Lampo ⚡

LaTeX, now in real time.

Lampo is a tiny local CLI that shows your LaTeX PDF in a browser and updates it automatically whenever you save. Keep your favorite editor or coding agent, see every change, and export the finished PDF when you're ready.

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Get started

You need a LaTeX installation with latexmk and pdflatex (MacTeX, TeX Live, TinyTeX, or MiKTeX).

npm install -g @amxv/lampo
cd path/to/your/latex-project
lampo

Lampo opens your browser to a local live preview. Edit a .tex file and save to see it update, without refreshing. Click Export PDF to download it with your chosen filename.

Why Lampo?

• Live previews: Changes to source files, chapters, and figures appear automatically.
• Any editor: Works alongside your editor, terminal, or coding agent.
• Sharp at any size: Instant resizing and crisp PDF text, even in split-screen.
• Multiple documents: Switch between standalone .tex files in one tab, with cached previews.
• Built to be reliable: See compilation errors while keeping the last good PDF visible.
• Local-first: Your files never leave your machine. No accounts, uploads, or subscriptions.

A few useful commands

lampo                       # Preview the current folder
lampo myfile.tex             # Start on a particular document
lampo --port 3030            # Keep the same local URL
lampo --no-open              # Print the URL without opening a tab
lampo --engine xelatex       # Use XeLaTeX (or lualatex)

Lampo is a native Go binary with a bundled browser UI, built for macOS, Linux, and Windows. No separate web server or frontend runtime is needed. See the guides for everyday use or the CLI reference for more options.

Contributing

Requires Go 1.26+ to build from source:

make check
make build

PRs and issues are welcome. See CONTRIBUTORS.md for project conventions.

Apache-2.0 · Built with Go, fsnotify, and Mozilla PDF.js.