ATS Resume Writer Agent for Claude Code

v1.2.0. Prefer the original? It is preserved as the v1.1.0 release and the v1 branch. See CHANGELOG.md for what changed.

An AI-powered resume and cover letter generator built on Claude Code. It creates ATS-optimized, LaTeX-formatted resumes tailored to specific job descriptions. It also includes a guided career document builder that helps you create the source material through an interactive interview.

Zero fabrication policy: The agent will never estimate metrics, suggest proxy numbers, or embellish your experience. If a quantified achievement isn't in your master document, it won't appear in the output. This is a hard constraint, not a suggestion, and a validator checks it in code.

How It Works

The project has two agents that work together:

1. Career Document Builder: Guides you through an interactive interview to create a comprehensive Master Career Document. It can also ingest existing resumes, LinkedIn profile exports, or any career materials you already have as a starting point.
2. Resume Writer: Takes your Master Career Document and a job description, then produces a tailored LaTeX resume optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems. You run this each time you apply somewhere.

The typical flow:

1. Build your Master Career Document once (guided interview or manual)
2. Drop a job description file into the project
3. Tell Claude to generate a resume
4. The agent selects the most relevant content, maps keywords, and produces a polished PDF
5. The validator confirms every checked claim traces to your MCD, and an optional plain-text export gives you a copy for application forms

You can use it from a clone of this repository or install it as a Claude Code plugin.

Sample Output

Here's what the agent produces from the included example data:

Resume:

Cover Letter:

Prerequisites

Claude Code

Install Claude Code (Anthropic's CLI tool). On macOS, Linux, or WSL:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

On Windows PowerShell:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

On Windows CMD, run curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd. Homebrew (brew install --cask claude-code) and WinGet (winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode) also work. Run claude --version afterward to confirm the install. See the setup guide for other options.

You need a Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan, or an Anthropic Console (API) account. The free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code. See authentication for details. Each resume generation typically uses the Sonnet model and takes 30-60 seconds. The career document builder interview takes longer depending on career complexity.

LaTeX (for PDF compilation)

The agent outputs .tex files. To compile them to PDF, you need pdflatex.

Ubuntu/Debian/WSL:

sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-fonts-recommended \
  texlive-fonts-extra texlive-latex-extra cm-super

This installs all required LaTeX packages. cm-super provides the scalable fonts the cover letter template needs; without it, pdflatex stops with auto expansion is only possible with scalable fonts.

macOS:

brew install --cask mactex-no-gui

The full mactex-no-gui (~4GB) includes all required packages. The smaller basictex (~100MB) may be missing fonts and packages. If you use it, install missing packages with tlmgr:

sudo tlmgr update --self
sudo tlmgr install fontawesome5 fontawesome CormorantGaramond charter \
  ragged2e microtype lastpage bookmark tabularx enumitem titlesec fancyhdr cm-super

Important: The resume template uses fontawesome5 and the cover letter template uses fontawesome. These are separate packages, and both must be installed for full functionality.

Bun (for the validator and text export)

The zero-fabrication validator and the plain-text export run on Bun. Resume generation works without it, but the agent skips those two steps. On macOS, Linux, or WSL:

curl -fsSL https://bun.com/install | bash

See the Bun installation docs for Windows and other options.

Troubleshooting LaTeX packages

To check if a specific package is installed:

kpsewhich fontawesome5.sty

If pdflatex fails with File 'X.sty' not found, install the missing package:

sudo tlmgr install 

If you don't have LaTeX installed and don't want to install it locally, you can still use the agent to generate the .tex files and compile them using Overleaf or another online LaTeX editor.

Setup

There are two ways to use this project. Clone it (steps below) if you want to edit the templates or agents. Or install it as a Claude Code plugin and use it from any folder without cloning (see Install as a plugin).

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/NullSpace-BitCradle/ats-resume-agent.git
   cd ats-resume-agent
   

2. Check dependencies (optional but recommended):

   ./setup.sh
   

   This checks for Claude Code and LaTeX, and offers to install anything missing.

3. Create your Master Career Document (choose one):

   Option A, guided interview (recommended):

   Help me build my career document
   

   The career-doc-builder agent will walk you through an interactive interview to produce a comprehensive 18-section MCD. If you have existing re