Aldine

# [Aldine](https://aldine.dev) **Write LaTeX together. Fast, versioned, yours.** [](https://github.com/trahloff/Aldine/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [](LICENSE) [](CONTRIBUTING.md) [](https://buymeacoffee.com/trahloff) Aldine is a self-hosted, open-source collaborative LaTeX editor and an Overleaf alternative. It is slim and built for speed: real-time multi-cursor editing, every project a real git repo with branches, native Zotero, ~2s warm recompiles. Two containers and flat files by default: no database to migrate, nothing to babysit. **[Homepage](https://aldine.dev)** · **[Try the live demo](https://demo.aldine.dev)** (resets nightly) · [Quick start](#quick-start) · [How Aldine compares](#how-aldine-compares) · [Screenshots](#screenshots) · [Self-hosting](#production-deploy) · [Contributing](CONTRIBUTING.md) Guides on aldine.dev: [Self-hosting Overleaf (Community Edition, Server Pro) compared with Aldine](https://aldine.dev/self-hosted-overleaf/) · [Git with Overleaf and a git-native alternative](https://aldine.dev/overleaf-git/) · [A LaTeX MCP server for Claude](https://aldine.dev/latex-mcp/) <picture> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="e2e/shots/editor-dark.png"> <img alt="Aldine editor: LaTeX source on the left, live PDF on the right, collaborator cursors visible" src="e2e/shots/editor-light.png"> </picture> Live collaboration, a recompile, and a SyncTeX jump, in one real recording (compile wait trimmed):  > **Status:** Aldine is young (v0.x). It compiles real papers daily and every > headline feature has a Playwright end-to-end test, but expect rough edges. > (CI runs typecheck, build, and the integration suites; the browser tests run > locally, since they need a TeX Live container.) File issues generously. ## Features - **Bring your Overleaf projects, and take them with you**: download any Overleaf project as a ZIP, drop it on the home screen, keep writing — root file detected, first typeset automatic. - **Real-time collaboration**: CRDT-based (Yjs), multi-cursor with live presence, conflict-free by construction. Unlimited collaborators. - **Git-native with branches**: every project is a real git repository. Create branches, edit them independently, merge back from the UI. Publish a project to GitHub, GitLab, Gitea or Forgejo and a co-author can clone it and keep using VS Code; their commits come back with one Pull. - **Fast, sandboxed compiles**: TeX Live + latexmk with persistent incremental builds (~2s warm recompiles) in a no-egress container with restricted shell-escape; errors surfaced with line numbers and click-to-jump. - **GitHub/GitLab/Gitea/Forgejo sync**: import from GitHub, GitLab, Gitea or Forgejo as a project *or publish a local project to a fresh repo*, push/pull with ahead/behind indicators, branches, conflict resolution, server-side autopush, and open a pull or merge request, all from the editor. gitlab.com and self-hosted GitLab, any Gitea or Forgejo instance (Codeberg included); a personal access token needs no OAuth app. A team instance can create every new project in a GitLab group automatically and push every autosave from the server. - **Native Zotero integration**: link your whole Zotero library *or a single collection*, from My Library or any of your group libraries, no premium tier required; keep a `.bib` in sync with cheap version-aware refresh, insert citations from a search panel or via `\cite{` autocomplete. - **Claude as a collaborator** (optional, `ALDINE_MCP=1`): Aldine has a built-in MCP server. Connect your instance to claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Cowork or Claude Code over MCP and Claude edits, typesets and shows the PDF in the chat (inline on claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Cowork; a signed link elsewhere); every change is a git commit authored "Claude" with a review-and-revert toast in the editor. Setup, reachability and the security model: [docs/AGENT_API.md](docs/AGENT_API.md).  <details> <summary><strong>Everything else</strong>: visual editor, review mode, AI error fix, SyncTeX, plugins, auth, scaling…</summary> - **Visual editing mode** (experimental): LaTeX renders as formatted text while the source stays authoritative and **byte-stable** (it never rewrites source you didn't deliberately edit). WYSIWYG math (click an equation to edit it in a MathLive popover), editable tables, inline tracked changes from review suggestions, paste-rich-text-to-LaTeX, image-previewing figure chips, and an outline. Cursor-reveal shows raw source under the caret, including a remote collaborator's. Enable it in the command palette (⌘K), off by default. - **Review mode**: select text and leave an anchored, threaded comment; optionally attach a suggested replacement the author accepts with one click. Comments highlight in the editor, resolve/reopen, and track edits. - **AI error fix** (optional, BYO key): on a failed typeset, get a plain-English diagnosis and one-click fixes. Set `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`, `OPENAI_API_KEY`, or `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` on the server to enable (that precedence order if several are set; `ALDINE_AI_MODEL` overrides the model). The key stays server-side and never reaches the browser. Unset the key and Aldine is a 100% AI-free editor. - **Find and cite papers without leaving the editor**: search the literature by title or author (OpenAlex), or paste a DOI / arXiv id — one click appends the BibTeX and inserts the `\cite` (no account, free public APIs). - **SyncTeX both ways**: double-click the PDF to jump to source; ⌘J to jump the PDF to your cursor, with a highlight flash. - **Plugin system**: manifest + ES module plugins add sidebar panels and write into the editor. Zotero, references, and AI-fix ship as plugins; write your own. - **Templates & import**: article, IAC conference paper, beamer, report/thesis, plus your group's own templates from any git repository (`TEMPLATE_REPOS`); or import an existing project from an Overleaf ZIP. - **Editor niceties**: auto-typeset on idle, live whole-document word count, spellcheck, PDF zoom + download, drag-drop figure upload, plain-English error hints + raw log, command palette (⌘K / Ctrl+K). - **Multi-user auth** (optional): set `AUTH_ENABLED=1` for login, per-project ownership, and sharing (invite-only or link). Google, GitHub & ORCID SSO, your own OpenID Connect provider (Keycloak, Authentik, Authelia, Pocket ID; [docs/OIDC.md](docs/OIDC.md)), or email/password (scrypt-hashed, revocable HTTP-only-cookie sessions); `ALDINE_SSO_ONLY=1` disables passwords entirely. Off by default (single-tenant); the collab socket is access-checked. `ALDINE_ADMIN_EMAILS=you@example.org` opens `/admin`: accounts, active users (7 / 30 days, editing now), projects, compile time. Metadata only. No compose file passes this variable through; add it under `environment:` of the `app` service. - **Scales when you need it**: flat-file storage by default; set `DATABASE_URL` for Postgres and `REDIS_URL` for shared rate limits and cross-node collab events. One app node is still the supported topology; [docs/SCALING.md](docs/SCALING.md) says exactly what is and isn't built. - **Apple-style UI**: system fonts, hairline borders, light & dark mode, keyboard-first (⌘S typeset, ⌘J jump, ⌘K command palette). </details> ## Quick start No clone, no build: save this as `docker-compose.yml` and run `docker compose up -d`: ```yaml name: aldine services: app: image: ghcr.io/trahloff/aldine-app:${ALDINE_VERSION:-0.11.0} ports: - "8080:3000" volumes: - aldine-data:/data - aldine-secrets:/secrets networks: [frontend, backend] init: true restart: unless-stopped compiler: image: ghcr.io/trahloff/aldine-compiler:${ALDINE_VERSION:-0.11.0}${ALDINE_TEXLIVE:-} volumes: - aldine-data:/data # The compiler runs untrusted LaTeX. Keep this block. networks: [backend] mem_limit: 2g pids_limit: 256 cap_drop: [ALL] security_opt: [no-new-privileges] init: true restart: unless-stopped networks: frontend: {} backend: internal: true # no route to the internet volumes: aldine-data: aldine-secrets: ``` Open http://localhost:8080. That's it. Projects live in the `aldine-data` volume, and everything else (auth, SSO, AI fix, email) is opt-in via environment variables when you want it. That is equivalent to the repo-root `docker-compose.yml` (same services, images and sandbox settings), so a clone works identically: `git clone https://github.com/trahloff/Aldine && cd Aldine && docker compose up -d`. Keep the `name: aldine` line wherever you save it: it fixes the volume names, which is what lets you switch compose files later and what `deploy/backup.sh` looks for. - **You are pinned to a version.