resume-cli

resume-cli is a command-line tool for the JSON Resume standard, an open-source project that defines a common format for storing resume data as a structured text file (JSON). The idea is that you write your resume once in that standard format, then use different themes to produce different visual versions of it, without rewriting your information each time.

The tool gives you four main commands. The init command creates a blank resume.json file in your current folder with all the standard fields ready to fill in. The validate command checks your file against the official schema to catch formatting errors before you try to export. The export command converts your resume to an HTML or PDF file using a theme you choose from the JSON Resume themes directory. The serve command starts a local web server so you can preview your resume in a browser and see it update live as you edit the file.

The tool accepts resume data as a JSON file, a YAML file (another structured text format), or piped in directly from the command line. Themes are installed separately via npm, which is a package manager for JavaScript.

One important note in the README: this repository is no longer actively maintained. The README recommends using a third-party tool called Resumed instead, which also supports the JSON Resume standard. The original resume-cli still works and is still available via npm, but new features and fixes are not being added.

The tool is released under the MIT license, which allows use in both personal and commercial projects without restriction.