I was three months from my thesis deadline writing maybe 200–300 words of actual content per day in LaTeX. Not because I didn't know what to write — I had notes, outlines, and research. The words just weren't making it onto the page fast enough.
One evening I timed myself. In a 60-minute writing session, here's where the time actually went:
- 22 minutes: Writing actual text
- 19 minutes: Debugging compile errors
- 12 minutes: Looking up math syntax
- 7 minutes: Managing bibliography entries
That's 38 minutes — more than half my session — fighting with LaTeX tooling. I wasn't slow at writing. I was slow at everything around writing.
The compile error trap
Every LaTeX writer knows the loop: write something, compile, get an error, open the log, stare at 200 lines of output, find the relevant line, understand what it means, fix it, compile again.
The log output for a missing package looks like this:
! LaTeX Error: File `algorithm2e.sty' not found.
Type X to quit or <RETURN> to continue,
or enter new name. (Default extension: sty)
Enter file name:
If you're experienced, you immediately know: install the package, add \usepackage{algorithm2e}. If you're mid-thesis and context-switching constantly, it takes a minute to even process what the error is saying.
Now multiply that by every session for months.
Finding TeX64
I came across TeX64 through a GitHub discussion thread about local-first LaTeX editors for macOS. It's a Mac-native LaTeX editor with something called Axiom — an AI assistant that reads your entire project (all .tex files, your compile logs, your .bib file) before responding.
The "reads your compile log" part caught my attention.
I downloaded it, opened my thesis project, and tried to trigger an error on purpose by removing a \usepackage line. Compiled. Axiom showed up with the error explanation and a diff showing exactly what to add back. I clicked apply.
That was... it. No log-reading, no searching, no manual edit.
I've been using it for a few months now, and here's what's actually changed.
What Axiom does that generic AI can't
When I paste a LaTeX error into ChatGPT, I get a reasonable but generic answer. "This usually means the package is missing — try adding \usepackage{bm} to your preamble."
Axiom knows my preamble. It knows what packages I'm already using, which files are included via \input{}, what my bibliography file is called, and what the root file is. So when it answers, it's answering about my specific project, not a hypothetical one.
The diff system is also important. Axiom shows you exactly what change it wants to make before touching anything. You can read the diff, decide whether it looks right, and either apply it or tell Axiom to try something else. Your files never change silently.
Equation input without syntax lookup
TeX64 has a visual math palette — click symbols to build equations and see them rendered in real time. I know some LaTeX writers find palettes patronizing, but for me the issue was always the less common environments.
I know \frac{}{} and \sum by heart. But \begin{cases} vs \begin{array} for piecewise functions? The exact syntax for \underbrace? Whether it's \mathbf or \boldsymbol for vectors in a particular context? Those I had to look up every time.
The palette handles all of those. And the rendered preview means I can see the output immediately rather than compiling just to check whether a symbol looks right.
The other thing — OCR. You can paste a screenshot of handwritten notes or a printed equation from a PDF, and TeX64 converts it to LaTeX. I started photographing whiteboard derivations from my advisor's office and pasting them directly into my thesis. That workflow alone has probably saved me a few hours total.
Bibliography management that doesn't break flow
My old reference workflow: find the paper on Google Scholar, click "Cite", select BibTeX, copy the entry, switch to my .bib file, paste, fix any formatting issues, switch back, write \cite{key}, compile to verify.
That's not terrible, but it pulls you completely out of writing mode. You're context-switching to a search engine, a citation manager, a text file, and back.
With Axiom, I describe what I want to cite and it searches arXiv. I pick from the results and it adds the BibTeX entry to my .bib file. The whole thing happens inside the editor without a browser tab.
The local-first part matters more than I expected
TeX64 is local-first — everything runs on your Mac. I use an M2 MacBook Air and my 140-page thesis compiles in about 9 seconds. No waiting for a server.
I was on Overleaf before, and the compile waits weren't terrible — but they existed. There's a kind of cognitive tax to submitting a compile and waiting for a response. When the compile is instant and local, you iterate more freely.
TeX64 also works completely offline for editing and compiling. Only the AI (Axiom) and OCR features need internet. For a researcher who sometimes works on planes or in places with flaky wifi, that matters.
Being honest about the limitations
- macOS only. If you're on Windows or Linux, this isn't for you.
- You still need MacTeX or TeX Live installed separately. TeX64 is an editor, not a TeX distribution. (It does detect if you're missing one and walks you through installation.)
- No real-time collaboration. If you need multiple people editing the same document simultaneously, Overleaf still wins on that front.
- Heavy AI/OCR usage requires a paid plan. The free tier is reasonable for getting started, but if you're relying on Axiom constantly, you'll want to look at the paid tiers.
Would I recommend switching?
If you're writing a long-form LaTeX document on a Mac and you're spending more time on tooling than on content, yes — try it. The friction reduction is real.
The core insight from my timing exercise was that my writing problem wasn't a writing problem. It was an environment problem. Fixing the environment didn't make me a better writer, but it cleared enough space that the writing could actually happen.
You can download TeX64 at tex64.com. Free to start, no account needed.
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