Typst

Modern typesetting system — simpler than LaTeX, faster compilation, programmable.

Compilation

typst compile document.typ              # compile once
typst compile document.typ output.pdf   # explicit output path
typst compile src/main.typ --root .     # set project root for /path imports
typst watch document.typ                # recompile on change

Agents cannot preview PDFs. Verify via exit code and pdftotext:

typst compile document.typ && pdftotext document.pdf - | head -20

Minimal Document

#set page(paper: "a4", margin: 2cm)
#set text(size: 11pt)

= Title

Content goes here.

Writing Documents

When you need to...	Read
Learn syntax, imports, functions, control flow	basics.md
Learn data types, operators, string/array methods	types.md
Style pages, headings, figures, layout	styling.md
Tables, grids, cell spans, borders, data tables	tables.md
Academic papers, bibliography, theorems, equations	academic.md
Convert from Markdown or LaTeX	conversion.md

Start with basics.md — it covers modes, imports, functions, control flow, and common pitfalls. For data types and operators, see types.md.

Developing Packages and Templates

When you need to...	Read
Use state, context, query, or parse XML	advanced.md
Create a reusable template function	template.md
Create or publish a package	package.md
Debug output (pdftotext, repr, measure)	debug.md
Profile performance (--timings, hotspots)	perf.md

basics.md and types.md are also the foundation for developers.

Finding Packages

Search the embedded index of Typst Universe packages (updated weekly):

python3 scripts/search-packages.py "what you need"
python3 scripts/search-packages.py "chart" --category visualization
python3 scripts/search-packages.py --category cv --top 5
python3 scripts/search-packages.py --list-categories

Import Pattern

#import "@preview/package-name:version": *
#import "@preview/package-name:version": specific-func

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
"unknown variable"	Undefined identifier	Check spelling, ensure #let before use
"expected X, found Y"	Type mismatch	Check function signature in docs
"file not found"	Bad import path	Paths resolve relative to current file
"unknown font"	Font not installed	Use system fonts or web-safe alternatives
"maximum function call depth exceeded"	Deep recursion	Use iteration instead
"can only be used when context is known"	Missing context wrapper	Wrap in context { ... }
"unexpected argument"	= instead of : for args	Named args use : syntax: func(name: value)
"variables from outside are read-only"	Mutating captured variable	Use loop accumulation or state() — see advanced.md
"expected content, found string" (or vice versa)	Content/string type mismatch	Use [#str-var] to embed string in content
set/show rule has no effect	Rule placed after content	Place set/show rules before the content they target

Examples

Example	Description
basic-document.typ	Complete beginner document with all common elements
styled-document.typ	Set/show rules, page layout, multi-region document
template-report.typ	Reusable template with headers, counters, note boxes
tables-showcase.typ	Table features: spans, stripes, grids, data gen
academic-paper.typ	Paper with theorems, equations, bibliography layout
package-example/	Minimal publishable package with submodules

Dependencies

• typst CLI: Install from https://typst.app or via package manager
  • macOS: brew install typst
  • Linux: cargo install typst-cli
  • Windows: winget install typst
• pdftotext (optional): For text-level output verification
• Python 3.10+ (optional): For package search and validation scripts