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TikZ

Convert TikZ code to an image, to be shown in AI chat
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Overview

TikZ Diagram Generator for Raycast

Convert TikZ code to beautiful diagrams that can be shown in AI chat or created manually through a form interface.

Features

  • 🤖 AI Tool Integration: Generate TikZ diagrams directly from Raycast AI chat
  • 📝 Manual Creation: Create diagrams using a user-friendly form interface
  • 🎨 Full TikZ Support: Supports all TikZ libraries and features
  • 📄 PDF Output: Generates high-quality PDF diagrams
  • 🚀 Fast Compilation: Uses pdflatex for quick diagram generation

Prerequisites

You need to have LaTeX installed with the TikZ package. On macOS, you can install either:

Option 1: MacTeX (Full, ~4GB)

brew install --cask mactex

Option 2: BasicTeX (Minimal, ~100MB) - Recommended

brew install --cask basictex

After installing BasicTeX, add it to your PATH and install required packages:

# Add to PATH (add this to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile)
export PATH="/Library/TeX/texbin:$PATH"

# Reload your shell or run:
source ~/.zshrc

# Install required packages
sudo tlmgr update --self
sudo tlmgr install standalone tikz pgf

Verify Installation:

pdflatex --version
kpsewhich standalone.cls  # Should return a path

Usage

How It Works with Raycast AI

When you ask Raycast AI to create a TikZ diagram:

  1. AI generates TikZ code based on your request
  2. Tool confirmation appears - Review and confirm the diagram generation
  3. Tool compiles the TikZ code to PDF using pdflatex
  4. Path is returned - The absolute file path to the generated PDF
  5. Raycast uploads the file and may display it inline (if supported)

Important Notes:

  • The tool returns a file path, not a URL
  • Raycast AI should handle uploading/displaying the file
  • If you see Gemini generating its own diagram instead, it means the tool failed (check logs)
  • PDFs are saved to: ~/Library/Application Support/com.raycast.macos/extensions/tikz/tikz-diagrams/

AI Tool

The AI can use the Generate TikZ Diagram tool to create diagrams during a conversation. Simply describe what you want to draw, and the AI will generate the appropriate TikZ code and compile it.

Example AI prompts:

  • "Draw a simple circle with a radius of 2cm"
  • "Create a flowchart with 3 nodes connected by arrows"
  • "Generate a binary tree with depth 3"
  • "Draw a coordinate system with a sine wave"

The tool will:

  1. Ask for confirmation before generating
  2. Compile the TikZ code to PDF
  3. Return the file path to the generated diagram

Manual Command

Use the Create TikZ command to manually create diagrams:

  1. Open Raycast and search for "Create TikZ"
  2. Enter your TikZ code (without the \begin{tikzpicture} wrapper)
  3. Optionally provide a file name
  4. Choose whether to open the PDF after generation
  5. Submit to generate your diagram

Example TikZ Code:

\draw (0,0) circle (1cm);
\draw (0,0) -- (1,1);
\node at (0,-1.5) {My Circle};

\node[circle,draw] (a) at (0,0) {A};
\node[circle,draw] (b) at (2,0) {B};
\node[circle,draw] (c) at (1,-1.5) {C};
\draw[->] (a) -- (b);
\draw[->] (b) -- (c);
\draw[->] (c) -- (a);

\draw[->] (-3,0) -- (3,0) node[right] {$x$};
\draw[->] (0,-2) -- (0,2) node[above] {$y$};
\draw[domain=-3:3,smooth,variable=\x,blue] plot ({\x},{sin(\x r)});

Output Location

  • AI Tool: Diagrams are saved to ~/Library/Application Support/com.raycast.macos/extensions/tikz/tikz-diagrams/
  • Manual Command: Diagrams are saved to ~/Documents/TikZ-Diagrams/

Tool Configuration

The tool automatically includes commonly used TikZ libraries:

  • arrows - Arrow tips and styles
  • automata - State diagrams and automata
  • positioning - Advanced node positioning
  • shapes - Various geometric shapes
  • calc - Coordinate calculations
  • decorations.pathreplacing - Path decorations
  • decorations.markings - Path markings
  • patterns - Fill patterns

Troubleshooting

LaTeX not found

If you get an error about pdflatex not being found:

  1. Install MacTeX or BasicTeX (see Prerequisites)
  2. Make sure /Library/TeX/texbin is in your PATH: 
    echo $PATH | grep texbin
    If not found, add to your ~/.zshrc: 
    export PATH="/Library/TeX/texbin:$PATH"
  3. Restart your terminal and Raycast
  4. Verify with: which pdflatex

Tool returns path but AI doesn't show diagram

If the tool succeeds but Gemini generates its own diagram instead:

  1. Check the returned path in the AI logs - it should be an absolute path like:

    /Users/.../Library/Application Support/.../tikz-diagrams/diagram_123456.pdf

  2. Verify the PDF exists:

    ls -lh ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.raycast.macos/extensions/tikz/tikz-diagrams/

  3. Open it manually to verify it's correct:

    open ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.raycast.macos/extensions/tikz/tikz-diagrams/diagram_*.pdf

  4. If PDF is correct but not displayed: This is a Raycast AI limitation. The tool is working correctly, but the AI may choose to generate its own diagram instead of using the file.

