LaTeX Implementation

VerifiedSafe

Implements LaTeX documents by delegating to a specialized subagent according to a pre-defined plan. Automatically updates task status, links artifacts, and commits changes after the subagent completes. Best used for creating or modifying LaTeX-based papers, reports, or documents.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
506/2/2026
Claude Code
#latex#implementation#typesetting#automation

Recommended for

Our review

A skill that implements LaTeX documents from a plan by delegating to a subagent and handling postflight operations such as status updates, artifact linking, and git commits.

Strengths

  • Automates the entire LaTeX implementation lifecycle
  • Integrates status updates and checks without manual intervention
  • Ensures consistency with project plans and standards
  • Handles version control via automatic git commits

Limitations

  • Requires a specific project structure with plan files
  • Depends on the subagent's capabilities for actual LaTeX rendering
  • Does not handle highly custom or non-standard LaTeX packages
When to use it

When you need to produce a complete LaTeX document from a validated plan within a structured project.

When not to use it

For quick LaTeX snippets or documents without a predefined plan, where a direct approach is more efficient.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score90/100

The skill uses Bash, jq, sed, and file operations only within the project's specs directory for status updates and metadata management. It does not execute external downloads, destructive commands, or exfiltrate data. All actions are scoped to legitimate LaTeX implementation tasks.

No concerns found

Examples

Implement article from plan
I need to implement task 3: create the LaTeX article for the journal submission according to the plan in specs/003_journal_article/plans/implementation-001.md.
Generate thesis chapter
Please implement the LaTeX document for the thesis chapter described in task 7. Use the plan from specs/007_thesis_chapter/plans/.
Compile and commit report
Implement task 2: write the LaTeX report for the experiment results, then handle the compilation and git commit.

name: skill-latex-implementation description: Implement LaTeX documents following a plan. Invoke for LaTeX-language implementation tasks. allowed-tools: Task, Bash, Edit, Read, Write

Original context (now loaded by subagent):

- .claude/context/project/latex/README.md

- .claude/context/project/latex/standards/sn-article-requirements.md

- .claude/context/project/latex/standards/latex-style-guide.md

- .claude/context/project/latex/standards/document-structure.md

- .claude/context/project/latex/patterns/theorem-environments.md

- .claude/context/project/latex/patterns/cross-references.md

- .claude/context/project/latex/tools/compilation-guide.md

Original tools (now used by subagent):

- Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep

- Bash(pdflatex *, latexmk *, bibtex *, biber *)


LaTeX Implementation Skill

Thin wrapper that delegates LaTeX document implementation to latex-implementation-agent subagent.

IMPORTANT: This skill implements the skill-internal postflight pattern. After the subagent returns, this skill handles all postflight operations (status update, artifact linking, git commit) before returning. This eliminates the "continue" prompt issue between skill return and orchestrator.

Context References

Reference (do not load eagerly):

  • Path: .claude/context/core/formats/return-metadata-file.md - Metadata file schema
  • Path: .claude/context/core/patterns/postflight-control.md - Marker file protocol
  • Path: .claude/context/core/patterns/file-metadata-exchange.md - File I/O helpers
  • Path: .claude/context/core/patterns/jq-escaping-workarounds.md - jq escaping patterns (Issue #1132)

Note: This skill is a thin wrapper with internal postflight. Context is loaded by the delegated agent.

Trigger Conditions

This skill activates when:

  • Task language is "latex"
  • /implement command targets a LaTeX task
  • Documents, papers, or formatted output needs to be created

Execution

0. Preflight Status Update

Before delegating to the subagent, update task status to "implementing".

Reference: @.claude/context/core/patterns/inline-status-update.md

Update state.json:

jq --arg ts "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" \
   --arg status "implementing" \
   --arg sid "$session_id" \
  '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')) |= . + {
    status: $status,
    last_updated: $ts,
    session_id: $sid,
    started: $ts
  }' specs/state.json > /tmp/state.json && mv /tmp/state.json specs/state.json

Update TODO.md: Use Edit tool to change status marker from [PLANNED] to [IMPLEMENTING].

Update plan file (if exists): Update the Status field in plan metadata:

# Find latest plan file (use padded directory number)
padded_num=$(printf "%03d" "$task_number")
plan_file=$(ls -1 "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/plans/implementation-"*.md 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)
if [ -n "$plan_file" ] && [ -f "$plan_file" ]; then
    sed -i "s/^\- \*\*Status\*\*: \[.*\]$/- **Status**: [IMPLEMENTING]/" "$plan_file"
fi

Create Postflight Marker:

# Ensure task directory exists
mkdir -p "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}"

cat > "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.postflight-pending" << EOF
{
  "session_id": "${session_id}",
  "skill": "skill-latex-implementation",
  "task_number": ${task_number},
  "operation": "implement",
  "reason": "Postflight pending: status update, artifact linking, git commit",
  "created": "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)",
  "stop_hook_active": false
}
EOF

1. Input Validation

Validate required inputs:

