dsh-better-overleaf

Writing papers in Overleaf's browser interface can feel constraining: local tooling cannot read your files, Git operations require tab-switching, and an agent conversation cannot reference a specific line. dsh-better-overleaf maps each Overleaf project to a local git mirror under /overleaf//, so dsh-better-sidebar's file tree, editor, PDF and image previewers, Git panel, and @-mention file references all operate directly on Overleaf content, eliminating the back-and-forth between a browser tab and a terminal.

Login uses a Direct-CDP approach: authenticate once through any Chromium-family browser (persistent profile, third-party browser path, or manual cookie fallback), and subsequent sessions pick up the stored credentials without re-entering anything. All credentials stay host-side and never enter the browser bundle or route payloads. For sync, the git transport gives you full pull and push with real commit history and visible diffs in the sidebar Git panel; when only a session cookie is available the plugin gracefully degrades to read-only API snapshot pulls. The binding file (.overleaf.json) is excluded via .git/info/exclude, and unbinding removes only that file, never your source content.

This plugin is built for researchers, developers, and graduate students who draft academic papers in Overleaf but want local Git management, offline access, and agent-assisted editing. It is hot-pluggable: dormant when dsh-better-sidebar is not mounted, fully functional the moment that peer appears, with no extra services required.