SnapTex

Native macOS LaTeX OCR for turning equation screenshots into clean, editable LaTeX.

Overview

SnapTex is a local macOS app for capturing equations from your screen and converting them into LaTeX. It pairs a native SwiftUI interface with local Python OCR workers, rendered previews, copy-ready output, and history.

Core Features

• Capture an equation region with the Snip button or global shortcut.
• Edit, preview, copy, and format the recognized LaTeX.
• Export the rendered formula as PNG or EPS.
• Keep recent snapshots in a persistent history.
• Manage local OCR models from inside the app.

Models

SnapTex supports the following open-source OCR models:

• UniMERNet: tiny, small, and base.
• PaddleOCR: S, M, and L.

Install

SnapTex currently builds from source and uses a local Conda environment for the OCR workers.

Requirements:

• macOS 13 or later.
• Git.
• Xcode Command Line Tools.
• A Conda distribution, such as Miniforge, Miniconda, Anaconda, or another installation that provides a conda executable.

1. Install Apple's command line tools if they are not already installed:

   xcode-select --install

2. Make sure Conda is available.

   conda --version

   If conda is not found, install Miniforge with Homebrew:

   brew install --cask miniforge

   Then open a new terminal and try the commands above again. You can also initialize your shell and restart it:

   conda init "$(basename "${SHELL}")"

   SnapTex usually detects common Conda installs automatically. If your Conda installation is in a custom location, export its absolute path before running the setup script:

   export CONDA_EXE="$(conda info --base)/bin/conda"

3. Clone the repository and enter it:

   git clone https://github.com/nepeivodaRS/snaptex.git
   cd snaptex

4. Create the OCR environment and download the default model:

   ./scripts/setup_snaptex_env.sh

   This creates a Conda environment named snaptex, installs the Python OCR dependencies, clones the UniMERNet runtime, and downloads the default UniMERNet model under:

   ~/Library/Application Support/snaptex/UniMERNet
   

   Verify that the environment Python exists:

   conda run -n snaptex python --version

   The setup script prints the Python path it created. It should end with envs/snaptex/bin/python under your Conda install root.

   To choose a different default UniMERNet model size during setup:

   SNAPTEX_MODEL_SIZE=tiny ./scripts/setup_snaptex_env.sh

   Supported setup values are tiny, small, and base; the aliases s, m, and l are also accepted. The app can also download and manage additional UniMERNet and PaddleOCR models after the environment is installed.

5. Build, install, and launch SnapTex:

   SNAPTEX_ALLOW_ADHOC_SIGNING=1 ./scripts/build_and_run.sh

   The script builds the Swift app, creates an app bundle, installs it at /Applications/snaptex.app, verifies the code signature, and opens the app. SNAPTEX_ALLOW_ADHOC_SIGNING=1 is the recommended source-build path for users who do not have a local code-signing identity. Ad-hoc signing is useful for local testing, but macOS may ask you to re-grant permissions after rebuilds.

6. On first use, grant any macOS permissions SnapTex requests, such as Screen Recording for capturing equation regions. If permission changes, quit and reopen SnapTex. The first recognition after launching SnapTex can take longer because the OCR worker initializes and loads the selected model; later recognitions are faster.

The installed app is:

/Applications/snaptex.app

To verify that the installed app launches:

SNAPTEX_ALLOW_ADHOC_SIGNING=1 ./scripts/build_and_run.sh --verify

If SnapTex reports Conda environment Python was not found at /envs/snaptex/bin/python, reset the saved app settings and relaunch with CONDA_EXE set to the absolute Conda path:

defaults delete dev.snaptex.app AppSettingsSnapshot 2>/dev/null || true
export CONDA_EXE="$(conda info --base)/bin/conda"
SNAPTEX_ALLOW_ADHOC_SIGNING=1 ./scripts/build_and_run.sh

Uninstall

To fully remove a source-built SnapTex installation:

osascript -e 'quit app "snaptex"' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo rm -rf /Applications/snaptex.app
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/snaptex"
defaults delete dev.snaptex.app 2>/dev/null || true
conda env remove -n snaptex

If conda is not available in your shell, use the absolute Conda path from the install guide:

"$CONDA_EXE" env remove -n snaptex

If you built SnapTex with a custom SNAPTEX_BUNDLE_ID, replace dev.snaptex.app with that bundle identifier in the defaults delete command.

Development

swift test
python -m pytest python/tests

Credits

UniMERNet, PaddleOCR, MathJax.

Third-party code and models retain their own licenses.

License

SnapTex is released under the MIT License.