Math Macro Expansion Limit Exceeded

Expanding the \newcommand macros in a math expression produced more tokens than the limit allows, which almost always means a macro refers to itself.

Q-22-8 — Math Macro Expansion Limit Exceeded

Expanding the \newcommand macros in a math expression produced more tokens than the limit allows, which almost always means a macro refers to itself.

What this means

Macros are expanded before the expression is converted. A definition such as \newcommand{\loop}{\loop} never stops expanding; TeX would hang, quarto-math stops after a fixed budget, reports the expression, and emits it verbatim in formats that need a conversion.

Why this happens

Common causes: a macro that uses itself directly or through another macro, or a macro argument that reintroduces the macro.

How to fix it

Remove the self-reference. If a legitimately large expansion hits the limit, split the expression or simplify the macros.

Where it is reported

Math diagnostics point into the .qmd at the exact characters inside the $…$ or $$…$$ block, including math that spans several lines or sits inside a block quote or list item. When a \newcommand macro is involved, a problem inside the macro body points at the definition and a problem in a macro argument points at the use.