** The block above says `${ALDINE_VERSION:-0.11.0}`, so a fresh copy installs the current release and nothing under a running install changes on its own. To upgrade, read the [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG.md), back up (`deploy/backup.sh`), then: ALDINE_VERSION=<new version> docker compose pull && docker compose up -d To roll back, set `ALDINE_VERSION` to the previous release and run the same command. Your projects live in the `aldine-data` and `aldine-secrets` volumes and an image swap does not touch them. `:latest` still exists and points at the newest release; pinning is what lets you choose when to move. - **Pre-1.0 stability.** Versions follow SemVer with one caveat: before 1.0 a minor bump (0.3 to 0.4) may change behaviour or on-disk layout, a patch bump (0.4.0 to 0.4.1) will not. Every release is built from a commit that passed CI, and its images are booted and made to typeset a real document before `:latest` moves to them. Upgrades across a minor are not yet tested against existing data, so back up first. Watch the repo's Releases for security fixes: per [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md), only the latest release gets them. - **The first pull is big.** TeX Live lives in the compiler image: about 1.1 GB compressed, 4.3 GB on disk. It carries TeX Live's medium scheme plus the pictures, latexextra and bibtexextra collections (pgfplots, tikz-cd, cleveref, todonotes, minted, biblatex, …), the publisher classes, and the Arabic, Persian, Cyrillic and Greek scripts; the one family it leaves out is CJK. After the first pull, starts take seconds. Ready when `curl localhost:8080/api/health` returns `{"ok":true,"name":"aldine"}`. - **Need a package it does not have?** The missing-package error in the editor names it. Two ways to get it, and project settings show which image you are on: - Add just that package. Put a `docker-compose.override.yml` next to `docker-compose.yml` that builds a derived compiler image, then `docker compose up -d --build`. `tlmgr` installs from the same dated TeX Live snapshot the release was built from, so this keeps working after the release ages: ```yaml services: compiler: image: aldine-compiler-local build: dockerfile_inline: | FROM ghcr.io/trahloff/aldine-compiler:0.11.0 RUN tlmgr install pgfplots tikz-cd ``` Bump the `FROM` tag when you bump `ALDINE_VERSION`. Compose builds the image on your machine, so this works for `arm64` servers as well. - Get everything. Every release from 0.4.0 also ships all of TeX Live as `-full` (about 2.8 GB compressed, 9 GB on disk; CJK is only here). Add `ALDINE_TEXLIVE=-full` next to `ALDINE_VERSION` and pull again. - **Port 8080 taken?** Change the left side of `ports:`; with `docker-compose.full.yml`, set `ALDINE_PORT=8081` in `.env` instead. - **Everything beyond the minimum**: building from source (latest `main`, not a release), auth/SSO/AI/email options, TLS, Postgres/Redis. All of it lives in [`docker-compose.full.yml`](docker-compose.full.yml), which carries the same compiler sandbox and the same volumes, so you can switch without losing data: `docker compose -f docker-compose.full.yml up -d --build`. The first build installs TeX Live into the compiler image; expect 20–60 minutes (the `tlmgr install` step is most of it), then seconds per start. `ALDINE_TEXLIVE_SCHEME=full` builds the all-of-TeX-Live variant instead. ## How Aldine compares | | Aldine | Overleaf CE (self-hosted) | git + VS Code + LaTeX Workshop | |---|---|---|---| | Deploy | 2 containers, `docker compose up` | Overleaf Toolkit; `sharelatex`, `mongo` and `redis` containers ([source][ol-req]) | n/a (local) | | Real-time collaboration | ✅ CRDT, unlimited collaborators | ✅ ([source][ol-repo]) | ❌ (async via git) | | Review comments / suggested edits | ✅ | ❌ commenting and track changes are Server Pro only ([source][ol-cmp]) | PR reviews | | Git branches from the UI | ✅ projects *are* git repos | ❌ git integration is Server Pro only ([source][ol-cmp]) | ✅ (it *is* git) | | GitHub/GitLab/Gitea sync + PRs/MRs from the editor | ✅ | Overleaf documents GitHub synchronization as "a premium feature for Overleaf Cloud users" ([source][ol-gitdocs]); absent from its on-premises comparison ([source][ol-cmp]) | ✅ natively | | Zotero | Whole library **or one collection** | Overleaf lists Zotero among the third-party integrations of its cloud platform ([source][ol-onprem]); absent from its on-premises comparison ([source][ol-cmp]) | Via Better BibTeX auto-export | | Warm recompile | ~2s (persistent latexmk