Current task: —

← Session 20 — Website: math/formula rendering review

#844 assistant 2026-08-21 02:39:25.432 UTC · 546→916 tok open ⤢
thinking (1085 chars)
Diagnosis is complete. Let me summarize for the user and ask which direction they want. **Answer to "are we using MathJax or LaTeX?"**: MathJax 3.2.2 (vendored, client-side). It IS loaded on every page and works — but only the Resources atlas notes contain actual LaTeX. The research agent's own archive files use plain Unicode math, so MathJax has nothing to render there. Options: 1. **Leave archive as-is, improve typography** (website-only, safe): math-capable font stack, style indented formula lines as display blocks. No content changes, no risk. 2. **Convert archive math to LaTeX** (research-side, big): typeset everywhere, aligns with paper pipeline, but touches the single-source-of-truth archive (needs user directive; website agent can't do it), 87+ files, error risk — would need careful per-file verification. 3. Hybrid: CSS/font improvements now + new research files could adopt `$...$` going forward (still needs research-side directive). I should ask the user which they want. Per AskUserQuestion guidance. Actually, let me present the diagnosis concisely and ask.
Diagnosis complete. Here's the answer: ## We use MathJax — and it's working. The problem is the archive content itself. **Renderer**: MathJax 3.2.2 (vendored `tex-chtml.js`, no CDN), loaded in `base.html` with `$…$` / `$$…$$` delimiters. I verified live: the **Resources Atlas** pages (which contain real LaTeX like `$$\Xi(z) = \int_0^\infty \Phi(u)\cos(zu)\,du$$`) deliver intact math spans and MathJax typesets them. **But the research agent's own files** — results, derivations, graveyard, journal, and the ledger/experiment cards — are written in **plain Unicode math**, not LaTeX: ``` ψ(w) = log w − 1/(2w) + r(w), |r(w)| ≤ 1.2/|w|² ``` There are no `$…$` delimiters in 5/5 results, 13/13 journal, 5/5 graveyard, and 63/64 derivations files — so MathJax has nothing to typeset. You see raw text with font-fallback glyphs. The markdown pipeline itself is fine (underscores like `S_f` aren't mangled; no placeholder leaks). ## Options 1. **Typography pass (website-only, safe)** — add a math-capable font stack (STIX Two / Cambria Math / Noto Sans Math fallbacks) and style indented formula lines as display blocks. Content untouched, zero risk, but it's still text-math, not typeset equations. 2. **Convert the archive to LaTeX math** — real typeset equations everywhere, and it aligns with the paper pipeline. But this modifies the research archive (single source of truth) — ~87 files, only the research agent may do it, with per-file verification. Big, deliberate job. 3. **Hybrid** — option 1 now, plus a research-side directive that *new* derivations use `$…$` going forward; convert old files opportunistically.
tool: AskUserQuestion ok
input
{
  "questions": [
    {
      "question": "How do you want to fix the math rendering on the archive pages?",
      "header": "Fix approach",
      "options": [
        {
          "label": "Typography pass (Recommended)",
          "description": "Website-only: math-capable fonts + display-block styling for formula lines. No archive changes, no risk, immediate improvement."
        },
        {
          "label": "Full LaTeX conversion",
          "description": "Research agent converts ~87 archive files to $\u2026$ LaTeX math. Real typeset equations everywhere, but a large, deliberate archive change needing verification per file."
        },
        {
          "label": "Hybrid",
          "description": "Typography pass now + a directive that new research files use LaTeX math going forward; old files converted opportunistically."
