Autonomous AI Editing for Multi-File LaTeX Projects
Date Published
The Multi-File Challenge
Real research projects aren't single files. They're complex structures with:
• Main document
• Chapter files
• Custom packages (.sty)
• Bibliography files (.bib)
• Figures folder
• Tables
• Appendices
Traditional AI tools see only what's in front of them. That's a problem.
Why Context Matters
Scenario: You use a custom command \mytheorem defined in preamble.tex
Limited AI (seeing only main.tex): "Unknown command \mytheorem. Did you mean \theorem?"
Context-aware AI (seeing your whole project): "\mytheorem is defined in preamble.tex as a new theorem environment. No issues found."
How Octree Handles Multi-File Projects
1. Project-Wide Awareness
When you open a project, Octree indexes:
• All .tex files
• Your .bib bibliography
• Custom .sty files
• Image assets
This context is available to the AI for every request.
2. Cross-File Editing
Example request: "Find all citations of Smith2023 and change to Smith2024"
Result: AI finds citations across all chapter files and proposes changes for each, with a single-click batch apply.
3. Dependency Understanding
AI knows that:
• \input{chapters/intro} means changes in intro.tex affect main.tex
• \bibliographystyle{} affects how \cite{} renders
• Custom commands in preamble.tex work everywhere
4. Smart Suggestions
When you're in chapter3.tex, AI suggestions consider:
• Commands defined in preamble.tex
• Labels from other chapters (for cross-references)
• Your bibliography entries
• Project-wide style choices
Autonomous Editing in Action
Scenario 1: Global Search and Replace
Request: "Change all \textit to \emph throughout the project"
What happens: 1. AI scans all .tex files 2. Identifies every \textit instance 3. Shows you a preview of all changes 4. One click to apply all
Scenario 2: Bibliography Synchronization
Request: "Ensure all citations exist in my bibliography"
What happens: 1. AI extracts all \cite{} keys from every file 2. Compares with references.bib 3. Lists missing entries 4. Offers to look up DOIs and add missing entries
Scenario 3: Label Management
Request: "Show me all unused labels"
What happens: 1. AI finds all \label{} definitions 2. Finds all \ref{} and \eqref{} uses 3. Shows which labels are never referenced 4. Offers to clean up unused labels
Scenario 4: Style Consistency
Request: "Make all figure captions sentence case"
What happens: 1. AI finds all \caption{} commands 2. Identifies capitalization patterns 3. Proposes sentence case versions 4. Batch apply with one click
The Difference in Practice
Without multi-file awareness:
• Edit one file at a time
• Manually track cross-file dependencies
• Miss errors until compilation
• Tedious search across files
With Octree's multi-file AI:
• Edit across your entire project
• AI understands the full picture
• Catch issues before compilation
• Batch operations save hours
Real Productivity Gains
A PhD thesis typically has:
• 10+ chapter files
• 500+ cross-references
• 200+ citations
• Dozens of custom commands
Managing this manually: Hours of tedious work per edit session
With autonomous AI: Minutes, regardless of project size
Your thesis deserves smarter tools. Try Octree at https://useoctree.com and experience AI that understands your entire project, not just one file at a time.