---
title: "Templates — TeXForge docs | UniverLab"
source: "https://univerlab.org/texforge/docs/templates/"
---

[← TeXForge](/texforge/)Documentation

# Templates

Last updated 2026 · Sol 271 · 00:44 UTC (2026-09-28T00:44Z)

Templates are managed through the [texforge-templates](https://github.com/UniverLab/texforge-templates) registry. The `general` template is embedded in the binary, so creating a project always works — even offline.

## Commands

    texforge template list              # installed + available in the registry
    texforge template list --installed  # only locally installed templates
    texforge template add <name>        # download a template from the registry
    texforge template remove <name>     # remove an installed template
    texforge template validate <name>   # verify template compatibility

Installed templates are cached under `~/.texforge/templates/`.

## Using a template

    texforge new my-doc -t apa-general

Or pick one interactively with `texforge init`.

## Placeholders

Templates declare placeholders (title, author, institution, …) in their manifest. When you create a project, texforge fills them from your answers and from your [global configuration](/texforge/docs/configuration/) — so you don’t retype your name and institution for every document.

## Writing your own template

A template is a directory with a manifest describing its files and placeholders:

*   `id`, `version`, `display_name`, `description`
*   `files` — include/exclude globs
*   `placeholders` — name, type, description, required, default, choices
*   `post_generate` — optional scripts to run after generation

The easiest way to start is to copy an existing template from the [texforge-templates](https://github.com/UniverLab/texforge-templates) repository and run `texforge template validate` against it.