Overleaf

Overleaf Git Sync

Sync a local clone of an Overleaf project. Overleaf is the Git remote (not GitHub).

$ARGUMENTS determines the mode.

Guard

Before anything, verify this is a git repository:

git rev-parse --show-toplevel

If this fails, report: "Not a git repository. Navigate to your local Overleaf project folder first." and stop.

Mode: pull

Parse $ARGUMENTS — if the first word is pull:

1. Check for uncommitted changes:

   git status --porcelain
   

2. If output is non-empty, stash first:

   git stash
   

3. Pull with rebase (avoids merge commits that Overleaf can't display well):

   git pull --rebase
   

   Use a 30-second timeout on this command. If it hangs, report: "Pull timed out — your Overleaf Git authentication token may have expired. Re-generate it at overleaf.com > Account > Git Integration."
4. If changes were stashed in step 2, pop the stash:

   git stash pop
   

   If the pop fails (conflict), report the conflict and stop. The user must resolve manually.
5. Report what was pulled (files updated, already up to date, etc.).

Mode: push

Parse $ARGUMENTS — if the first word is push:

1. Check for changes:

   git status
   

   If the working tree is clean and there is nothing to commit, report "Nothing to push — working tree is clean." and stop.

2. Summarize what will be pushed:

   git diff --stat
   

3. Determine commit message:

   • If the user provided text after push (e.g., /overleaf push revised intro), use that text as the commit message.
   • Otherwise, auto-generate a brief message from the diff stat. Examples: "Update intro and bibliography", "Revise section 3", "Add new figures".

4. Stage all changes. NOTE: git add -A is intentional here — Overleaf repos contain only LaTeX project files (no secrets, no node_modules). This overrides the global preference for specific file staging.

   git add -A
   

5. Commit with the message:

   git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
   <commit message here>
   EOF
   )"
   

6. Push to Overleaf. Use a 30-second timeout to catch authentication hangs:

   git push
   

   • On success: report "Pushed to Overleaf successfully." with a summary of what was committed.
   • On rejection (remote has newer commits): automatically pull and retry:

     git pull --rebase
     git push
     

     If the retry succeeds, report success. If it fails again, report the error and stop.
   • On timeout: report "Push timed out — your Overleaf Git authentication token may have expired. Your changes are committed locally. Re-generate your token at overleaf.com > Account > Git Integration, then run /overleaf push again."
   • On other failure: report "Push failed — changes are committed locally but not pushed. Check the error above and retry with /overleaf push."

No argument or unrecognized

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or does not start with pull or push, show:

Usage:
  /overleaf pull              — Pull latest from Overleaf
  /overleaf push [message]    — Stage, commit, and push to Overleaf

Important

• Do NOT warn about committing to master. Overleaf uses a single master branch — this is normal.
• Do NOT create branches, remotes, or new repos.
• Do NOT assume GitHub is involved. The remote is Overleaf's Git server.