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Oleafly
oleafly.com
What it is
Oleafly is a free desktop workspace for writing technical documents such as papers, theses, and resumes. It brings writing, PDF preview, references, and an optional AI assistant together, and supports LaTeX, Typst, and Markdown projects. Research search covers alphaXiv and OpenAlex, citations can be checked against Crossref, and reference libraries can be imported from BibTeX, RIS, EndNote XML, and Zotero RDF. Local spelling and grammar checks use Hunspell and Harper, with a focus on prose rather than LaTeX commands and mathematics. Writing, local compilation, PDF review, and proofreading work offline without AI, once packages, fonts, and tools are downloaded. Projects can be imported from folders or ZIPs and exported as PDF, DOCX, HTML, Markdown, or source ZIP files. GitHub push and pull and Git-based collaboration are supported, but real-time co-editing, comments, and managed sync are not available. Oleafly is open source under AGPL-3.0 for macOS, Windows, and Linux. The desktop app has no subscription; paid AI providers may charge for usage.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Oleafly is a desktop workspace for writing papers, theses, resumes and other technical documents in LaTeX, Typst or Markdown.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Integrations
- The product supports GitHub push and pull, Git-based collaboration, Ollama, MCP tools, and connections to AI providers and installed CLI agents.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Privacy
- The maker says project files stay on the user's machine, there is no Oleafly account or telemetry, and hosted AI receives only context the user chooses to send.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Support
- Users are directed to Discord for help and GitHub Issues for bug reports and feature requests.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Maker
- The project says it is built by Prajwal Murthy and contributors; its citation metadata names Prajwal S. Venkateshmurthy and the Oleafly contributors.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- AI options
- Users can connect hosted AI providers, local Ollama models, custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints, or supported CLI agents such as Claude Code and Codex.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- AI providers
- Users can connect hosted model providers, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint or a local Ollama model.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Beta status
- The GitHub README labels Oleafly beta and says research tasks and CLI-agent support are beta features.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Citation search
- Citation Search queries arXiv, Semantic Scholar, Crossref, PubMed and OpenAlex and can save BibTeX entries.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- CLI agents
- The editor supports command-line agents including Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Pi, OpenCode, Cline, Cursor and others.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Collaboration limit
- Real-time co-editing, comments, and managed sync are planned but are not currently in the app; collaboration currently uses Git.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Collaboration server
- Teams can run Oleafly Server on their own Linux machine or cloud account for shared projects, accounts, roles and live collaboration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Compilation engines
- Tectonic, Typst and Pandoc are bundled, while users can switch to latexmk with TeX Live, MacTeX, MiKTeX or TinyTeX.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Desktop limitation
- Intel Macs and Windows on ARM do not have native packages listed in the installation documentation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Desktop requirements
- Native releases target macOS Apple Silicon, Windows x64, Linux x64 and Linux ARM64; Linux requires glibc 2.39 or newer.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Diagram tools
- A visual diagram canvas can produce editable TikZ, Typst or Mermaid source, with AI-assisted figure creation available.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Editor and preview
- The app combines source editing, document navigation and PDF preview, with source-to-PDF navigation through SyncTeX.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Import and export
- Users can import project folders and ZIPs, including exports from online LaTeX editors, and export PDF, DOCX, HTML, Markdown, and source ZIP files.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Import options
- Users can import ZIP archives, GitHub repositories, Word, Markdown, HTML, Typst, arXiv source bundles and PDFs reconstructed as editable LaTeX.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Independent-source documentation depth
- The repository README links guides, build-from-source instructions, server deployment, compilation-engine documentation and contribution paths.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Independent-source extensibility
- The repository documents a local MCP server, external CLI agents, hosted model endpoints and Ollama as extension paths.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Independent-source product description
- GitHub describes Oleafly as a local-first AI-assisted research workspace for scientific writing and publishing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Independent-source repository metrics
- The GitHub organization page lists the main repository as TypeScript under AGPL-3.0 and displays 21 stars and 11 forks at the time captured.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Independent-source support channel
