Markdown CV to PDF

Convert Markdown CV files to A4 PDF files with Chrome or Chromium.

Requirements

• Node.js and npm.
• Google Chrome or Chromium.

Setup

Run these commands after you clone the repository:

chmod +x cv
./cv --setup

The setup command installs dependencies in node_modules and creates or updates package-lock.json.

Usage

Generate a PDF next to the input file:

./cv INPUT.md

The script replaces the input extension with .pdf.

Generate a PDF with a custom path:

./cv INPUT.md OUTPUT.pdf

The script creates missing output directories. It adds .pdf when the custom name has no extension.

Show command help:

./cv --help

The input file must use the .md or .markdown extension. Relative paths use the current directory.

Multiple CV Files

Keep tailored files separate:

cv-backend.md
cv-platform.md
cv-full-stack.md

Render each file with its own output name:

./cv cv-backend.md applications/backend.pdf
./cv cv-platform.md applications/platform.pdf

The renderer does not change the input file.

Markdown Format

Use standard Markdown headings and lists. The first level-one heading becomes the document title. The first level-two heading becomes the professional title.

Use this structure:

# Candidate Name

## Backend Engineer

City, Country  
email@example.com  
https://www.linkedin.com/in/example

## Profile

Short professional summary.

## Core Skills

- PHP, Laravel, PHPUnit
- Docker, AWS, MySQL

## Professional Experience

### Company Name

**Backend Engineer** | January 2024 – Present

- Delivered a production feature.

The renderer gives two-column styling to the list after an exact ## Core Skills heading. Other lists use the normal document style.

Manual Page Breaks

Place this comment on its own line before a section that must start on a new PDF page:

<!-- pagebreak -->

The comment stays invisible in Markdown previews. The renderer changes it into a print page break.

Customization

• Edit cv.css for fonts, colors, spacing, margins, and section layout.
• Edit cv-template.html for the HTML structure.
• Edit render-cv.mjs for new Markdown processing rules.

The default template provides A4 pages, selectable and searchable text, clickable links, print CSS, and standard headings for applicant tracking systems.

Browser Path

The script checks these executable names:

• google-chrome
• google-chrome-stable
• chromium
• chromium-browser

Set CV_CHROME when the browser uses another path:

CV_CHROME=/path/to/chrome ./cv INPUT.md

Troubleshooting

If the script cannot find the input file, pass an existing .md or .markdown path.

If the script cannot find Chrome or Chromium, install a supported browser or set CV_CHROME.

If the command returns a permission error, make the file executable with chmod +x cv.

Git Files

The repository ignores *.md and *.pdf files to keep private CV content and generated PDFs out of the repository. The tracked README.md remains available because .gitignore includes a !README.md exception.

The repository also ignores node_modules/. It tracks the dependency definition and lock file.

License

This project uses the MIT License. See LICENSE for the full license text.