        },
        {
          "label": "Just diagnose",
          "description": "No changes \u2014 you only wanted to know what's going on."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
result 2026-08-21 02:40:56Z → 2026-08-21 02:40:56Z
{
  "questions": [
    "question='How do you want to fix the math rendering on the archive pages?' header='Fix approach' options=[QuestionOption(label='Typography pass (Recommended)', description='Website-only: math-capable fonts + display-block styling for formula lines. No archive changes, no risk, immediate improvement.', preview=None), QuestionOption(label='Full LaTeX conversion', description='Research agent converts ~87 archive files to $\u2026$ LaTeX math. Real typeset equations everywhere, but a large, deliberate archive change needing verification per file.', preview=None), QuestionOption(label='Hybrid', description='Typography pass now + a directive that new research files use LaTeX math going forward; old files converted opportunistically.', preview=None), QuestionOption(label='Just diagnose', description=\"No changes \u2014 you only wanted to know what's going on.\", preview=None)] multi_select=False"
  ],
  "answers": {
    "How do you want to fix the math rendering on the archive pages?": "Typography pass (Recommended)"
  }
}
raw content_json (database row)
[{"type":"thinking","thinking":"Diagnosis is complete. Let me summarize for the user and ask which direction they want.\n\n**Answer to \"are we using MathJax or LaTeX?\"**: MathJax 3.2.2 (vendored, client-side). It IS loaded on every page and works — but only the Resources atlas notes contain actual LaTeX. The research agent's own archive files use plain Unicode math, so MathJax has nothing to render there.\n\nOptions:\n1. **Leave archive as-is, improve typography** (website-only, safe): math-capable font stack, style indented formula lines as display blocks. No content changes, no risk.\n2. **Convert archive math to LaTeX** (research-side, big): typeset everywhere, aligns with paper pipeline, but touches the single-source-of-truth archive (needs user directive; website agent can't do it), 87+ files, error risk — would need careful per-file verification.\n3. Hybrid: CSS/font improvements now + new research files could adopt `$...$` going forward (still needs research-side directive).\n\nI should ask the user which they want. Per AskUserQuestion guidance. Actually, let me present the diagnosis concisely and ask.","signature":""},{"type":"text","text":"Diagnosis complete. Here's the answer:\n\n## We use MathJax — and it's working. The problem is the archive content itself.\n\n**Renderer**: MathJax 3.2.2 (vendored `tex-chtml.js`, no CDN), loaded in `base.html` with `$…$` / `$$…$$` delimiters. I verified live: the **Resources Atlas** pages (which contain real LaTeX like `$$\\Xi(z) = \\int_0^\\infty \\Phi(u)\\cos(zu)\\,du$$`) deliver intact math spans and MathJax typesets them.\n\n**But the research agent's own files** — results, derivations, graveyard, journal, and the ledger/experiment cards — are written in **plain Unicode math**, not LaTeX:\n\n```\nψ(w) = log w − 1/(2w) + r(w),   |r(w)| ≤ 1.2/|w|²\n```\n\nThere are no `$…$` delimiters in 5/5 results, 13/13 journal, 5/5 graveyard, and 63/64 derivations files — so MathJax has nothing to typeset. You see raw text with font-fallback glyphs. The markdown pipeline itself is fine (underscores like `S_f` aren't mangled; no placeholder leaks).\n\n## Options\n\n1. **Typography pass (website-only, safe)** — add a math-capable font stack (STIX Two / Cambria Math / Noto Sans Math fallbacks) and style indented formula lines as display blocks. Content untouched, zero risk, but it's still text-math, not typeset equations.\n2. **Convert the archive to LaTeX math** — real typeset equations everywhere, and it aligns with the paper pipeline. But this modifies the research archive (single source of truth) — ~87 files, only the research agent may do it, with per-file verification. Big, deliberate job.\n3. **Hybrid** — option 1 now, plus a research-side directive that *new* derivations use `$…$` going forward; convert old files opportunistically."},{"type":"tool_use","id":"AskUserQuestion_31","name":"AskUserQuestion","input":{"questions":[{"question":"How do you want to fix the math rendering on the archive pages?","header":"Fix approach","options":[{"label":"Typography pass (Recommended)","description":"Website-only: math-capable fonts + display-block styling for formula lines. No archive changes, no risk, immediate improvement."},{"label":"Full LaTeX conversion","description":"Research agent converts ~87 archive files to $…$ LaTeX math. Real typeset equations everywhere, but a large, deliberate archive change needing verification per file."},{"label":"Hybrid","description":"Typography pass now + a directive that new research files use LaTeX math going forward; old files converted opportunistically."},{"label":"Just diagnose","description":"No changes — you only wanted to know what's going on."}]}]},"extra_content":null}]