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Render math legibly in the Claude Code terminal: Unicode glyphs instead of unrenderable LaTeX
Make math in Claude Code and Codex legible.
Terminal coding agents do not render LaTeX. In both Claude Code and
OpenAI Codex CLI, a formula like $f(x) = \sum_{i=1}^n x_i$ appears as raw
dollar signs and backslashes, exactly the noise you wanted formatting to
remove. This project ships a single skill (math-unicode) that instructs the
model to emit math as Unicode glyphs inline. Unicode-capable terminals with a
suitable font render these glyphs directly. It installs as a Claude Code plugin
and, via the identical SKILL.md, as a Codex skill (claude-math install --codex).
Before: The qualifying cohort is $Q = \{ (s,r) \in T : n_{s,r} \geq 18 \wedge p^0_{s,r} < 0.9 \}$,
with $|Q| / |T| \approx 17.3\%$.
After: The qualifying cohort is Q = { (s,r) ∈ T : n_{s,r} ≥ 18 ∧ p⁰_{s,r} < 0.9 },
with |Q| / |T| ≈ 17.3 %.
The quickest install is through the plugin marketplace (see below). The npm and manual paths also work.
npm install -g claude-math
claude-math install
Symlinks the package into ~/.claude/plugins/local/claude-math, registers it
in installed_plugins.json, and enables it in settings.json (atomically;
both files get a .claude-math.bak backup on first touch). Restart Claude
Code and the skill loads.
npx claude-math install also works: the CLI auto-detects an npx-cache
install path and copies rather than symlinks (since the cache directory
is ephemeral). Prefer the global install if you want updates via
npm update -g claude-math to propagate automatically.
Other commands:
claude-math status # report target, validity, settings state, next-install mode
claude-math uninstall # remove symlink/dir, deregister, disable
claude-math --help # full flag list, env overrides
Flags: --force overrides safety checks (foreign symlinks, non-plugin
directories at the target). --copy forces a real copy instead of symlink.
git clone https://github.com/vladimirrott/claude-math \
~/.claude/plugins/local/claude-math
Then add "claude-math@local": true under enabledPlugins in
~/.claude/settings.json and a matching entry in
~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json. The CLI does both; running it
once is the easiest path.
/plugin marketplace add vladimirrott/claude-math
/plugin install claude-math@vladimirrott
The skill normally activates for mathematical output. To load the complete
rule set explicitly in Claude Code, run /math-unicode before the request.
claude-math works in OpenAI Codex CLI too — the skill uses the same name + description SKILL.md frontmatter Codex reads. Two install paths:
Native Codex plugin (recommended — no npm):
codex plugin marketplace add vladimirrott/claude-math
codex plugin add claude-math@vladimirrott
Codex installs the plugin (manifest: .codex-plugin/plugin.json) and loads its math-unicode skill. Restart Codex if it does not appear; invoke with /skills or by mentioning $math-unicode. Remove with codex plugin remove claude-math@vladimirrott.
Via npm (drops just the skill file):
npm install -g claude-math
claude-math install --codex
This copies the skill into ~/.agents/skills/math-unicode/ (the current Codex user-skills dir; the older ~/.codex/skills/ path is deprecated but still read for backward compatibility). Use claude-math status --codex to check and claude-math uninstall --codex to remove. Set CLAUDE_MATH_CODEX_SKILLS_DIR to target a non-default skills directory.
Use one path or the other, not both — installing via the plugin and the CLI would load two copies of the same skill.
Working from a clone (before or after publish):
git clone https://github.com/vladimirrott/claude-math && cd claude-math
node bin/claude-math.js install # uses the cloned directory directly
node --test test/ # run the test suite
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=/tmp/somewhere claude-math install lets you test against
a sandbox without touching your real ~/.claude state, useful for
contributing.
The math-unicode skill auto-triggers any time the model (Claude or Codex)
writes or explains math. No configuration required.
Rendering math as an actual image (sixel or kitty graphics) is not possible inside the Claude Code chat. The TUI repaints its own screen buffer on every update and overwrites any graphics escape sequences a plugin emits, and its line accounting does not know an image's height. So in-chat output stays Unicode, which is the point of this skill.
Roadmap (not built yet): a standalone claude-math render "<latex>" command
that converts LaTeX to an image and prints it via the terminal's graphics
protocol in your own graphics-capable terminal (kitty, wezterm, ghostty,
foot), outside the Claude Code TUI. It would be a convenience for viewing an
equation on demand, not in-chat rendering.
| Path | Works in plain terminal | SSH / tmux | CI logs | Copy-paste | Install cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unicode (this skill) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 1 file |
| Sixel / kitty graphics | ✗ (not in chat) | partial | ✗ | ✗ images | separate render CLI (roadmap) |
| Pipe through external viewer | ✗ TUI breaks | n/a | ✓ if --print | ✓ | shell wrapper |
Unicode is the only approach that preserves text across the distribution channels a Claude Code session commonly uses. The graphical path is roadmap-only and, even then, would run as a separate terminal command outside the chat.
claude-math install --codex)markless: terminal Markdown viewer with Typst math and kitty/sixel imagesmdviewer, glowm, mdterm: adjacent viewersMIT.
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