# Cv Builder

> Builds a job-tailored CV PDF from a single profile-tagged master CV file, via the local `cv` CLI — pick the closest profile tag (or ask), pick a language, run the build, hand back the PDF path. Use when the user wants a CV/resume for a specific job application, role type, or language. Do not use for writing or editing CV content itself (that's the master file, edited by hand) or for any content-generation/AI-tailoring flow — this skill only filters and renders what's already in the master file.

- Skill: `larsboes/cv-builder` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add larsboes/cv-builder`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/larsboes/cv-builder/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: larsboes (https://skillmd.com/u/larsboes)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/larsboes/cv-builder

---


# CV Builder

Drive the CV through **`$CV`** — the source of truth; this skill is the runbook. No content
generation here: every build is a deterministic filter over the master file, never a rewrite.

**This setup is not hardcoded.** The actual CV content (name, employer, contact info) lives in
`$AXON_PERSONAL_ROOT/data/cv/master_cv.yaml`, never in this skill or in Axon. If that file is
missing, stop and tell the user to copy `capabilities/cv/master_cv.schema.yaml` there and fill
it in — do not draft CV content yourself.

## Variables

| var | value | notes |
|-----|-------|-------|
| `$CV` | `capabilities/cv/cv` | launcher, relative to `$AXON_ROOT` |
| `$MASTER` | `$AXON_PERSONAL_ROOT/data/cv/master_cv.yaml` | the one file to maintain; `$CV` refuses to run without it |
| `$PROFILE` | one of `$CV list-profiles`' output | e.g. `swe`, `quant`, `consulting`, `general` |
| `$LANG` | `en` or `de` | defaults to `en` if the user doesn't say |

## Workflow

1. `$CV list-profiles` — read the actual tags currently defined (don't assume the list from
   memory; it's just data and changes as the master file changes).
2. Match the user's ask to the closest tag:
   - A job posting/description or a stated role type ("SWE role", "consulting") → pick the
     closest existing tag from step 1's output.
   - Ambiguous, or nothing close enough → ask the user to pick from the actual list rather than
     guessing.
3. Pick `$LANG` from what the user said (German posting/company → `de`; otherwise `en` unless
   told).
4. `$CV build --profile $PROFILE --lang $LANG` → report the printed output path back to the
   user. Building every profile/lang at once: `$CV build --all` (optionally `--all --lang de`
   to restrict to one language).
   Iterating on the master file rather than producing one PDF: `$CV watch --profile $PROFILE
   --lang $LANG` recompiles on every save. Tell the user to open the PDF in a viewer that
   reloads on change (Preview, Skim, a browser tab) — `watch` blocks until they stop it.
5. Never edit `$MASTER` on the user's behalf mid-conversation to "tailor" wording for a specific
   posting — that recreates the AI-tailoring flow this design deliberately left out. If the
   user wants new content, tell them to add it (with the right `profiles:` tags) to the master
   file themselves.

## Gotchas

- **An unknown profile tag now fails the build** (changed 2026-08-16). It used to render a
  generic baseline CV, because items without a `profiles` list are always included — so a typo
  produced a real-looking PDF that was quietly missing most of its content. `$CV build
  --profile <unknown>` exits 1 and prints the known tags. Still run `list-profiles` first, but
  a wrong tag is now a loud error rather than a silent quality problem.
- **`--all` respects a profile's declared languages.** The master may carry
  `profile_langs: {<tag>: [en]}`; `--all` skips the excluded pairs, so its output is not
  always profiles × 2. An explicit `--profile x --lang de` is never blocked by this.
- **`$CV` requires `typst` and `yq` on `PATH`** (`brew install typst yq`) — it checks and errors
  clearly if either is missing, no need to pre-check yourself.
- **Experience and education dates aren't bilingual.** Their `date` fields are plain strings
  (e.g. "Sep. 2025 - Present"), so a German build still shows English month abbreviations by
  design. Free-section entries are the exception: their `label` and `meta` accept either a
  plain string or an `{en, de}` pair (added 2026-08-16 for "since Jun 2025" / "seit Juni 2025").
- **Output PDFs and the master file are personal data** — they live under
  `$AXON_PERSONAL_ROOT/data/cv/`, gitignored, never in this skill or in Axon's own repo. Don't
  copy CV content into this skill file, a commit message, or anywhere else in the public repo.

## Provenance and maintenance

`$CV` → `$AXON_ROOT/capabilities/cv/cv` (bash launcher, execs `typst compile`). Re-verify on
drift:
- master file present: `test -f "$AXON_PERSONAL_ROOT/data/cv/master_cv.yaml" && echo ok`
- launcher present + executable: `test -x "$AXON_ROOT/capabilities/cv/cv" && echo ok`
- deps on PATH: `command -v typst && command -v yq`