## TL;DR
Converting markdown cells to code comments by prefixing `#` leaves LaTeX like `$\alpha$` as unreadable comment noise (and the backslashes can trip tooling). Translate math into plain words during conversion: 'alpha: the learning rate' instead of the raw expression. The converted script's comments should read as explanations, not as markup leaking through.

```text
agent's markdown-to-comments conversion broke the latex, broken output, render failed
```

## Use this when
- Converted scripts have comments full of raw LaTeX.
- Readers cannot understand the converted comments.
- The agent converts markdown mechanically.

## Not for this skill when
- The conversion crashes. That is an exporter bug.
- LaTeX is fine in the notebook. This is only about conversion.

## Steps
1. Find the LaTeX in the converted comments. Verify: you see the raw markup.
2. Change the converter: detect math spans and render their meaning in words. Verify: comments read as plain language.
3. For simple symbols, use unicode or words (alpha, sigma, ~). Verify: no backslash sequences remain.
4. For complex equations, summarize the equation's role in one line. Verify: a reader gets the point without the math.
5. Review the converted script cold. Verify: comments explain, not confuse.

## Variant phrasings
### markdown latex to comments conversion
Short form. Words, not markup.

### latex broken in converted script
The symptom phrasing. Translate the math.

### notebook convert comments math
General phrasing. Meaning over markup.

Compatibility: Any markdown-to-comment converter. The principle is format-agnostic.

## Why it happens
LaTeX is a rendering language: `$\alpha$` means nothing until typeset. In a code comment there is no typesetter, so the raw markup is worse than useless; it is confusing, and backslash sequences can trip linters and privacy scanners. The comment's job is to explain, and the explanation of math is words about what the math means in this code.

## Edge cases / pitfalls
- Do not just strip the LaTeX; that deletes meaning. Translate it.
- Keep it brief: one line per equation. Comments are not textbooks.
- If the math is the point (a formula being implemented), put the formula in the docstring as plain text and explain the terms.
- Test the converter on a math-heavy notebook. Edge cases cluster there.
- When the same equation appears in several cells, translate it once and reference the first translation.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_QwWjSixP0S7bEHEtmyHFzA