⚡ WebAssembly (Browser) 💻 Local Agent (Linux, macOS and Windows)

Compilation Engines in NeoLeaf

Understand the difference between compiling in the browser and the native local agent, and learn how to choose the best option for your project.

Checking for the local agent on this machine... Testing the local connection at 127.0.0.1:47474...

🎯 Comparison: WebAssembly vs. Local Agent

NeoLeaf was designed with a Client-First & Privacy by Design philosophy: unlike traditional platforms that send your papers to queues on remote servers, in NeoLeaf compilation happens right in the user's hands.

⚡ WebAssembly (Browser)

NeoLeaf default · No installation

100% in the browser: Compilation with TeX Live WebAssembly (texlive-wasm / BusyTeX) run by your device's processor.
Absolute privacy: No code, confidential text or research data is sent to the server for compilation.
Zero dependencies: Works in any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) on any operating system (Linux, macOS, Windows).
Fonts and packages on demand: Common packages and math fonts are downloaded and kept in the IndexedDB cache.

💻 Local Agent (neoleaf-agent)

Maximum speed · The machine's TeX Live / Tectonic

Native compilers: Uses the TeX Live, TinyTeX or Tectonic installed on your own machine (pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX).
Ultra fast for large projects: Ideal for large theses, books, dissertations and documents with advanced TikZ.
System fonts: Unrestricted access to TrueType/OpenType fonts installed on your operating system with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX.
Auto-install with tlmgr: If a package (.sty) is missing, the agent installs it automatically with the local TeX Live and recompiles.

Feature	⚡ WebAssembly (Browser)	💻 Local Agent (neoleaf-agent)
Where compilation runs	In the user's browser tab	Natively on the user's machine
Sends TeX code to the server?	Never (100% private)	Never (100% private)
Requires prior installation	None (open and use)	Yes (requires a local TeX Live or Tectonic)
Supported engines	pdfLaTeX (wasm)	pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX, Tectonic
Operating system fonts	Only bundled packages	Any font installed on the system
Automatic package installation	Download via web cache (.tar.gz)	Automatic via the local `tlmgr`
Operating systems	Any OS (Linux, Windows, Mac, mobile)	Linux (x86_64), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Windows 10/11

📦 Download and Install the Local Agent

The neoleaf-agent is a lightweight, secure executable written in Rust. It listens only on 127.0.0.1:47474, accepts only requests coming from NeoLeaf (https://neoleaf.science) and requires a one-time pairing code to authorize access.

Download neoleaf-agent for Linux (x86_64) (~2.5 MB)

Download for macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) · Download for Windows 10/11 (x86_64)

Quick install (one command)

Copy and paste into the terminal. The script downloads the agent, checks the SHA-256, installs it in ~/.local/bin and registers your user's service (no sudo). If the machine has no LaTeX, it offers to install TinyTeX.

curl -fsSL https://neoleaf.science/install.sh | sh

Linux x86_64 and macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), no sudo. On macOS the agent becomes a LaunchAgent of your user. The script checks the download's SHA-256. View the script

Windows (PowerShell)

irm https://neoleaf.science/install.ps1 | iex

Windows 10 or 11, no administrator. Installs in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\neoleaf-agent and starts with your session. The script checks the download's SHA-256. View the script

Prefer to download the file and install it by hand? Use the steps below.

Step 1: Install as a user service (systemd)

After downloading the file to your Downloads folder, open the terminal and run:

chmod +x neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 ./neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 install

The install command registers the agent with systemd --user to start automatically with your session and enables the tray icon (StatusNotifierItem / Tray). On macOS, the file is neoleaf-agent-macos-universal and the service is a LaunchAgent (no tray icon); prefer the one-line command above.

Step 2: Pairing in the Editor

Open your project in NeoLeaf. The 💻 Local (pdfLaTeX / XeLaTeX / LuaLaTeX / Tectonic) engine will appear in the compilation selector in the top bar. When you click to compile for the first time, the agent:

Copies the pairing code to the clipboard automatically (Ctrl+V);
Shows a notification on your operating system's desktop;
All you need to do is paste the code into the browser's confirmation dialog (only once).

Useful Agent Commands

# Generate a pairing code (valid for 5 minutes and can be used only once) ./neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 code # List the paired browsers and revoke access for one of them (or all) ./neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 devices ./neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 revoke # List the compilers found on your machine ./neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 engines # Install TinyTeX (lean LaTeX, for your user only) if the machine has no compiler ./neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 install-tinytex # Update the agent (downloads the version published on the site, checks the SHA-256 and restarts the service) neoleaf-agent update # Choose: notify about updates (default), update automatically or do not check neoleaf-agent auto-update notify|on|off # Show the version, whether the service is installed and whether it is running neoleaf-agent status # Uninstall and remove the system service ./neoleaf-agent-linux-x86_64 uninstall

🔒 Local Agent Security

Localhost only: The agent listens only on 127.0.0.1:47474 and does not accept external network connections.
Restricted CORS: Requests are accepted only from the validated origin https://neoleaf.science.
Compilation sandbox: Compilation runs without the unsafe --shell-escape option and inside an isolated directory at ~/.cache/neoleaf-agent/work/.
Restricted permissions: The pairing token is saved in ~/.config/neoleaf-agent/config.json with 0600 permissions (readable only by your user).