tinyleaf 0.5.0

A lightweight, self-hosted Overleaf alternative — zero-dependency LaTeX web editor

tinyleaf

中文版 | Documentation | Brand assets

Tinyleaf is a tiny, local-first TeX editor that runs in your browser.

It is built for people who want an Overleaf-like editing experience without running a full Overleaf stack. Install one Python package, point it at a LaTeX project, and edit from a clean web UI with PDF preview, compile logs, Git tools, search, outline, and multi-tab editing.

pip install tinyleaf

# Open one project. Docker-based TeX Live compilation is enabled by default.
tinyleaf /path/to/my-thesis

# Or use a local TeX installation instead.
tinyleaf /path/to/my-thesis --no-docker

# Launch the project registry.
tinyleaf

Why Tinyleaf?

Tinyleaf sits between a local editor and a full collaborative LaTeX platform:

• Local-first — your projects stay on your filesystem
• Self-hosted — run it on your laptop, workstation, lab server, or VPS
• Small runtime — no database, no Node.js service, no Redis, no MongoDB
• Browser UI — CodeMirror editor, PDF preview, file tree, Git panel, and settings
• Flexible compilation — Dockerized TeX Live by default, or local latexmk with --no-docker
• Single-user focused — designed for individual writing workflows, not a multi-user SaaS clone

Features

Editing

• CodeMirror 6 editor with LaTeX syntax highlighting
• Multi-tab editing with quick open (Ctrl+P)
• Auto-pair \begin{...} / \end{...}
• Project-wide search
• LaTeX outline sidebar with recursive \input / \include support
• \ref{}, \cite{}, and \label{} autocomplete from project symbols

PDF and compilation

• PDF.js preview with live reload
• Page navigation, zoom controls, and text search
• Real-time compile logs over SSE
• Clickable file.tex:line entries in compile output
• SyncTeX forward/reverse search
• Word/page statistics via texcount
• Export project as ZIP

Projects and workflow

• Single-project mode: open any directory directly
• Multi-project registry stored at ~/.config/tinyleaf/projects.json
• File tree with create, upload, rename, delete, and search
• Git status, diff, commit, push, pull, and log from the UI
• 7 UI themes with light/dark mode
• English and Chinese UI

Installation

pip install tinyleaf

Tinyleaf has zero Python runtime dependencies beyond the standard library. The web editor assets are bundled with the package.

For compilation, choose one of:

Backend	Command	Requirements
Docker TeX Live	tinyleaf /path/to/project	Docker installed
Local TeX Live	tinyleaf /path/to/project --no-docker	latexmk available in PATH

Usage

usage: tinyleaf [-h] [-V] [--projects-dir DIR] [--config-dir DIR]
                [--docker | --no-docker] [--image IMAGE] [--port PORT]
                [--host HOST] [--no-browser]
                [project_path]

Common examples:

# Open a project and compile with Docker.
tinyleaf ~/papers/my-paper

# Use local latexmk instead of Docker.
tinyleaf ~/papers/my-paper --no-docker

# Bind to all interfaces on a server.
tinyleaf ~/papers/my-paper --host 0.0.0.0 --port 14159

# Start the multi-project registry view.
tinyleaf

Multi-project registry

When launched without a project_path, Tinyleaf opens a project registry. The registry maps project names to absolute paths anywhere on the filesystem.

From the project page you can:

• Open Folder — register an existing directory
• New Project — create a new project at a chosen location
• Remove — unregister a project, optionally deleting files
• Switch views — grid/list layout with persistent preferences

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+S	Save current file
Ctrl+Enter	Compile
Ctrl+P	Quick open
Ctrl+Shift+F	Project search
Ctrl+Shift+C	Git commit
Ctrl+Shift+P	Git push
Ctrl+/	Shortcut help

Docker Compose

For a simple containerized setup:

docker compose up

Tinyleaf starts at http://localhost:14159.

Tinyleaf vs. Overleaf CE

	Tinyleaf	Overleaf CE
Primary use case	Personal/local TeX editing	Multi-user collaborative platform
Install	pip install tinyleaf	Docker Compose stack
Runtime services	Python stdlib server	MongoDB, Redis, Node.js, CLSI, etc.
Project storage	Your filesystem	Application-managed storage
Compilation	Docker TeX Live or local latexmk	CLSI service
Git workflow	Built-in lightweight UI	Git Bridge
Collaboration	Single-user focused	Multi-user

Tinyleaf is not trying to replace the full Overleaf collaboration model. It is for writers who want a fast, self-hosted browser editor for their own TeX projects.

Documentation

• Documentation
• Brand assets
• Trademark and naming policy

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later