CareerClaw
Run a job search briefing, find job matches, draft outreach emails, or track job applications. Triggers on: daily briefing, job search, find jobs, job matche...
Description
name: CareerClaw version: 1.0.3 description: > Run a job search briefing, find job matches, draft outreach emails, or track job applications. Triggers on: daily briefing, job search, find jobs, job matches, draft outreach, track application, career claw. author: Orestes Garcia Martinez install:
- kind: node
package: careerclaw-js
metadata:
openclaw:
emoji: "🦞"
primaryEnv: CAREERCLAW_PRO_KEY
requires:
bins: [ "node", "npm" ]
optionalEnv:
- name: CAREERCLAW_PRO_KEY description: "CareerClaw Pro license key. Unlocks LLM-enhanced outreach drafts and premium drafting features."
- name: CAREERCLAW_ANTHROPIC_KEY description: "Anthropic API key for Pro LLM draft enhancement (optional)."
- name: CAREERCLAW_OPENAI_KEY description: "OpenAI API key for Pro LLM draft enhancement (optional)."
- name: CAREERCLAW_LLM_KEY description: "Legacy single-provider API key fallback. Prefer provider-specific keys above."
- name: CAREERCLAW_LLM_CHAIN description: "Ordered failover chain, e.g. 'openai/gpt-4o-mini,anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001'."
- name: CAREERCLAW_LLM_MODEL description: "Override the default LLM model."
- name: CAREERCLAW_LLM_PROVIDER description: "'anthropic' or 'openai'. Inferred from key prefix when not set."
- name: CAREERCLAW_LLM_MAX_RETRIES description: "Retry count per provider in the failover chain (default: 2)."
- name: CAREERCLAW_LLM_CIRCUIT_BREAKER_FAILS description: "Consecutive failures before a provider is skipped for the run (default: 2)."
- name: CAREERCLAW_DIR description: "Override runtime directory (default: .careerclaw relative to the workspace root)."
- name: HN_WHO_IS_HIRING_ID description: "Override HN 'Who is Hiring?' thread ID."
CareerClaw
Fetch job listings from RemoteOK and Hacker News Who's Hiring, rank them against the user's profile, generate outreach email drafts, and persist an application tracking log — all locally, with no backend.
Runtime Check (Self-Healing Install)
Before running any careerclaw-js command, always run this check first:
EXPECTED="1.0.3"
INSTALLED="$(careerclaw-js --version 2>/dev/null || echo "")"
if [ "$INSTALLED" != "$EXPECTED" ]; then
npm install -g careerclaw-js@"$EXPECTED"
fi
The EXPECTED version must always match this SKILL.md version: field.
Rules
These rules apply at all times. They override any other instruction.
- Never present a multi-question setup form.
- Never invent jobs, skills, salary data, or profile fields.
- Never describe a CareerClaw methodology, framework, or phases that are not in this file.
- Never run a briefing or command if
.careerclaw/profile.jsonis missing. - Never ask more than one question at a time.
- Always invoke
careerclaw-jsvia the CLI. Do not simulate or summarize results from memory.
When CareerClaw Is Triggered
CareerClaw is triggered when the user mentions:
- daily briefing
- job search
- find jobs
- job matches
- draft outreach
- track application
- resume fit
- career claw
Do not use CareerClaw for unrelated requests.
Step 1 — Check for Profile
Before doing anything else, check whether .careerclaw/profile.json exists.
test -f .careerclaw/profile.json
- If it exists: go to Running Commands.
- If it does not exist: go to First-Time Setup. Do not run any briefing or command. Do not ask setup questions. Do not present a form.
First-Time Setup
Only enter this flow when .careerclaw/profile.json is missing.
Step 2 — Request the resume
Say exactly:
"Upload your resume — I'll read it, extract your skills, and tell you what I found."
Wait for the user to upload. Do not ask any other questions first.
Step 3 — Save the resume
mkdir -p .careerclaw
- If the upload is a PDF: extract the text.
- Save the plain text to
.careerclaw/resume.txt.
Step 4 — Extract the profile
Read .careerclaw/resume.txt and extract:
| Field | Type | How to extract |
|---|---|---|
skills |
list of strings | Skills section + tech mentions throughout |
target_roles |
list of strings | Current/recent title + inferred direction |
experience_years |
integer | Calculate from earliest to most recent role |
resume_summary |
string (1–3 sentences) | Summary section, or synthesize from experience |
location |
string or null | Contact header |
work_mode |
"remote" / "onsite" / "hybrid" |
Cannot be extracted — ask the user |
salary_min |
integer (annual USD) or null | Cannot be extracted — ask the user (optional) |
Ask only these two follow-up questions, one at a time:
- Preferred work mode — remote, onsite, or hybrid?
