CLI reference

The clat command has three forms: the default format command, plus the list and set subcommands.

clat <files...>              Format .tex files in place
clat -r <root.tex...>        Recursively format LaTeX inputs/includes
clat --recursive <root.tex>  Long form of -r
clat --check <files...>      Dry run: report issues without fixing
clat --check -r <root.tex>   Dry run a multi-file document
clat -o out.tex in.tex       Write to a different file
clat --threshold N <files>   Override threshold for this run

clat list                    List all rules with weights and categories
clat list --config path      Use a specific config file

clat set <rule#> <weight>    Set a rule weight in .clat.toml
clat set --threshold N       Set the threshold in .clat.toml
clat set --init              Create .clat.toml with defaults
clat set --reset             Restore .clat.toml to defaults
clat set --config path       Target a specific config file

clat --version               Show version

---

clat — format

clat [options] <files...>

Apply the configured rules to one or more .tex files. By default files are rewritten in place; a file is only touched if something actually changes.

Option	Description
files...	One or more .tex files to format.
-r, --recursive	Follow \input/\include-style commands and also format every .tex file they pull in. See Multi-file documents. Cannot be combined with -o.
-o, --output PATH	Write output to PATH instead of editing in place. Single input only.
--check	Dry run — report what would change without modifying any file.
--config PATH	Read configuration from PATH instead of the default search locations.
--threshold N	Override the threshold for this run only (does not edit the config).
--version	Print the clat version and exit.

Examples

clat main.tex                      # format in place
clat main.tex appendix.tex         # format several files
clat -r main.tex                   # follow inputs/includes and format them all
clat --check -r main.tex           # dry run the whole multi-file document
clat --check main.tex              # dry run
clat -o clean.tex main.tex         # write elsewhere, leave the input alone
clat --threshold 3 main.tex        # one-off stricter run

Exit status

Code	Meaning
0	Clean — nothing to fix or flag.
1	Issues found: a missing file, or any remaining clunks/splats (and, under --check, any pending fixes).

The non-zero exit on outstanding issues makes clat --check suitable for CI and pre-commit hooks.

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clat list

clat list [--config PATH]

List every rule with its number, effective weight, and the category it falls into for the current threshold. A ✓ marks a fixable rule, ✗ a detect-only one.

Option	Description
--config PATH	Read configuration from PATH.

---

clat set

clat set [<rule#> <weight>] [--threshold N] [--init] [--reset] [--config PATH]

Edit the configuration file (default ./.clat.toml).

Option	Description
<rule#> <weight>	Set the weight (0–10) of the rule with the given number; 0 disables it.
--threshold N	Set the threshold (1–10).
--init	Create .clat.toml with defaults. Refuses to overwrite an existing file.
--reset	Overwrite .clat.toml with defaults.
--config PATH	Operate on PATH instead of ./.clat.toml.

Examples

clat set --init              # create .clat.toml
clat set --threshold 7       # raise the threshold
clat set 12 9                # set rule 12 (ellipsis) to weight 9
clat set --reset             # restore defaults

Running clat set with no actionable arguments prints help and exits 1.