Math (KaTeX)

Markdown PDF can render LaTeX math via KaTeX. Math is rendered server-side (no JavaScript in the PDF), and fonts are inlined so the output is fully self-contained.

Enable

In your Zed settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "markdown-pdf": {
      "settings": {
        "math": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Or per document, via front matter:

---
title: Lecture Notes
pdf:
  math: true
---

Syntax

Syntax	Renders as
$x^2$	Inline math
$$\int_0^1 x\,dx$$	Display math (centered block)

Examples:

The area of a circle is $A = \pi r^2$.

$$
\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} \, dx = \sqrt{\pi}
$$

Macros

Define custom LaTeX macros to reuse across all documents:

{
  "math_options": {
    "macros": {
      "\\RR": "\\mathbb{R}",
      "\\NN": "\\mathbb{N}",
      "\\eps": "\\varepsilon"
    }
  }
}

JSON gotcha: every LaTeX backslash must be doubled inside JSON strings.

Error handling

By default, invalid LaTeX is rendered inline in red rather than aborting the export. Override:

{
  "math_options": {
    "throw_on_error": true,
    "error_color": "#ff0000"
  }
}

Performance

KaTeX runs at HTML generation time, before Playwright opens the page. Adding math has no measurable impact on PDF rendering speed beyond the markdown-it pass itself.