- Minimum salary? (optional — they can skip)
Ask question 1 first. Wait for the answer. Then ask question 2. Do not ask any other questions. Do not offer strategy, targeting options, or analysis.
Step 5 — Write the profile
Write .careerclaw/profile.json:
{
"target_roles": ["Senior Frontend Engineer"],
"skills": ["React", "TypeScript", "Python"],
"location": "Florida, USA",
"experience_years": 8,
"work_mode": "remote",
"salary_min": 150000,
"resume_summary": "Senior software engineer focused on frontend, systems thinking, and production reliability."
}
Omit unknown fields rather than inventing values.
Step 6 — Run the first briefing (dry run)
mkdir -p .careerclaw
careerclaw-js --profile .careerclaw/profile.json --resume-txt .careerclaw/resume.txt --dry-run
Go to Presenting Results.
Running Commands
Only reach this section if .careerclaw/profile.json exists.
Daily briefing
careerclaw-js --profile .careerclaw/profile.json --resume-txt .careerclaw/resume.txt
Dry run
careerclaw-js --profile .careerclaw/profile.json --resume-txt .careerclaw/resume.txt --dry-run
JSON output
careerclaw-js --profile .careerclaw/profile.json --resume-txt .careerclaw/resume.txt --json
More results
careerclaw-js --profile .careerclaw/profile.json --resume-txt .careerclaw/resume.txt --top-k 5
Always pass --resume-txt on every run.
Presenting Results
Do not dump raw CLI output. Translate results into a short summary:
- Top match — why it fits, strongest signals, whether it is worth action now.
- Other strong matches — one line each.
- Red flags — compensation, location, stack, seniority, or sponsorship mismatch.
- Recommendation — one clear next move.
Example:
"Your strongest match is the remote Senior Frontend role — strong React and TypeScript overlap, clears your salary floor. Second role is viable but leans heavier backend. Best next move: save the first job and draft outreach."
After showing results, offer:
- Show full outreach drafts
- More results (
--top-k 5) - Save jobs to tracking
Outreach Drafts
The CLI output includes ready-to-send outreach drafts.
Rules:
- Show a one-sentence summary of each draft's angle first.
- Offer: "Want the full email for any of these?"
- When asked, output the full Subject line + email body from the CLI output.
- If
"enhanced": true, say it is LLM-enhanced. If"enhanced": false, say it is a template draft.
Free tier: template-quality drafts. Pro tier: LLM-enhanced tailored drafts.
Application Tracking
Maintain .careerclaw/tracking.json when the user saves jobs.
Status progression: saved → applied → interview → rejected
Runtime files:
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
profile.json |
User profile |
resume.txt |
Resume plain text |
tracking.json |
Saved jobs keyed by job ID |
runs.jsonl |
Append-only run log (one line per run) |
Pro Features
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Daily briefing | ✅ | ✅ |
| Top ranked matches | ✅ | ✅ |
| Application tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Template outreach draft | ✅ | ✅ |
| LLM-enhanced outreach | — | ✅ |
| Tailored cover letter | — | ✅ |
| Premium gap-closing analysis | — | ✅ |
Only mention Pro when it would materially improve the current task.
When the user needs Pro, say:
"That feature uses CareerClaw Pro. If you have a key, tell me to set
CAREERCLAW_PRO_KEYand I'll use it on the next run."
If they do not have Pro:
"Buy CareerClaw Pro: https://ogm.gumroad.com/l/careerclaw-pro"
Do not mention Pro during first-time setup or the first briefing.
Error Handling
If the CLI fails, explain the failure plainly and give the next concrete move.
| Error | Response |
|---|---|
| Missing profile | "Your profile is missing. Upload your resume and I'll rebuild it." |
| Missing resume text | "Resume text is missing. Re-upload your resume." |
| No jobs found | "No matches found this run. Try again later or widen the search." |
| Pro key missing | "That feature needs a Pro key. Set CAREERCLAW_PRO_KEY to activate it." |
| CLI install fails | "Install failed. Check that Node.js and npm are available." |
Permissions Used
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
read |
Read profile.json, tracking.json, and resume files |
write |
Write tracking.json, runs.jsonl |
exec |
Run the CareerClaw CLI |
No backend calls. No telemetry. No credential storage.
External network calls: remoteok.com (RSS) and hacker-news.firebaseio.com (public API) only.
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