  • task_number - Must be provided and exist in state.json
  • Task status must allow implementation (planned, implementing, partial)
# Lookup task
task_data=$(jq -r --arg num "$task_number" \
  '.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == ($num | tonumber))' \
  specs/state.json)

# Validate exists
if [ -z "$task_data" ]; then
  return error "Task $task_number not found"
fi

# Extract fields
language=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.language // "general"')
status=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.status')
project_name=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.project_name')
description=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.description // ""')

# Validate language
if [ "$language" != "latex" ]; then
  return error "Task $task_number is not a LaTeX task"
fi

# Validate status
if [ "$status" = "completed" ]; then
  return error "Task already completed"
fi

2. Context Preparation

Prepare delegation context:

{
  "session_id": "sess_{timestamp}_{random}",
  "delegation_depth": 1,
  "delegation_path": ["orchestrator", "implement", "skill-latex-implementation"],
  "timeout": 3600,
  "task_context": {
    "task_number": N,
    "task_name": "{project_name}",
    "description": "{description}",
    "language": "latex"
  },
  "plan_path": "specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/plans/implementation-{NNN}.md",
  "metadata_file_path": "specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/.return-meta.json"
}

3. Invoke Subagent

CRITICAL: You MUST use the Task tool to spawn the subagent.

The agent field in this skill's frontmatter specifies the target: latex-implementation-agent

Required Tool Invocation:

Tool: Task (NOT Skill)
Parameters:
  - subagent_type: "latex-implementation-agent"
  - prompt: [Include task_context, delegation_context, plan_path]
  - description: "Execute LaTeX implementation for task {N}"

DO NOT use Skill(latex-implementation-agent) - this will FAIL. Agents live in .claude/agents/, not .claude/skills/. The Skill tool can only invoke skills from .claude/skills/.

The subagent will:

  • Load LaTeX-specific context files (style guide, notation conventions, etc.)
  • Create/modify .tex files
  • Execute compilation loop (pdflatex/latexmk)
  • Handle bibliography processing (bibtex/biber)
  • Create implementation summary
  • Write metadata to specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/.return-meta.json
  • Return a brief text summary (NOT JSON)

3a. Validate Subagent Return Format

IMPORTANT: Check if subagent accidentally returned JSON to console (v1 pattern) instead of writing to file (v2 pattern).

If the subagent's text return parses as valid JSON, log a warning:

# Check if subagent return looks like JSON (starts with { and is valid JSON)
subagent_return="$SUBAGENT_TEXT_RETURN"
if echo "$subagent_return" | grep -q '^{' && echo "$subagent_return" | jq empty 2>/dev/null; then
    echo "WARNING: Subagent returned JSON to console instead of writing metadata file."
    echo "This indicates the agent may have outdated instructions (v1 pattern instead of v2)."
    echo "The skill will continue by reading the metadata file, but this should be fixed."
fi

This validation:

  • Does NOT fail the operation (continues to read metadata file)
  • Logs a warning for debugging
  • Indicates the subagent instructions need updating
  • Allows graceful handling of mixed v1/v2 agents

4. Parse Subagent Return (Read Metadata File)

After subagent returns, read the metadata file:

metadata_file="specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.return-meta.json"

if [ -f "$metadata_file" ] && jq empty "$metadata_file" 2>/dev/null; then
    status=$(jq -r '.status' "$metadata_file")
    artifact_path=$(jq -r '.artifacts[0].path // ""' "$metadata_file")
    artifact_type=$(jq -r '.artifacts[0].type // ""' "$metadata_file")
    artifact_summary=$(jq -r '.artifacts[0].summary // ""' "$metadata_file")
    phases_completed=$(jq -r '.metadata.phases_completed // 0' "$metadata_file")
    phases_total=$(jq -r '.metadata.phases_total // 0' "$metadata_file")

    # Extract completion_data fields (if present)
    completion_summary=$(jq -r '.completion_data.completion_summary // ""' "$metadata_file")
    roadmap_items=$(jq -c '.completion_data.roadmap_items // []' "$metadata_file")
else
    echo "Error: Invalid or missing metadata file"
    status="failed"
fi

Validate the metadata contains required fields:

  • Status is one of: implemented, partial, failed, blocked
  • Summary is non-empty and <100 tokens
  • Artifacts array present (source files, compiled PDF, summary)
  • Metadata contains session_id, agent_type, delegation info

5. Postflight Status Update

After implementation, update task status based on result.

