Mathshow

Showing math in the terminal

The TUI renders GitHub-flavored markdown and cannot typeset LaTeX. Raw $...$ reaches the user as literal dollar signs and backslashes. Two presentation paths, chosen by the complexity of the expression.

Short inline expressions: Unicode glyphs

Write them directly in prose. No LaTeX, no mathshow call.

τ, β, α, λ, ε, μ, σ, π, Δ, Σ, ∫, √, ≤, ≥, ≠, ≈, ∈, ∉, ⊂, ∼, →, ⇒, ∀, ∃, ±, ∞, ⊥ Subscripts: ᵢ ⱼ ₜ ₀ ₁ ₙ ₖ — Superscripts: ⁰ ¹ ² ³ ⁿ ᵀ ′

So: Yᵢₜ = αᵢ + λₜ + βDᵢₜ + εᵢₜ, E[ΔY | D=1], p(X) ∈ (0,1), √n, X ⊥ D | Z.

Division stays inline as p(X)/(1−p(X)) when it is a simple ratio.

Genuine display math: call mathshow

Use it for anything Unicode degrades: stacked fractions, integrals with limits, multi-line aligned derivations, matrices, large operators with sub/superscripts, nested brackets.

Do both of these, in this order:

1. Emit the LaTeX in a fenced code block so it stays readable and copy-pasteable into Quarto or LaTeX.
2. Call mathshow with the same LaTeX so the typeset version appears in the viewer.

```latex
\tau_{dr} = E\big[(w_1 - w_0)(\Delta Y - m_0(X))\big]
```

mathshow '\tau_{dr} = E\big[(w_1 - w_0)(\Delta Y - m_0(X))\big]'

If mathshow is not on PATH, it is at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/mathshow.

Multi-line derivations use aligned (or a bare align; both work):

mathshow '\begin{aligned}
\tau_{ipw} &= E\left[\frac{D-p(X)}{\pi(1-p(X))}\Delta Y\right] \\
           &= E[\Delta Y \mid D=1] - E\left[\frac{p(X)}{1-p(X)}\Delta Y \;\middle|\; D=0\right]
\end{aligned}'

Mechanics

• Single-quote the argument so bash leaves backslashes alone; stdin also works (mathshow < file.tex).
• First call opens a kitty window titled mathshow; later calls reuse it and the equations accumulate in its scrollback. The window may open behind the active one — mention this the first time in a session.
• amsmath and amssymb are loaded. Colors track the kitty theme automatically.
• Renders are cached by content hash, so repeats are instant.
• It always exits 0. On a LaTeX error it prints the failing ! lines and the raw LaTeX to stderr — read them and fix the LaTeX rather than ignoring it.

Don't

• Don't emit bare LaTeX outside a code block — it renders as noise.
• Don't call mathshow for a lone symbol or simple ratio; Unicode is faster to read in context than a window switch.
• Don't batch a whole response's math into one call; one call per display equation keeps the viewer scannable.