cache) | Not measured | Local | | Templates gallery | 4 built-in, plus your own from git repositories | ❌ private template management is Server Pro only ([source][ol-cmp]) | CTAN / your own | | Package coverage | TeX Live medium + pictures, latexextra, bibtexextra, publisher classes, most scripts by default (~4.3 GB); any extra with one `tlmgr install` line; **all of TeX Live** with `ALDINE_TEXLIVE=-full` | Minimal TeX Live in the image; full with `tlmgr install scheme-full` ([source][ol-tl]) | Whatever you install | | Rich-text / visual editing | ✅ experimental: byte-stable, WYSIWYG math, editable tables, review suggestions shown inline (accept/dismiss) | ✅ Visual Editor; its code is in the open-source repository ([source][ol-visual]) | ❌ | | Maturity | Young (v0.x, 2026) | Overleaf dates from 2011 ([source][ol-about]) | Very mature | | License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 ([source][ol-repo]) | MIT/varies | [ol-cmp]: https://docs.overleaf.com/on-premises/welcome/server-pro-vs.-community-edition [ol-req]: https://docs.overleaf.com/on-premises/getting-started/requirements/software-requirements [ol-tl]: https://docs.overleaf.com/on-premises/installation/upgrading-tex-live [ol-repo]: https://github.com/overleaf/overleaf [ol-about]: https://www.overleaf.com/about [ol-gitdocs]: https://docs.overleaf.com/integrations-and-add-ons/git-integration-and-github-synchronization [ol-onprem]: https://www.overleaf.com/for/enterprises/when-to-use-overleaf-on-premises-vs-in-the-cloud [ol-visual]: https://github.com/overleaf/overleaf/tree/main/services/web/frontend/js/features/source-editor/extensions/visual If Overleaf CE fits you, use it; it's good software. Aldine exists for people who want review comments with suggested edits, git and Zotero without paid tiers, in a deployment they can hold in their head. Every Overleaf CE cell except "Not measured" links to the Overleaf page it was checked against on 2026-10-12. For GitHub synchronization and Zotero we found no Overleaf page that states them for the on-premises editions, so those cells quote what Overleaf does say. A longer, dated version of this comparison is at [aldine.dev/self-hosted-overleaf](https://aldine.dev/self-hosted-overleaf/). ## Screenshots <picture> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="e2e/shots/visual-dark.png"> <img alt="Visual editing mode: the same LaTeX paper rendered as formatted text with typeset math, next to the live PDF" src="e2e/shots/visual-light.png"> </picture> *Visual editing (experimental): the source rendered as formatted text, byte-stable, with math and tables editable in place. Enable via ⌘K.* | | | |---|---| | <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="e2e/shots/review-dark.png"><img alt="Review mode: anchored comment threads with suggested edits" src="e2e/shots/review-light.png"></picture> | <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="e2e/shots/branches-dark.png"><img alt="Branch menu on a project" src="e2e/shots/branches-light.png"></picture> | | Review mode: threads + one-click suggestions | Branches: create, switch, merge from the UI | | <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="e2e/shots/zotero-dark.png"><img alt="Zotero panel: search your library and insert citations" src="e2e/shots/zotero-light.png"></picture> | <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="e2e/shots/history-dark.png"><img alt="History view with checkpoints and diffs" src="e2e/shots/history-light.png"></picture> | | Zotero: cite from your library or collection | History: auto-checkpoints, named checkpoints, diffs | ## Development ```bash npm install npm run dev:server # API + collab on :3000 npm run dev:web # Vite on :5173 (proxies to :3000) docker build -t aldine-compiler apps/compiler docker run -d -p 4020:4020 -v $PWD/.data:/data aldine-compiler ``` ### Tests ```bash npm run typecheck -w apps/web && npm run test -w apps/web # tsc + vitest npm run test:github -w apps/server # GitHub-sync integration npm run test:gitlab -w apps/server # GitLab-sync integration npm run test:gitea -w apps/server # Gitea/Forgejo-sync integration npm run test:db -w apps/server # datastore conformance ``` End-to-end (Playwright; covers compile, collab, branches, plugins, Zotero). The suite starts its own app on :3100 but not the compiler, and it runs against `.data-e2e`, so the compiler has to point at that directory or every compile test fails