenced are flagged;
duplicate labels are reported.

The output is structured, so your assistant doesn't just report the dangling reference — it fixes it, with a cited diff:

You: Compile my paper and fix any broken references.

Claude:
  → latex_compile → PDF built, 0 errors
  → latex_check_refs
    ✗ \ref{fig:results} → no matching label
      (did you mean fig:main-results, defined in chapters/results.tex:88?)
  → overleaf_edit_file(
      old_string: "see Figure \ref{fig:results}",
      new_string: "see Figure \ref{fig:main-results}")
  Fixed 1 dangling reference. Recompiled clean.

This is the difference between "your LaTeX compiles" and "your citations and figure references actually point where you think they do."

The rest of the suite

Tool	What it does	Backed by
`latex_outline`	Section/heading tree of a `.tex` file — a map of the document.	parser
`latex_lint`	Static lint: spacing, math mode, common LaTeX mistakes.	`chktex`
`latex_format`	Reformat LaTeX. Returns a diff by default; pass `write: true` to rewrite in place.	`latexindent`
`latex_word_count`	Word/character counts, by section, excluding markup.	`texcount`
`latex_bib`	Resolve a DOI or arXiv id to BibTeX (`lookup`) or append it to a project `.bib` (`add`).	DOI/arXiv resolvers

latex_outline

Pass file (default main.tex). Use it to orient before editing a large document, or to let the assistant jump straight to the right section.

latex_lint and latex_format

latex_lint (via chktex) and latex_format (via latexindent) require those binaries on PATH — overleaf_whoami shows whether they're available. latex_format is non-destructive by default: it returns a diff so you can review before applying with write: true.

latex_word_count

texcount-backed word counts that exclude LaTeX markup — accurate numbers for abstracts, sections, or journal limits.

latex_bib

You: Add the BibTeX for 10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2 to my references.

Claude:
  → latex_bib(action: "add", identifier: "10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2")
  Added @article{…} to references.bib.

action: "lookup" (the default) returns BibTeX without writing; action: "add" appends it to the project's single .bib (or bib_file, else references.bib).