- The GitHub project invites bug reports, feature requests, code contributions, template contributions and documentation contributions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Licence
- The GitHub project identifies the desktop app as AGPL-3.0-or-later.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: collaboration release scope
- The GitHub README states that live co-editing and background device sync were not shipped in that release.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Maker location
- The Oleafly GitHub organization lists the organization location as the United States of America.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- MCP integration
- Oleafly can run a local MCP server so clients such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Grok CLI can read, edit, search and compile projects.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- MCP network boundary
- The MCP server listens only on 127.0.0.1 and runs only while the Oleafly process is open.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Offline operation
- Writing, local compilation, PDF review, spellchecking, grammar checking, diagrams and optional Ollama can work without network access after required downloads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Offline use
- Writing, local compilation, PDF review, and proofreading work without AI; packages, fonts, and tools must be downloaded before going offline.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Open source and support
- Oleafly is open source under AGPL-3.0, and the site directs users to GitHub to report issues, contribute fixes, and join discussions.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Preflight
- Preflight checks compile and layout, submission readiness, ATS readiness, accessibility, references and assets, and privacy or blind-review risks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Preflight limitation
- The documentation says Preflight cannot determine whether alternative text is meaningful, reading order makes sense to people, contrast is sufficient or assistive technology works well.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Privacy design
- The product states that projects, drafts, checkpoints and Git history stay local and that network access is used only for selected actions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Project format
- Projects remain ordinary .tex, .typ, .md and .bib files in normal folders without a proprietary document format.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Proofreading
- Built-in spelling and grammar checks run locally with Hunspell and Harper and focus on prose rather than LaTeX commands and math.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Public review evidence
- No Oleafly listing, rating or review count was stated on the opened G2, Capterra, GetApp, TrustRadius, Trustpilot, Gartner Peer Insights or app-store pages searched.Read 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
- Reference imports
- The app imports Zotero, EndNote, RIS and BibTeX data and flags undefined or duplicate citation keys.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Repository activity
- The Oleafly GitHub organization lists four public repositories and shows the main repository updated on October 14, 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Research and citations
- Research search covers alphaXiv and OpenAlex, citations can be verified against Crossref, and reference libraries can be imported from BibTeX, RIS, EndNote XML, and Zotero RDF.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Research skills
- The bundled research-core pack contains 36 skills covering literature work, manuscript analysis, figures, review and submission.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Server installation
- The server documentation provides a one-command installer plus Docker Compose, Coolify, Render, Railway and systemd deployment paths.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Server requirements
- The one-command server setup requires Linux on x86-64 or ARM, a domain, ports 80 and 443, and at least one sign-in provider.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Submission checks
- Submission preflight includes compile, venue, ATS, accessibility, reference, and privacy checks; the maker says it does not promise an ATS score.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
- Version history
- Each successful compile that changes source can create a local checkpoint, and projects can use Git commits, diffs, push and pull.Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
- Writing formats
- The workspace supports LaTeX, Typst, and Markdown projects.Read 30 Sep 2026 · oleafly.com
Plans and prices
Free Free Desktop app · no Oleafly subscription · paid AI-provider usage may apply · local Ollama does not require paid API Read 15 Oct 2026 · oleafly.com
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Supports LaTeX, Typst, and Markdown projects.
- Local proofreading works offline.
- Imports several reference-library formats.
- Exports PDF, DOCX, HTML, Markdown, and source ZIP.
- Open source under AGPL-3.0.
Limits
- Real-time co-editing is not available.
- Comments and managed sync are not available.
- Offline use requires previously downloaded packages and tools.
- Paid AI providers may charge for usage.
Who it suits
Oleafly suits technical writers who want a desktop workspace for LaTeX, Typst, or Markdown documents. It also fits users who can collaborate through Git rather than real-time co-editing.
Verdict
Oleafly combines technical writing, reference handling, PDF review, and optional AI in a free desktop app. Its collaboration currently relies on Git, and offline use depends on preparing required packages and tools in advance.
Where Specifiction places it
- LaTeX Editors#2 of 328.8