against a healthy-looking compiler: ```bash npx playwright install chromium DATA_DIR=$(pwd)/.data-e2e PORT=4020 node apps/compiler/server.js & # or a container on the same dir npm run test:e2e ALDINE_URL=http://localhost:8080 npm run test:e2e # against a running compose stack instead ``` ## Production deploy Settings live in a `.env` file next to the compose files, so every later `docker compose` call picks them up. Give each comment its own line: anything after a value becomes part of the value, and `AUTH_ENABLED=1 multi-user login` is not `1`, so auth silently stays off. ```dotenv # app on loopback only; your reverse proxy fronts it ALDINE_APP_BIND=127.0.0.1 # absolute URL of the app, used in OAuth callbacks, password-reset links and # the PDF links the MCP connector hands out. Give it a path to serve Aldine # under a prefix (https://server/internal/aldine); the Claude connector URL # is <ALDINE_PUBLIC_URL>/mcp ALDINE_PUBLIC_URL=https://aldine.example.com # signs the connector's 15-minute PDF links; generated into META_DIR when # unset — set it explicitly when several nodes do not share that volume. # At least 32 characters (`openssl rand -base64 32`); shorter values refuse to boot ALDINE_SIGNING_SECRET= # MCP endpoint for Claude (docs/AGENT_API.md); needs AUTH_ENABLED=1 or ALDINE_MCP_TOKEN ALDINE_MCP= # static bearer for /mcp with auth off (single-tenant); ignored when AUTH_ENABLED=1 ALDINE_MCP_TOKEN= # Everything below is optional and off unless set. # multi-user login, ownership and sharing (unset = single-tenant) AUTH_ENABLED=1 # Google SSO GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID= GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET= # GitHub SSO GITHUB_LOGIN_CLIENT_ID= GITHUB_LOGIN_CLIENT_SECRET= # ORCID SSO: a Public API client (orcid.org/developer-tools, HTTPS callback # <ALDINE_PUBLIC_URL>/api/auth/oauth/orcid/callback); ORCID_SANDBOX=1 for sandbox.orcid.org ORCID_CLIENT_ID= ORCID_CLIENT_SECRET= # OpenID Connect SSO (Keycloak, Authentik, Authelia, Pocket ID, …): redirect URI # <ALDINE_PUBLIC_URL>/api/auth/oauth/oidc/callback; every option in docs/OIDC.md OIDC_ISSUER= OIDC_CLIENT_ID= OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET= OIDC_LABEL= OIDC_ALLOWED_GROUPS= # GitHub repo sync: a separate OAuth app with repo scope GITHUB_CLIENT_ID= GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET= # GitLab sync (gitlab.com or self-hosted); PAT connect works without these GITLAB_URL=https://gitlab.com GITLAB_CLIENT_ID= GITLAB_CLIENT_SECRET= # Gitea / Forgejo sync needs nothing here: users paste a token and their instance URL # REMOTE_PROVIDERS=github,gitlab,gitea # hide a provider by leaving it out # Optional: every new project is also created on GitLab in this group (service # account PAT with scope api and Owner on the group). Off unless both are set. GITLAB_TOKEN= GITLAB_DEFAULT_GROUP= # GITLAB_DEFAULT_VISIBILITY=private # or internal | public # AUTOPUSH_DEBOUNCE_MS=30000 # AI error fix, bring your own key OPENROUTER_API_KEY= # password-reset email: SMTP, or SES_FROM + AWS_REGION instead SMTP_HOST= SMTP_PORT=587 SMTP_USER= SMTP_PASS= SMTP_FROM= # error tracking, and which instance the errors came from SENTRY_DSN= SENTRY_ENVIRONMENT=production # Templates from your own git repositories (see templates/README.md) # TEMPLATE_REPOS='[{"id":"lab","label":"Lab templates","url":"https://gitlab.example.org/latex/templates.git","tokenEnv":"TEMPLATE_REPO_LAB_TOKEN"}]' # TEMPLATE_REPO_LAB_TOKEN= ``` ```bash # Behind your existing reverse proxy (nginx, Traefik, …), the usual setup. The # prod overlay trusts proxy headers, sets secure cookies, and rotates logs; # point your proxy at 127.0.0.1:8080. # Sample nginx vhost (WebSocket + body-size gotchas handled): deploy/nginx.conf docker compose -f docker-compose.full.yml -f deploy/docker-compose.prod.yml \ up -d --build # …or, if nothing else owns ports 80/443, add the bundled Caddy for # zero-config HTTPS: append `--profile tls` and set ALDINE_DOMAIN in .env. # Back up the data + secrets volumes: deploy/backup.sh aldine-backup.tar.gz # Restore, after stopping the stack with `docker compose down`: # deploy/restore.sh aldine-backup.tar.gz ``` Every variable Aldine reads is listed in [deploy/README.md](deploy/README.md#all-configuration). **Isolation & limits.