mathtype-for-word

MathType for Word and PowerPoint

Create real MathType equations in DOCX and PPTX, preserving MathType-native Word numbering and references. Treat source Office files as user data: write a new output unless the user explicitly authorizes in-place replacement.

Non-negotiable invariants

• Equations are Equation.DSMT4 inline OLE objects created by MathType Toggle TeX.
• Numbered displays use MathType MACROBUTTON MTPlaceRef and SEQ MTEqn fields.
• References use MTCommand_InsertEqnRef, its MTReference placeholder, and the target number's MTPlaceRef action. A resolved reference is a GOTOBUTTON containing a nested REF to a ZEqnNum... bookmark.
• The default number format is simple Arabic equation number only: (1), (2), (3), with chapter and section components disabled.
• Apply numbering to new numbers and the whole processed document. Update fields after edits.
• Never substitute Word numbered lists, captions, SEQ Equation, OMath, Unicode-only text, images, or manually typed numbers. Use those only as an explicitly accepted, clearly labeled fallback when MathType is unavailable.
• PowerPoint equations are centered, floating Equation.DSMT4 OLE objects. PowerPoint has no MathType-native equivalent of Word's equation-number/reference fields, so do not imitate them with typed numbers or links.
• Keep each symbol's mathematical role and font style consistent across display equations, inline math, prose, captions, and definitions.
• Keep Word, PowerPoint, and MathType automation silent: leave application windows hidden, suppress modal alerts, do not steal focus, and do not automate visible UI with mouse, keyboard, AppActivate, or SendKeys. If a step cannot run silently, stop and report the limitation.

Terminal selection

• Detect the active terminal and available executables before invoking the bridge.
• Use PowerShell 7 directly when the active host is pwsh.exe 7 or later.
• From Bash on Windows, including Git Bash, or from CMD, invoke the same Windows pwsh.exe bridge commands. From WSL Bash, invoke Windows pwsh.exe; Linux pwsh cannot automate Windows Office COM.
• Never run the bridge inside Windows PowerShell 5.1. If 5.1 is active, switch to Git Bash or CMD and invoke Windows pwsh.exe there.
• When pwsh.exe is missing, the MCP server installs PowerShell 7.6.6 (LTS) for the current user on the first tool call that needs it (official GitHub ZIP into %USERPROFILE%\.mathtype-for-word\PowerShell\<version>, pinned SHA-256 and Microsoft signature checked, no administrator rights, PATH unchanged). While it installs, the call fails with powershell.status: installing; tell the user and call the tool again a minute later. The call after it finishes fails with powershell.status: installed and a notice; relay the notice and call the tool again. Without MCP, run powershell.exe -NoLogo -NoProfile -NonInteractive -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/ensure-pwsh.ps1 from any terminal, with a shell timeout of several minutes (it downloads about 106 MB); it prints one JSON line whose path replaces pwsh.exe in the commands below, and installed: true means it installed PowerShell 7 now. python scripts\mathtype_batch.py render installs it the same way and returns the notice.
• Whenever PowerShell 7 is installed this way (a tool result's notice, or installed: true), tell the user which version was installed, the folder, and the source, in the user's language.
• If the installation fails (powershell.status: failed, or ok: false), stop and ask the user to install PowerShell 7, for example with the MSI installer winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget --installer-type wix (administrator rights), or using https://learn.microsoft.com/zh-tw/powershell/scripting/install/microsoft-update-faq?view=powershell-7.6. Do not silently downgrade the workflow.
• Read installation-matrix.md for cross-shell commands and agent-specific installation paths.