Auto Math

📐 Auto Math for Obsidian

✍️ Write equations at the speed of thought — automatic LaTeX snippet expansion for Obsidian.

Auto Math automatically expands LaTeX-style math snippets while you type in Obsidian.
It's like a mini LaTeX auto-completion engine — lightweight, fast, and entirely local.

✨ Features

• 🔹 Instant snippet expansion – type \frac, \sqrt, \sum, etc., and get ready-to-edit templates.

• 🔹 Smart Limits – optional context‑aware behaviour for ∫ (disabled by default):

  • $…$ → compact form (\int_{}^{})
  • $$…$$ → display form with limits (\int\limits_{}^{})

• 🔹 Multiline templates – environments like \align expand across multiple lines with proper formatting.

• 🔹 Custom rule file – your additions and overrides live in .obsidian/plugins/auto-math/rules.json (user-editable), layered on top of the built-in pack — you only need to list what you've changed, not the whole pack.

• 🔹 Live reload – changes in the rules file are applied immediately, no restart required.

• 🔹 Built-in math pack – includes 48 essential LaTeX commands.

• 🔹 Custom Rules Editor – edit triggers and expansions directly inside Obsidian settings.

• 🔹 Toggle anytime – quickly enable or disable with the ribbon icon or command palette.

🆚 How Auto Math Differs from Other Plugins

There are several LaTeX-related plugins available for Obsidian. Here's how Auto Math compares:

Why choose Auto Math?

1. No new shortcuts to learn — Triggers are standard LaTeX commands (\frac, \sqrt, \int). If you know LaTeX, you already know how to use Auto Math. Perfect for beginners learning LaTeX.

2. Simplicity — Does one thing well: expand triggers instantly. No menus, no popups, no complex configuration.

3. Predictability — Every trigger expands exactly the same way, every time. No magic, no surprises.

4. Flexibility — All rules are stored in a simple JSON file. Edit it directly or use the built-in settings editor.

5. Lightweight — Zero dependencies, minimal footprint, works entirely offline.

Best for: Users who want fast, predictable LaTeX snippet expansion without learning new shortcuts or dealing with complex configuration.

For detailed documentation, tutorials, and examples, visit the Auto Math Wiki.

🧮 Default Rule Pack

Auto Math v0.2.9 comes preloaded with 48 essential triggers:

Basic Commands

Sums, Integrals & Limits

Logarithms

LaTeX Environments

⚙️ Installation

Manual

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page.

2. Extract the folder auto-math into your vault under:

   .obsidian/plugins/auto-math/
   

3. Enable Auto Math in Settings → Community Plugins → Installed plugins.

4. That's it — start typing \frac, \sqrt, \sum and watch them expand automatically!

🧰 Configuration

Open Settings → Auto Math to customise:

• Enabled – toggle Auto Math on/off.

• Rules file path – defaults to .obsidian/plugins/auto-math/rules.json.

• Smart Limits – context‑aware expansions for ∫ (disabled by default, enable in settings if needed).

• Reload / Create / Open – reload or open your external rules file.

• Debug logs – show extra information in the developer console.

• Custom Rules Editor – "Your rules" lists only your own additions/overrides on top of the built-in pack (badged as Custom or Modified built-in). Give a rule the same trigger as a built-in to override it.

• Save rules to file – writes your overlay (not the whole pack) to the JSON file immediately.

• Copy your rules as JSON – copies just your overlay to the clipboard, for backup or moving to another vault.

• Reset to default math pack – clears all customisations, back to a clean install.

📐 Multiline Maths Mode

Auto Math now supports Smart Limits in multiline $$...$$ blocks.

Example:

$$
\int x dx  ← expands to \int\limits_{}^{}
$$

The plugin automatically scans neighbouring lines (up to 50 by default) to detect display maths context.

Technical note: The scan depth can be adjusted by modifying maxScanLines in the plugin settings file (default: 50 lines). This is stored in .obsidian/plugins/auto-math/data.json.

LaTeX Environments

Auto Math includes snippets for common LaTeX environments. These automatically expand into multiline blocks with proper formatting.

Example Usage

Input:

$$
\align
$$

Expands to:

$$
\begin{align}
| ← cursor here
\end{align}
$$

Then you can write your equations with \\ for line breaks:

$$
\begin{align}
x + y &= 5 \\
x &= 5 - y
\end{align}
$$

Result: $$ \begin{align} x + y &= 5 \ x &= 5 - y \end{align} $$

💡 Customisation Example

rules.json is an overlay on top of the built-in pack, not a full replacement — list only what you want to add or change, and every built-in trigger you didn't mention stays active as-is (including any added in a later update).

[
  { "trigger": "\\ceil", "expand": "\\left\\lceil{}\\right\\rceil" },
  { "trigger": "\\floor", "expand": "\\left\\lfloor{}\\right\\rfloor" },
  { "trigger": "\\bmatrix", "expand": "\\begin{bmatrix}\n & \\\\\n\\end{bmatrix}" }
]

The \bmatrix entry above overrides the built-in template (same trigger, different expansion). Adding a new trigger like \ceil just extends the pack.

Then click Reload rules now — your changes are active instantly.

🪶 Notes

• The plugin works fully offline and doesn't require any external dependencies.

• Uses plain JSON and Obsidian's own vault API.

• Safe to edit while running — changes are detected automatically.

Documentation

For more details, tips, and extended explanations, check the project Wiki: https://github.com/loglux/auto-math-for-obsidian/wiki

🧑‍💻 Credits

Released under the MIT licence.