This is a way of keeping a copy of all my references in a bib file in GitHub. Then I can use that in Overleaf (this is similar to the features they offer for Zotero or Mendeley bibliography synching, but does not require having to have a paid subscription to overleaf :).

Setup from scratch:

1. Add the following lines to your zsh config file (located by default at ~/.zshrc). First set variables for the location of the work tree and the git dir. (note, I chose to put the work tree in the bibtex/bib folder in my TEXMFHOME dir. You can check where this is with kpsewhich -var-value TEXMFHOME. If it does not already exist consider setting it up the standard way, using amunn/make-local-texmf):

   # Set locations of allbib work tree and git dir
   mytexmf=`/Library/TeX/texbin/kpsewhich -var-value TEXMFHOME`
   allbib_worktree=$mytexmf/bibtex/bib/
   allbib_git_dir=$HOME/allbib.git
   
   # for my allbib.git repo, which just tracks the dir where my all.bib file is
   alias allbib-git='git --git-dir=$allbib_git_dir --work-tree=$allbib_worktree'
   alias allbib-refresh='allbib-git add $allbib_worktree && allbib-git commit -m "routine update" && allbib-git push'

2. Then close your terminal and open a new terminal (or reload the zsh config file), so those variables are available.

3. Then, initialize a bare git repository to track your bibfiles, located in the place you chose above.

   git init --bare $allbib_git_dir

4. Add a bib file to be tracked. Say you have a file all.bib in the allbib-work-tree-dir you specified above. Add it and commit like this:

     allbib-git add all.bib
     allbib-git commit -m 'added all.bib'

5. Make Git not show all the untracked files, then add the remote (make the new repo called allbib.git on github first)

   allbib-git config status.showUntrackedFiles no
   allbib-git remote add origin https://github.com/$GITHUB_USERNAME/allbib.git

Setting up on new computer (pulling already existing version)

• Run step 1 above to set locations and make aliases.

• Then, clone this repo as a bare repo in your desired location locally

  git clone --bare git@github.com:postylem/allbib.git $allbib_git_dir

• Get the working tree in its desired location locally (make sure $allbib_worktree exists and is empty first)

  if find "directory_name" -prune -empty | read; then
      echo "Checking out worktree to $allbib_worktree."
      git --git-dir=$allbib_git_dir --work-tree=$allbib_worktree checkout
  else
      echo "Directory $allbib_worktree does not exist or is not empty."
  fi

• Run step 5 above to set the config. (Skip the remote add step as remote should already be set since you just cloned.)

Use

Once set up, your bib files will be available on GitHub to use wherever.

Anytime you make changes to the local bibliography file all.bib, just run the following command to automatically add those changes and commit and push to GitHub:

allbib-refresh

One workflow I find particularly useful is:

• Import your allbib.git project onto Overleaf with "New Project > Import from GitHub". Then you will have this bibfile in its own Overleaf project. You can make sure it is up to date after doing an allbib-refresh by selecting "Menu > GitHub" in the allbib project on Overleaf and pulling any recent changes.
• Then in any other Overleaf project, you can "Add File > From Another Project" to import this bibfile. Note anytime you update the file in the allbib project on Overleaf, you'll need to "refresh" the linked file in this project.