Write and revise a paper in Oleafly

Start with the paper you want to produce. Oleafly keeps its source, bibliography, figures, preview, and working history together. This walkthrough uses a LaTeX manuscript; the same project library also holds Typst and Markdown documents.

Choose how to start

Click New project in the library. The chooser offers three paths:

• Research starts work from a research brief. Use it when you have a question and material to investigate before drafting.
• Import brings in existing work. Open a project folder or import a ZIP containing the source, bibliography, and figures. Document conversion is also available for supported formats.
• Use template starts with a document layout. Browse a paper, thesis, resume, or presentation template, or generate a template with AI.

For this walkthrough, choose Use template, select a paper template, and name the project. Click Recompile before making changes. You now have a working starting point. See creating a project and the template gallery.

Choose the compiler the paper needs

Bundled Tectonic is a convenient starting point for a LaTeX project. If the venue template needs a TeX workflow that it cannot run, choose managed TinyTeX or an installed TeX distribution in the engine settings. For example, a project using Biber needs a compatible TeX workflow.

Typst uses its own compiler. Markdown uses managed Pandoc for conversion and export. Download the required engines and packages while online if you plan to work offline. The engine guide explains the choices and setup.

Write beside the PDF

Use Split View in the project toolbar to keep the source and PDF together. Open a chapter from Source Tree, then use Outline to jump between sections. Code gives you the source editor; Visual supports direct prose editing for supported document types.

In LaTeX, autocomplete helps with commands, environments, labels, and citation keys. The formatting toolbar inserts headings, emphasis, links, figures, tables, and other structures. After a small edit, recompile and check its appearance. If a build fails, open Logs and start with the first relevant error.

For SyncTeX, use Cmd-click on macOS or Ctrl-click on Windows and Linux in the PDF to find the matching source. Use the editor’s Go to PDF control for the reverse direction. See the editor and PDF preview.

Add references where you need them

Open References & citations. Import a bibliography, or look up a DOI or arXiv identifier. Check the returned title, authors, and year, then add the entry to the project bibliography. Insert the citation where the claim appears and compile to confirm it resolves.

For a library exported from another reference manager, use the supported BibTeX, RIS, EndNote, or Zotero import. Review duplicates before adding entries. Citations explains the controls, and From .bib key to in-text cite explains the LaTeX side.

Get help with a bounded revision

Open the assistant from the top toolbar and connect a provider or CLI agent. Choose an approval mode, then ask for one result: revise a passage, repair a build, or create a figure from a particular dataset. Specify what must stay unchanged and how the assistant should verify the work.

For a longer literature search or review, create a Research Task. It runs in an isolated copy and gives you file previews before you apply the selected results. Work with an assistant in Oleafly walks through both approaches.

Save milestones and review the output

Open Versioning → Saved Checkpoints to see eligible successful compiles with changed source. Those checkpoints let you return to an earlier working draft. Use Git History for your deliberate commits, and Source Control to review changes, commit a milestone, and push or pull with GitHub.

Before sharing, recompile and read the PDF in PDF View. Open Preflight Checks to inspect compilation, references, privacy, and the output checks relevant to your document. For a resume, inspect the extracted text as well as the layout.

Export the draft

Use Export in the project toolbar for a PDF or source ZIP. A source archive is useful when a venue or collaborator needs the editable manuscript. Other conversions depend on the document engine and format; check the export guide for the available routes.

Open the exported file once before sending it. Confirm the title, figures, references, and page count. Your project remains in ordinary files, ready for the next revision.