Content
**Explore the demo paper’s supporting assets in the [/demo](/demo/) folder.**
<div align="center">
<a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/paperdebugger/dfkedikhakpapbfcnbpmfhpklndgiaog" target="_blank"><img src="https://img.shields.io/chrome-web-store/users/dfkedikhakpapbfcnbpmfhpklndgiaog?label=Users" alt="Chrome Web Store Users"/></a>
<a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/paperdebugger/dfkedikhakpapbfcnbpmfhpklndgiaog" target="_blank"><img src="https://img.shields.io/chrome-web-store/v/dfkedikhakpapbfcnbpmfhpklndgiaog?label=Chrome%20Web%20Store&logo=google-chrome&logoColor=white" alt="Chrome Web Store Version"/></a>
<a href="https://github.com/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger/releases" target="_blank"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger?label=Latest%20Release" alt="GitHub Release"/></a>
<a href="https://github.com/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger/actions/workflows/release.yml" target="_blank"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger/build.yml?branch=main" alt="Build Status"/></a>
<a href="https://github.com/PaperDebugger/PaperDebugger?tab=AGPL-3.0-1-ov-file"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/license/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger" alt="License"/></a>
</div>
**PaperDebugger** is an AI-powered academic writing assistant that helps researchers debug and improve their LaTeX papers with intelligent suggestions and seamless Overleaf integration.
<div align="center">
<a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/paperdebugger/dfkedikhakpapbfcnbpmfhpklndgiaog" target="_blank"><strong>🚀 Install from Chrome Web Store</strong></a> • <a href="https://github.com/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger/releases/latest" target="_blank"><strong>📦 Download Latest Release</strong></a>
</div>
<div align="center">
<img src="docs/imgs/preview2.png" width="46%" style="margin: 0 1.5%;"/>
<img src="docs/imgs/preview3.png" width="46%" style="margin: 0 1.5%;"/>
<img src="docs/imgs/preview1.png" width="100%" style="margin: 0 1.5%; border-radius: 0.5rem;"/>
</div>
## 📋 Table of Contents
- [📋 Table of Contents](#-table-of-contents)
- [✨ Features](#-features)
- [🎯 Quick Start](#-quick-start)
- [For Users](#for-users)
- [Custom Endpoint Configuration](#custom-endpoint-configuration)
- [🏗️ Architecture Overview](#️-architecture-overview)
- [🛠️ Development Setup](#️-development-setup)
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- [System Requirements](#system-requirements)
- [Development Tools](#development-tools)
- [Quick Installation (macOS/Linux with Homebrew)](#quick-installation-macoslinux-with-homebrew)
- [Backend Build](#backend-build)
- [1. Clone the Repository](#1-clone-the-repository)
- [2. Start MongoDB](#2-start-mongodb)
- [3. Environment Configuration](#3-environment-configuration)
- [4. Build and Run](#4-build-and-run)
- [Frontend Extension Build](#frontend-extension-build)
- [Chrome Extension Development](#chrome-extension-development)
- [Installing the Development Extension](#installing-the-development-extension)
## ✨ Features
PaperDebugger never modifies your project, it only reads and provides suggestions.
- **🤖 AI-Powered Chat**: Intelligent conversations about your Overleaf project
- **⚡ Instant Insert**: One-click insertion of AI responses into your project
- **💬 Comment System**: Automatically generate and insert comments into your project
- **📚 Prompt Library**: Custom prompt templates for different use cases
- **🔒 Privacy First**: Your content stays secure - we only read, never modify
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/6c20924d-1eb6-44d5-95b0-207bd08b718b
## 🎯 Quick Start
### For Users
1. **Install the Extension**
- [Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/paperdebugger/dfkedikhakpapbfcnbpmfhpklndgiaog) (Recommended)
- [Latest Release](https://github.com/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger/releases/latest) (Manual Install)
2. **Manual Installation**
- Download the latest release
- Open Chrome and go to `chrome://extensions/`
- Enable "Developer mode"
- Click "Load unpacked" or drag the extension file
3. **Start Using**
- Open any Overleaf project
- Click the PaperDebugger icon
- Begin chatting with your LaTeX assistant!
### Custom Endpoint Configuration
If you want to use a **self-hosted** PaperDebugger backend, you can configure a custom endpoint. **Note**: You need to handle HTTPS serving yourself, as Chrome blocks HTTP requests from HTTPS websites for security reasons.
**Steps:**
1. Open the PaperDebugger extension
2. Go to Settings, click the version number 5 times to enable "Developer Tools" (a.)
3. Enter your backend URL in the "Backend Endpoint" field (b.)
4. Refresh the page
If you encounter endpoint errors after refresh, use the "Advanced Options" at the bottom of the login page to reconfigure.
<div align="center">
<img src="docs/imgs/custom endpoint.png" alt="Custom Endpoint Configuration" style="max-width: 600px; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);"/>
</div>
## 🏗️ Architecture Overview
The PaperDebugger backend is built with modern technologies:
<div align="center">
<img src="docs/imgs/stacks.png" style="max-height: 200px;" />
</div>
- **Language**: Go 1.24+
- **Framework**: Gin (HTTP) + gRPC (API)
- **Database**: MongoDB
- **AI Integration**: OpenAI API
- **Architecture**: Microservices with Protocol Buffers
- **Authentication**: JWT-based with OAuth support
## 🛠️ Development Setup
### Prerequisites
#### System Requirements
- **Go**: 1.24 or higher
- **Node.js**: LTS version (for frontend build)
- **MongoDB**: 4.4 or higher
- **Git**: For cloning the repository
#### Development Tools
- **Buf**: Protocol Buffer compiler
- **Wire**: Dependency injection code generator
- **Make**: Build automation
#### Quick Installation (macOS/Linux with Homebrew)
```bash
# Install Go
brew install go
# Install Buf (required for Protocol Buffers)
brew install bufbuild/buf/buf
# Install Node.js
brew install node
```
### Backend Build
#### 1. Clone the Repository
```bash
git clone https://github.com/PaperDebugger/paperdebugger.git
cd paperdebugger
```
#### 2. Start MongoDB
```bash
# Using Docker (recommended)
docker run -d --name mongodb -p 27017:27017 mongo:latest
```
#### 3. Environment Configuration
```bash
cp .env.example .env
# Edit the .env file based on your configuration
```
#### 4. Build and Run
```bash
# Build the backend
make build
# Run the backend server
./dist/pd.exe
```
The server will start on `http://localhost:6060`.
<div align="center">
<img src="docs/imgs/run.png" alt="Backend Server Running" style="max-width: 600px; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);"/>
</div>
### Frontend Extension Build
#### Chrome Extension Development
```bash
cd webapp/_webapp
# Install frontend dependencies
npm install
# Build for production (connects to production server)
npm run build:prd:chrome
# Package the extension
cd dist
zip -r paperdebugger-extension.zip *
```
#### Installing the Development Extension
1. Open Chrome and navigate to `chrome://extensions/`
2. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right)
3. Click "Load unpacked" and select the `webapp/_webapp/dist` directory
- Or drag the `paperdebugger-extension.zip` file into the extensions page
