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FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

General

What is MergDown2TeX?

MergDown2TeX is an Obsidian plugin that converts Obsidian notes to LaTeX documents. It merges everything — embeds, citations, Mermaid diagrams, equations, cross-references — into a single .tex file.

Is it free?

Yes! MergDown2TeX is free for personal, academic, and community use. Commercial use requires author authorization.

Does it work with Obsidian sync?

Yes! MergDown2TeX works with Obsidian sync. The generated .tex files are synced like any other file.

Installation

Do I need to install anything?

  • For conversion: No (WASM engine runs in Obsidian)
  • For PDF/DOCX compilation: Yes (TeX Live + Podman/Docker)

How do I install the plugin?

  1. Download main.js, manifest.json, vlatex_bg.wasm from Releases
  2. Copy to .obsidian/plugins/mergdown2tex/
  3. Enable in Settings → Community Plugins

Why 3 files?

  • main.js - Plugin code + WASM bindings (merged)
  • manifest.json - Obsidian metadata
  • vlatex_bg.wasm - Rust converter engine

Usage

How do I convert a note?

  1. Open any note
  2. Run command: MergDown2TeX: Convertir la note active en LaTeX (.tex)
  3. .tex file appears in same folder

How do I compile to PDF?

  1. Open any note
  2. Run command: MergDown2TeX: Convertir et compiler en PDF
  3. PDF file appears in same folder

How do I compile to DOCX?

  1. Open any note
  2. Run command: MergDown2TeX: Convertir et compiler en DOCX (Word)
  3. DOCX file appears in same folder

Features

Yes! [[Note]] is converted to \hyperref[...]{}.

Does it support embeds?

Yes! ![[Note]] is recursively expanded.

Does it support citations?

Yes! @citation is converted to \citep{} with bidirectional arrows.

Does it support Mermaid diagrams?

Yes! ```mermaid `` is rendered to PNG images.

Does it support equations?

Yes! $math$ and $$math$$ are converted to LaTeX equations.

Compilation

Do I need TeX Live?

Yes, for PDF compilation. You can install it via the included Dockerfile.

Do I need Pandoc?

Yes, for DOCX compilation. It's included in the Dockerfile.

How do I build the container?

podman build -t mergdown2tex-env -f Dockerfile .

How long does compilation take?

  • Markdown → LaTeX: 0.24s
  • LaTeX → PDF: 30-60s
  • LaTeX → DOCX: 5-10s

Troubleshooting

Plugin not appearing?

  • Check all 3 files are in the same folder
  • Verify folder name matches manifest.json
  • Restart Obsidian

WASM not loading?

  • Check vlatex_bg.wasm file size (~2.1 MB)
  • Re-download if corrupted
  • Check Obsidian console for errors

Compilation failed?

  • Check Podman/Docker is installed
  • Verify container is built
  • Check timeout settings

Support

Where can I get help?

How do I report a bug?

  1. Go to GitHub Issues
  2. Click "New issue"
  3. Provide:
  4. Obsidian version
  5. MergDown2TeX version
  6. Error message
  7. Console logs
  8. Document content

Next steps