ResumeBlock

A local-first resume builder that stores experience as modular "blocks", matches them to job descriptions using a local LLM, and compiles them into a LaTeX PDF.

Requirements

Dependency	Version	Required
Node.js	≥ 18.0.0	Yes
Ollama	latest	Yes (for AI features)
pdflatex / TeX Live	any	Yes (for PDF compilation)

Quick Start

1. Clone and install

git clone <repo-url>
cd resumeblock
npm install

npm install also runs prisma generate automatically (via postinstall script).

2. Configure environment

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env if needed. The defaults work on most machines — just make sure OLLAMA_MODEL matches a model you have pulled (see step 4).

3. Set up the database

npm run db:migrate

This creates ./data/resumeblock.db and applies all schema migrations.

4. Install Ollama (AI features)

Download from ollama.com or:

# macOS
brew install ollama

# Linux
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

Start the server and pull a model:

ollama serve          # keep running in a terminal tab
ollama pull qwen2     # or: llama3.1:8b, mistral, gemma3:4b, etc.

Set OLLAMA_MODEL=qwen2 (or your model name) in .env.

5. Install pdflatex (PDF compilation)

# macOS — lightweight, no GUI apps
brew install --cask mactex-no-gui

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-latex-extra

# Windows
# Install MiKTeX: https://miktex.org/download
# Or TeX Live: https://tug.org/texlive/

After installing on macOS, open a new terminal (pdflatex will be at /Library/TeX/texbin/pdflatex).

6. Start the dev server

npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000.

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How it works

1. Import — Upload a PDF resume. The local LLM extracts structured work/education/award entries.
2. Block Library — Each entry becomes a "block". Blocks have "facets" — tailored versions with different bullets and skills for different roles.
3. Applications — Add a job description. The app scores and ranks your facets against the JD's requirements.
4. Compile — Pick a LaTeX template, select blocks, and generate a PDF resume.

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LaTeX Templates

Upload .tex files on the Templates page. Templates use %%PLACEHOLDER%% markers:

Placeholder	Content
%%HEADER%%	Name, email, phone, links
%%SUMMARY%%	Professional summary paragraph
%%EXPERIENCE%%	Work and volunteer entries
%%PROJECTS%%	Project entries
%%EDUCATION%%	Education entries
%%SKILLS%%	Skills list
%%CUSTOM:SECTIONNAME%%	Any custom section

Templates must use standard document classes (article, report, etc.) to compile locally. Templates using custom classes (like Deedy Resume's deedy-resume-reversed) need their .cls file or can be compiled via Overleaf.

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Data storage

All data is local — nothing leaves your machine:

Path	Contents
./data/resumeblock.db	SQLite database (blocks, facets, JDs, templates)
./data/output/	Generated PDF files
./data/templates/	Uploaded LaTeX template files
./data/uploads/	Temporary PDF uploads

These directories are in .gitignore. To migrate to a new machine, copy the data/ folder alongside your .env.

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Migrating to a new machine

# On your old machine — pack up your data
tar -czf resumeblock-data.tar.gz data/ .env

# On the new machine — after clone + npm install + db:migrate:
tar -xzf resumeblock-data.tar.gz

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Commands

npm run dev          # Start development server (localhost:3000)
npm run build        # Production build
npm run db:migrate   # Apply database migrations
npm run db:studio    # Open Prisma Studio (visual DB browser)