"Failed to compile TikZ diagram" error

If you get this error even though pdflatex is installed:

If you passed a complete LaTeX document: The tool now automatically handles this! You can pass either:

  • Just TikZ commands: \draw (0,0) circle (2);
  • A complete document with \documentclass, \usepackage, etc.

The tool will automatically strip the document structure and add its own wrapper.

If the error persists:

  1. Check the generated .log file in the output directory for detailed errors
  2. Verify you have the required packages: 
    kpsewhich standalone.cls
kpsewhich tikz.sty
  3. If packages are missing: 
    sudo tlmgr install standalone tikz pgf
  4. Try the quick test from TESTING.md: 
    cd /tmp
cat > test.tex << 'EOF'
\documentclass[border=2pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{tikz}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw (0,0) circle (2);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
EOF
pdflatex test.tex
open test.pdf

Compilation errors

If your TikZ code fails to compile:

  1. Check for missing packages: If you see "File `standalone.cls' not found":

    sudo tlmgr install standalone

  2. Check your TikZ syntax - make sure commands end with semicolons

  3. The tool accepts both:

    • Just TikZ commands: \draw (0,0) circle (1cm);
    • Complete LaTeX documents (it will extract the TikZ code automatically)

  4. Verify packages are installed:

    kpsewhich standalone.cls
kpsewhich tikz.sty

  5. Try compiling manually to see detailed errors:

    cd ~/Documents/TikZ-Diagrams
pdflatex your-file.tex
cat your-file.log

PDF not opening

If the PDF is generated but doesn't open:

  1. Check the output directory for the PDF file
  2. Manually navigate to the output location
  3. Ensure you have a PDF viewer installed

Examples

Simple Shapes

\draw[fill=blue!20] (0,0) rectangle (2,2);
\draw[fill=red!20] (3,0) circle (1);
\draw[fill=green!20] (6,0) -- (7,0) -- (6.5,1.5) -- cycle;

Flowchart

\node[rectangle,draw] (start) at (0,0) {Start};
\node[rectangle,draw] (process) at (0,-2) {Process};
\node[diamond,draw,aspect=2] (decision) at (0,-4) {Decision?};
\node[rectangle,draw] (end) at (0,-6) {End};
\draw[->] (start) -- (process);
\draw[->] (process) -- (decision);
\draw[->] (decision) -- node[right] {Yes} (end);
\draw[->] (decision) -| node[above] {No} (2,-4) |- (process);

Graph

\draw[->] (0,0) -- (5,0) node[right] {$x$};
\draw[->] (0,0) -- (0,4) node[above] {$y$};
\draw[domain=0:4.5,smooth,variable=\x,blue,thick] plot ({\x},{0.5*\x*\x});
\node[blue] at (2.5,3.5) {$y = \frac{1}{2}x^2$};

Debugging

PATH Issues with Raycast Extensions

If you get "Failed to compile TikZ diagram" errors even though pdflatex works in your terminal, it's likely a PATH issue.

The Problem: Raycast extensions run in a restricted environment where the PATH doesn't automatically include /Library/TeX/texbin. Even though you can run pdflatex in your terminal, the extension can't find it.

The Solution: The extension now automatically searches for pdflatex in these locations (in order):

  1. /Library/TeX/texbin/pdflatex (standard MacTeX/BasicTeX location)
  2. /usr/local/texlive/2025basic/bin/universal-darwin/pdflatex
  3. /usr/local/texlive/2024/bin/universal-darwin/pdflatex
  4. /usr/local/bin/pdflatex
  5. /opt/homebrew/bin/pdflatex
  6. Falls back to which pdflatex using the system PATH

To verify pdflatex is found:

# Check if pdflatex is executable
test -x /Library/TeX/texbin/pdflatex && echo "Found!"

# Or check with which
which pdflatex

Manual test to verify compilation works:

cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.raycast.macos/extensions/tikz/tikz-diagrams/
# Find a .tex file that was created
ls -lt *.tex | head -1
# Compile it manually
pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode <filename>.tex
# Check if PDF was created
ls -lt *.pdf | head -1

If manual compilation works but the extension still fails, check the Raycast console logs (Cmd+Shift+D in development mode) for detailed error messages.

License

MIT

Author

Visual-Studio-Coder

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