** The compiler runs on an internal-only Docker network (no internet egress), drops all Linux capabilities, and is bounded on CPU / memory / PIDs; LaTeX compiles with **restricted shell-escape** (whitelist only) and `openin_any=p`. Per-client rate limits guard login, AI, and reference lookups; compiles are concurrency-capped, with optional per-user compile quotas (`ALDINE_COMPILE_QUOTA_MIN`) if you host for a group. See [deploy/README.md](deploy/README.md) for the full single-VPS runbook (nginx/Traefik/Caddy ingress, backups, SSO setup, Postgres/Redis, every config variable), [deploy/aws](deploy/aws) for a Terraform/Fargate deployment, and [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) for the threat model and how to report vulnerabilities. ## Architecture ``` ┌────────────┐ HTTP/WS ┌──────────────────────────────┐ │ Browser │ ───────────► │ app (Node 22) │ │ React + │ │ Fastify API + Hocuspocus │ │ CM6 + Yjs │ │ git repos + worktrees │ └────────────┘ └──────────┬───────────────────┘ │ shared volume /data ┌──────────▼───────────────────┐ │ compiler (TeX Live medium) │ │ latexmk wrapper, sandboxed │ └──────────────────────────────┘ ``` - One Yjs document per file per branch (`project::branch::path`), persisted straight to the git worktree with debounced writes and auto-commits. - Branches are git worktrees, so every branch is editable concurrently. - Compile output stays inside the project tree (`.aldine-out/`, kept out of git history) which keeps latexmk's incremental cache warm. ### Data & storage Two separate concerns, behind two seams: - **Project files**: real git repos + worktrees on disk (`store.ts`). This is what gives you branches and history. - **Relational/metadata**: users, sessions, project metadata, review comments, and usage go through the `DataStore` interface (`db/`). Two backends: - **JSON files** (default, zero-dependency): the slim single-node self-host. - **Postgres** (set `DATABASE_URL`): the horizontally-scalable backend, and the prerequisite for ever running multiple app nodes. `pg` is an optional dependency; the same conformance suite runs against both. For how this scales past one box (and what the remaining walls are), see [docs/SCALING.md](docs/SCALING.md). ## Plugins A plugin is a folder in `plugins/`: ``` plugins/hello/ ├── manifest.json # { "id": "hello", "name": "Hello", "version": "1.0.0", "entry": "index.js" } └── index.js # export default { activate(aldine) { ... } } ``` The `aldine` API exposes `ui.registerSidebarPanel`, `editor.insertAtCursor`, `project` context, `compile()`, `toast()`, and `fetch()`. See `plugins/zotero` for a complete example. ## Templates A template is a folder with a `template.json` and the files to start from; the shipped ones live in `templates/`. A group that keeps its own thesis, poster or report templates puts the same layout in any git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, a bare repo over https), lists it in `TEMPLATE_REPOS`, and the templates appear in the gallery under the repository's name, refreshed on an interval or with "Refresh templates", with `{{PROJECT_NAME}}`, `{{AUTHOR}}` and `{{DATE}}` filled in on create. Layout, manifest fields, placeholders and private-repository tokens: [templates/README.md](templates/README.md). ## License Copyright (C) 2026 Tobias Rahloff. [AGPL-3.0](LICENSE): self-host freely; if you offer a modified Aldine as a service, share your changes. Third-party plugins interact with Aldine over its plugin API and may use any license. Each folder under `templates/` carries its own `LICENSE` and states it in `template.json` (the gallery shows it on the tile): the generic templates are MIT, and `templates/iac-paper` is LPPL-1.3c, the customary license for a LaTeX class file. Venue templates are generated from the classes installed in the compiler image, with the license `tlmgr` reports; no publisher file is stored in this repository. Overleaf is a trademark of its owner. Claude, Zotero, GitHub, GitLab and other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Aldine is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Two things stated plainly, because finding them out later feels like a bait-and-switch. **A hosted Aldine service is planned**, and contributions are accepted under a [CLA](CLA.md) that permits relicensing, so a commercially licensed edition is possible in future. What will not change: the self-hosted edition stays AGPL-3.0, and no feature that works today moves behind a paid tier. The name is handled separately in [TRADEMARK.md](TRADEMARK.md).