olcli

What is olcli?

olcli is an open-source command-line tool for working with Overleaf projects from your own terminal and editor. You list your projects, pull one to a local folder, edit the LaTeX in Vim, VS Code or Emacs, then push or sync changes back and compile the PDF with Overleaf's remote compiler. It can diff local files against the live project, produce a marked-up latexdiff PDF for advisors and journals, and manage review comments. Overleaf can also be used as a native git remote, and self-hosted Overleaf or ShareLaTeX instances work with password login. An MCP server lets AI assistants drive the same operations, and an AgentSkills package is available for agents. olcli is published on npm as @aloth/olcli, installs through npm or Homebrew, and is free under the MIT license. It authenticates with a session cookie or email and password.

Use cases

• Edit Overleaf LaTeX in your own editor
• Sync Overleaf projects with Git
• Compile LaTeX to PDF from the terminal
• Generate marked-up revision PDFs with latexdiff
• Automate paper builds in CI pipelines
• Let AI assistants edit Overleaf projects
• Download compile artifacts for arXiv submission

Who it's for

• Researchers
• Academic writers
• Graduate students
• LaTeX users

Why use olcli

• Lets you write LaTeX in the editor you already use while keeping Overleaf's compiler and collaborators.
• Works with plain git commands through the remote helper, so version history lives in your usual workflow.
• Fits scripts and CI jobs, which helps automate paper builds and checks.
• Produces revision PDFs with changes marked, a common request from advisors and journals.
• Gives AI assistants a defined MCP interface instead of ad hoc browser automation.

olcli features

• List, create and rename Overleaf projects
• Pull and push project files to a local folder
• Bidirectional sync with conflict detection
• Diff local files against the live remote
• Marked-up revisions through diff with latexdiff
• Git remote helper for Overleaf projects
• Remote PDF compilation with specific main files
• Download of .bbl, .log and .aux artifacts
• Review comments: list, add, resolve, reopen and reply
• Smart ignore of build artifacts with .olignore
• Self-hosted Overleaf and ShareLaTeX support
• MCP server for AI assistants

olcli integrations

• Overleaf
• ShareLaTeX
• Git
• Homebrew
• npm
• Model Context Protocol
• AgentSkills

How to get started with olcli

1. Install with npm install -g @aloth/olcli or the Homebrew tap, or run it with npx.
2. Authenticate with olcli auth using your Overleaf session cookie, or email and password on self-hosted servers.
3. Run olcli list, then olcli pull to download a project into a local folder.
4. Edit the files locally, then use olcli push or olcli sync to send changes back to Overleaf.
5. Run olcli pdf to compile with Overleaf's remote compiler and download the PDF.

olcli limitations

• Requires an existing Overleaf account or self-hosted instance
• Authentication uses a session cookie, or email and password for self-hosted without reCAPTCHA
• Compilation depends on Overleaf's remote compiler

olcli pricing

olcli is open source, so you can use and self-host it for free.

Prices can change and may vary by country or exclude tax. Check the official pricing page.

olcli alternatives

The main olcli alternatives listed on Debuly are Phrase, CAJAL, Documentation.AI, Jenni, Theneo and CiteMe. The table compares pricing and platforms; order is A–Z.

1. CA

   CAJAL

   Open-source local scientific paper generator that drafts academic papers offline and has AI judges review them.

   WritingResearch and searchDeveloper platforms
   Open sourceVisit CAJAL (official site)
2. 

   CiteMe

   Citation generator that pulls real metadata from academic databases and formats it in 10,000+ styles, with a free plan.

   WritingResearch and searchProductivity
   FreemiumVisit CiteMe (official site)
3. 

   Documentation.AI

   AI documentation platform with a writing agent, auto-updating docs, a reader assistant and an MCP server.

   WritingDeveloper platformsCoding
   FreemiumVisit Documentation.AI (official site)
4. 

   Jenni

   AI academic writing workspace with autocomplete, chat, a source library and citations in one editor for papers and essays.

   WritingResearch and searchProductivity
   FreemiumVisit Jenni (official site)
5. 

   Phrase

   Localization platform with translation management, software localization, AI machine translation and workflow automation for enterprise teams.

   WritingDeveloper platformsAutomation and agents
   Contact salesVisit Phrase (official site)
6. 

   Theneo

   AI API documentation platform that builds references and developer portals from OpenAPI, Postman and GraphQL specs.

   WritingCodingDeveloper platforms
   FreemiumVisit Theneo (official site)

olcli FAQ

Sources & verification

Facts on this page come from the official sources below, each with the date we read it. Written by Debuly; the vendor did not review this page.

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