Native Mathematical Typesetting Support (Inline & Block)

Product Feedback
1

I’d like to request first-party support for mathematical typesetting (ideally via MathJax), similar to how Notion and other modern editors handle math.

Specifically, I’d like the ability to:

  1. Type inline math within standard text blocks.
  2. Create dedicated LaTeX blocks for larger, complex equations.

The Problem

Currently, users have to rely on the third-party “LaTeX” pack. While I do appreciate the effort behind the pack, it is a workaround that introduces significant friction for heavy users:

  • Performance & fluidity: Relying on an external pack to generate images for every formula feels clunky compared to the instant rendering of native text.
  • No Syntax Validation: There is no live preview or syntax checking. If you make a minor syntax error, you don’t get helpful feedback; the rendering often just breaks or fails silently.
  • Dark Mode Incompatibility: The pack renders equations as SVG images. These images are not theme-aware. If you are using Coda in Dark Mode, the equations render as black text on a dark background, making them invisible or illegible.

Why It Matters

Adding native math support would remove a non-trivial barrier for two big user groups:

  1. Technical & Engineering Teams

Coda is fantastic for project management and documentation, but technical specs often require math. Engineers shouldn’t have to switch to a different tool just to document a formula. Native support would allow technical teams to keep their specs, logic, and calculations all in one place.

  1. Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) & Academia

Many users use Coda as a “second brain.” For students, researchers, and lifelong learners, the inability to quickly type math notes may actually be a dealbreaker. This is one area where competitors (like Notion and Obsidian) currently have a distinct advantage.

Summary

Coda is an incredibly powerful surface, but for those of us dealing with STEM topics, the lack of native math support is a major friction point. Implementing a standard library like MathJax would significantly improve the writing experience and make Coda a viable option for technical documentation.

Thanks for considering this!

2

I second this! I also appreciate the effort behind the LaTeX pack. But it seems the integration of LaTeX within the doc is not ideal. For example, I just tried writing a few inline LaTeX in coda and the way the math lines up with normal text is quite off:

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image764×117 4.4 KB

This is in addition to the points that @lolfert already made, which I agree with all.

My brief usage of coda has been really positive. If LaTeX integration can be further polished, this would be a fantastic tool for my lab to move forward with.

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3

I can only post one embedded image at a time, so here I show for reference how Nuclino (KaTeX rendering) and other similar tools render inline LaTeX:

image

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4

I use the LATEX pack (by Coda) for this.
Latex has been around for decades and has become the standard in science, maths, and engineering publishing.

LaTeX::Math(“R\_{\\mu \\nu} - \\tfrac{1}{2}R g\_{\\mu \\nu} + \\Lambda g\_{\\mu \\nu} = \\frac{8 \\pi G }{c^4} T\_{\\mu \\nu}”)

image
image832×203 13.6 KB

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5

@Max_OBrien I believe both @lolfert and myself are indeed already using the LaTeX pack. I see that it is in fact developed the coda team, but it still needs some improvement as mentioned above. I see that it is in fact using MathJax, so that’s great.

My point still stands though when using the LaTeX feature inline with text. Please refer to my previous screenshots. That’s using the official LaTeX pack.

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7

Completely agree - the inline alignment issues with the LaTeX pack are a dealbreaker.

I really hope the Coda team addresses this soon. Native math support has become a standard feature in modern apps involving docs. It’s sad to see how the absence of something as small as this can so dramatically handicap an otherwise incredibly versatile platform. I have used Coda for years for both professional and personal projects and yet this specific limitation has actually caused me to consider other options recently.

Best of luck to you and your labmems in finding a solution, @kurisu.

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