deadtree

Sync LaTeX projects with Overleaf. Free tier. Git-powered merges.

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Overleaf charges you $$$$ for git sync. deadtree does it for free.

Your local git repo is the source of truth. An overleaf/main branch tracks what's on Overleaf. Pull merges. Push uploads. Conflicts are real git conflicts — resolve them with your editor, not some janky custom diff tool.

Install

pip install deadtree
pip install 'deadtree[login]'   # first time only
playwright install chromium      # first time only

30 seconds to sync

deadtree init https://www.overleaf.com/project/abc123
deadtree login                    # browser pops up, log in, done
deadtree pull                     # grab everything from Overleaf
# ... write your paper ...
git commit -am "rewrote intro"
deadtree push                     # ship it

Commands

Command	What it does
deadtree pull	Overleaf → local. Downloads, commits to overleaf/main, merges into your branch.
deadtree push	Local → Overleaf. Uploads changed files, updates overleaf/main.
deadtree status	What's different between you and Overleaf?
deadtree diff	git diff against Overleaf state.
deadtree log	Sync history. Every pull and push, timestamped.

Conflicts

Your coauthor edited the intro on Overleaf. You edited it locally. You pull.

$ deadtree pull
Merge conflicts detected. Resolve them, then:
  git add -A && git commit

That's it. It's a git merge. Use vim, vscode, meld, whatever. Fix the <<<<<<< markers, commit, push.

$ deadtree push
Done. 1 file(s) uploaded.

No interactive menus. No "pick a side" prompts. Just git.

How it works

you           ──●──●──●──────●── your branch
                       \    /
overleaf/main ──●───●───●──      what Overleaf has
                pull  pull

• pull downloads the Overleaf zip, commits it to overleaf/main (without touching your working tree), then git merges into your branch
• push uploads your diff, then re-downloads to keep overleaf/main in sync
• status and diff are just git commands against the two branches

The git plumbing uses a temporary index to commit to overleaf/main without checkout. Your working tree is never disturbed.

Config

deadtree init https://www.overleaf.com/project/YOUR_PROJECT_ID

Writes .overleaf.json. That's the only config.

License

MIT. Do whatever you want.