Reference: @.claude/context/core/patterns/inline-status-update.md

If result.status == "implemented":

Update state.json to "completed" and add completion_data fields (two-step pattern for Issue #1132):

# Step 1: Update status and timestamps
jq --arg ts "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" \
   --arg status "completed" \
  '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')) |= . + {
    status: $status,
    last_updated: $ts,
    completed: $ts
  }' specs/state.json > /tmp/state.json && mv /tmp/state.json specs/state.json

# Step 2: Add completion_summary (always required for completed tasks)
if [ -n "$completion_summary" ]; then
    jq --arg summary "$completion_summary" \
      '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).completion_summary = $summary' \
      specs/state.json > /tmp/state.json && mv /tmp/state.json specs/state.json
fi

# Step 3: Add roadmap_items (if present and non-empty)
if [ "$roadmap_items" != "[]" ] && [ -n "$roadmap_items" ]; then
    jq --argjson items "$roadmap_items" \
      '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).roadmap_items = $items' \
      specs/state.json > /tmp/state.json && mv /tmp/state.json specs/state.json
fi

# Step 4: Filter out existing summary artifacts (use "| not" pattern to avoid != escaping - Issue #1132)
jq '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).artifacts =
    [(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).artifacts // [] | .[] | select(.type == "summary" | not)]' \
  specs/state.json > /tmp/state.json && mv /tmp/state.json specs/state.json

# Step 5: Add new summary artifact
jq --arg path "$artifact_path" \
  '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')).artifacts += [{"path": $path, "type": "summary"}]' \
  specs/state.json > /tmp/state.json && mv /tmp/state.json specs/state.json

Update TODO.md:

  • Change status marker from [IMPLEMENTING] to [COMPLETED]
  • Add summary artifact link: - **Summary**: [implementation-summary-{DATE}.md]({artifact_path})

Update plan file (if exists): Update the Status field to [COMPLETED] with verification:

plan_file=$(ls -1 "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/plans/implementation-"*.md 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)
if [ -n "$plan_file" ] && [ -f "$plan_file" ]; then
    # Try bullet pattern first, then non-bullet pattern
    sed -i 's/^\- \*\*Status\*\*: \[.*\]$/- **Status**: [COMPLETED]/' "$plan_file"
    sed -i 's/^\*\*Status\*\*: \[.*\]$/**Status**: [COMPLETED]/' "$plan_file"
    # Verify update
    if grep -qE '^\*\*Status\*\*: \[COMPLETED\]|^\- \*\*Status\*\*: \[COMPLETED\]' "$plan_file"; then
        echo "Plan file status updated to [COMPLETED]"
    else
        echo "WARNING: Could not verify plan file status update"
    fi
else
    echo "INFO: No plan file found to update (directory: specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/plans/)"
fi

If result.status == "partial":

Update state.json with resume point (keep status as "implementing"):

jq --arg ts "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" \
   --arg phase "$completed_phase" \
  '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == '$task_number')) |= . + {
    last_updated: $ts,
    resume_phase: ($phase | tonumber + 1)
  }' specs/state.json > /tmp/state.json && mv /tmp/state.json specs/state.json

TODO.md stays as [IMPLEMENTING].

Update plan file (if exists): Update the Status field to [PARTIAL] with verification:

plan_file=$(ls -1 "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/plans/implementation-"*.md 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)
if [ -n "$plan_file" ] && [ -f "$plan_file" ]; then
    # Try bullet pattern first, then non-bullet pattern
    sed -i 's/^\- \*\*Status\*\*: \[.*\]$/- **Status**: [PARTIAL]/' "$plan_file"
    sed -i 's/^\*\*Status\*\*: \[.*\]$/**Status**: [PARTIAL]/' "$plan_file"
    # Verify update
    if grep -qE '^\*\*Status\*\*: \[PARTIAL\]|^\- \*\*Status\*\*: \[PARTIAL\]' "$plan_file"; then
        echo "Plan file status updated to [PARTIAL]"
    else
        echo "WARNING: Could not verify plan file status update"
    fi
else
    echo "INFO: No plan file found to update (directory: specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/plans/)"
fi

On failed: Do NOT run postflight. Keep status as "implementing" for retry. Do not update plan file (leave as [IMPLEMENTING] for retry).

6. Git Commit

Commit changes with session ID:

git add -A
git commit -m "task ${task_number}: complete implementation

Session: ${session_id}

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>"

7. Cleanup

Remove marker and metadata files after postflight processing:

rm -f "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.postflight-pending"
rm -f "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.postflight-loop-guard"
rm -f "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.return-meta.json"

8. Return Brief Summary

Return a brief text summary (NOT JSON) describing the implementation results.


Return Format

This skill returns a brief text summary (NOT JSON). The JSON metadata is written to the file and processed internally.

Example successful return:

LaTeX implementation completed for task 334:
- All 4 phases executed, document compiles cleanly
- Created 42-page PDF at docs/logos-manual.pdf
- Created summary at specs/334_logos_docs/summaries/implementation-summary-20260118.md
- Status updated to [COMPLETED]
- Changes committed with session sess_1736700000_abc123

Example partial return:

LaTeX implementation partially completed for task 334:
- Phases 1-2 of 3 executed
- Phase 3 blocked: missing tikz-cd package
- Partial summary at specs/334_logos_docs/summaries/implementation-summary-20260118.md
- Status remains [IMPLEMENTING] - run /implement 334 to resume

Error Handling

Input Validation Errors

Return immediately with failed status if task not found, wrong language, or status invalid.

Subagent Errors

Pass through the subagent's error return verbatim.

Timeout

Return partial status if subagent times out (default 3600s).

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