Technical Book Workspace: Markdown, LaTeX, and PDF

Where you see this in the app

This is the technical/academic alternative to the default large-book preset. For an existing post, open its Workspace tab, choose Browse templates, and select Technical Book - Markdown/LaTeX PDF. If another runtime is already open, close it and reopen the workspace so the post can use the required latex pool, then use Reset workspace to template when you intentionally want the starter files. Choose Create a book on /check-ins/new when you want the default Paged.js/publisher path instead.

The template is for a book attached to a normal GetPaidX post. It does not create a separate book account or change who owns the post.

What the template creates

The workspace starts with an ordered, multi-file manuscript:

The generated artifacts/, build/, .book-data/, and dependency directories are not manuscript source. Do not edit them directly.

Write and revise with the Agent

You can edit Markdown directly or ask the post's Agent chat to revise specific chapter files. Useful instructions name the canonical file, state what must be preserved, and request validation afterward.

For example:

Review chapters/02-main-chapter.md for clarity.
Preserve its claims and citation keys.
Then run npm run validate and npm run build.

Saving a workspace snapshot records the accepted source milestone. It is separate from the generated PDF and separate from the Agent conversation.

Preview and build behavior

The live preview builds the ordered chapters with Pandoc and Tectonic. A successful build produces:

• artifacts/site/index.html, the browser-friendly edition page;
• artifacts/site/book.pdf, the downloadable book.

The watcher serializes changes and keeps the last successful PDF available when a later edit does not compile. Build status and bounded diagnostics are available inside the authorized preview. Tectonic runs without shell escape, and the standard template expects local assets rather than remote executable filters.

The first controller image contains a reviewed prewarm cache. Each post receives its own writable cache under /work/data, so ordinary rebuilds do not depend on downloading the same TeX support files again.

Validate, snapshot, and publish

Run:

npm run validate
npm run build

Before publishing, inspect every PDF page for title/author accuracy, chapter order, missing citations, broken images, clipped text, bad tables, incorrect page numbers, and placeholder content.

Then:

1. Save a workspace snapshot.
2. Use Publish site from the workspace controls.
3. Open the resulting stable artifact-site link.
4. Confirm the post's artifact purchase guard and workspace purchase guard match the offer you intend to sell.

Republishing updates the content behind the stable share route. The source workspace remains separate and can have a different access rule from the finished edition.

Common problems

Related docs

• Workspace templates, pools, and reset behavior
• Workspace runtime, preview, and publishing
• Workspace history, snapshots, and rollback
• Artifact site publish request and canonical share updates