Cover Letter Maker

A CLI tool that uses Google Generative AI + LangChain to generate personalized cover letters from your CV and a job listing. Generates a LaTeX-formatted letter and can compile to PDF (if pdflatex is available).

Features

• Generate structured cover letters (JSON + rendered LaTeX)
• Paste or upload CV (PDF extraction via docling)
• Save reusable CV and custom instructions
• Preview and export as PDF (requires a local LaTeX installation)

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12+
• A Google Generative AI API key (set as GOOGLE_API_KEY)
• Optional: pdflatex (for PDF export)
• Optional: system dependencies for docling PDF extraction (see docling docs)

Quick install

1. Clone the repo and enter the project folder:

   • git clone <repo-url>
   • cd cover_letter_maker

2. Create a virtual environment and activate it (Better to use uv):

   • python -m venv .venv
   • On macOS / Linux: source .venv/bin/activate
   • On Windows (PowerShell): .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

3. Install the package and dependencies:

   • pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Copy environment example and set your API key:

   • cp .env.example .env
   • Edit .env and set GOOGLE_API_KEY=YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY
   • Or export in your shell: export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your_key"

Run the CLI

• From the project directory:
  • python cli_tool.py

Workflow overview

1. Start the CLI and choose how to provide your CV:
   • Paste plain text, upload a PDF (docling extraction), or reuse saved CV.
2. Paste the job listing text.
3. Optionally add a custom instruction (tone, focus, length).
4. Generate the cover letter — the AI returns structured JSON which is shown in the preview.
5. Export: saves a LaTeX file under ./cover_letters and attempts to compile to PDF if pdflatex is present.

Files & storage

• Saved CV and custom instruction are stored in: ~/.cover_letter_generator/
• Generated LaTeX and PDFs are saved in: ./cover_letters/
• Example JSON export when generating from the template: cover_letter_data.json

Troubleshooting

• GOOGLE_API_KEY not set: the tool will not call the AI. Set the env var or .env.
• pdflatex not found: PDF export will be skipped. Install a TeX distribution.

# Debian/Ubuntu — update and install required TeX Live packages (combined)
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-extra texlive-fonts-recommended

Other platforms:

• macOS: MacTeX (or via Homebrew): brew install --cask mactex

• Windows: MiKTeX

• PDF extraction issues: docling may require additional system libs — see docling documentation.

Security & privacy

• The tool sends CV/job listing text to the Google Generative API — avoid sending sensitive personal data you cannot share.
• API keys are read from environment variables or .env; keep them secret.

Extending & development

• Core modules:
  • cli_tool.py — CLI interface
  • template.py — LaTeX template and PDF compilation
  • prompt.py — prompt template used to generate structured output
• To modify the LaTeX template or escaping rules, edit template.py.
• To adjust the prompt or JSON schema, edit prompt.py.

Contributing Contributions are open to anyone — we welcome bug reports, feature requests, documentation improvements, and pull requests.

special thanks to @aboodAJ for the initial inspiration