latexpand

Simplify the specified source file and save the result to the specified output file

$ latexpand [[-o|--output]] [path/to/output.tex] [path/to/file.tex]

$ latexpand --keep-comments [[-o|--output]] [path/to/output.tex] [path/to/file.tex]

$ latexpand --keep-includes [[-o|--output]] [path/to/output.tex] [path/to/file.tex]

$ latexpand --expand-usepackage [[-o|--output]] [path/to/output.tex] [path/to/file.tex]

$ latexpand --expand-bbl [path/to/bibliography.bbl] [[-o|--output]] [path/to/output.tex] [path/to/file.tex]

latexpand [options] [input.tex [input.tex ...]]

-h, --help
    Show help message and exit.

-o OUTFILE, --output=OUTFILE
    Write output to OUTFILE (default: stdout).

-p, --preamble
    Preserve preamble (before \begin{document}).

-s, --keep-comments
    Retain comments during expansion.

-k, --keep-labels
    Keep \label{} and \ref{} commands.

-t, --top-level
    Expand only top-level files, not recursed ones.

-m, --missing
    Include missing files as empty blocks.

-i, --indent
    Indent expanded content for readability.

-f FILE, --font-file=FILE
    Specify file for font substitutions.

-l LOGFILE, --logfile=LOGFILE
    Log expansion details to file.

-1, --one-file
    Output one file per input (default behavior).

-S, --sort
    Sort included files alphabetically.

-v, --version
    Display version information and exit.

latexpand is a powerful Perl-based command-line tool for preprocessing LaTeX documents. It recursively expands macros (\def, \newcommand, \renewenvironment), includes (\input, \include, \subimport), TikZ libraries, and other directives into a single, self-contained .tex file.

This flattening process aids debugging by isolating errors, enables use with tools lacking include support (e.g., syntax checkers), and simplifies documents for processing or archiving. It preserves document structure while optionally retaining comments, labels, preamble, or indentation.

Key strengths include handling nested includes, substituting variables, and logging expansions. Users specify input files; output defaults to stdout or a named file. It's lightweight, fast for most documents, and integrates into Makefiles or CI pipelines for reproducible builds.

Limitations apply to highly dynamic or conditional content, but options like --top-level or --missing offer control. Widely used in academic and publishing workflows for clean, expanded sources.

May struggle with circular includes, conditional code (\if), or verbatim environments. Produces large files for big projects; test on subsets first. Not a full LaTeX compiler.

latexpand -o expanded.tex main.tex
latexpand -p -s -i thesis.tex > flat_thesis.tex

0: success.
1: errors (e.g., missing files, parse failures).
2: usage errors.

Developed by David Rhead in 2011 as a Perl script. Maintained on GitHub; version 1.4+ adds TikZ and subimport support. Common in Debian/Ubuntu repos since 2012.

latex(1), pdflatex(1), detex(1), tex(1)