Using the MCP server - Reactive Resume

The Reactive Resume MCP server lets you manage your resumes and job applications from any MCP-compatible AI tool: Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, and others. It connects to the Reactive Resume API and exposes tools for resume editing, Application Tracker workflows, and AI-assisted job application tasks, driven by natural language.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard that lets LLM-powered tools connect to external services. Instead of being limited to the built-in chat UI, you can use any MCP client to interact with your resumes.

Prerequisites

Choose your authentication method

Reactive Resume MCP supports two authentication methods:

OAuth2 (recommended): best user experience for clients that support MCP OAuth.
API key (fallback): works in all clients that can send custom headers.

Use OAuth2 whenever your MCP client supports it. Use API key only when OAuth is unavailable in that client.

If using API key, create one

Head over to https://rxresu.me (or your self-hosted instance), sign in, and navigate to Settings → API Keys. Click Create a new API key, give it a name, and copy the secret. It is shown only once.For the full walkthrough, see Using the API.

Configuration

There are two transport options, and each can use either OAuth2 or API key depending on your client capabilities.

Method 1: Streamable HTTP (recommended)

If your client supports the url field (e.g. Cursor, Codex, Claude custom connectors), use this.

Option A: OAuth2 (recommended)

Most OAuth-capable clients only need the MCP URL:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reactive-resume": {
      "url": "https://rxresu.me/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then connect/sign in from the client UI (or with the client’s OAuth login command).

Option B: API key (fallback)

If OAuth is not supported in your client, send x-api-key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reactive-resume": {
      "url": "https://rxresu.me/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Method 2: mcp-remote

If your client only supports command / args (for example, local-only Claude Desktop config), use mcp-remote as a bridge. This requires Node.js 20 or later. mcp-remote is most commonly used with API keys:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reactive-resume": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://rxresu.me/mcp", "--header", "x-api-key:your-api-key"]
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-key with the API key you created in the prerequisites step.

Where to put the config

Client	Config file
Cursor	`.cursor/mcp.json` in your project or home directory
Claude Desktop	`claude_desktop_config.json` (docs)
Codex	`~/.codex/config.toml` or `.codex/config.toml` (docs)
Other MCP clients	Refer to the client’s documentation

Authentication details (how Reactive Resume MCP works)

Reactive Resume MCP accepts authentication in this order:

Bearer token (OAuth2 access token) via Authorization: Bearer <token>
API key fallback via x-api-key: <key>

If neither is valid, the MCP endpoint responds with 401 and advertises OAuth metadata using:

WWW-Authenticate: Bearer resource_metadata="<instance>/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource"

OAuth-capable MCP clients use this to discover and complete the OAuth flow automatically.

OAuth2 flow used by this server

Reactive Resume is configured as an OAuth authorization server for MCP clients:

The MCP endpoint is https://rxresu.me/mcp.
OAuth discovery metadata is exposed under /.well-known/* endpoints.
The login/authorization route is /api/auth/oauth.
If the user is not signed in, /api/auth/oauth redirects to /auth/login, then resumes OAuth.
If the user is signed in, /api/auth/oauth uses the OAuth provider to validate the signed request, registered redirect URI, scopes, resource grants, and PKCE before issuing an authorization code, and redirects back to the client.
PKCE parameters (code_challenge, code_challenge_method) are preserved in the authorization flow.

Popular client setup

Cursor

OAuth2 (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reactive-resume": {
      "url": "https://rxresu.me/mcp"
    }
  }
}

API key fallback:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reactive-resume": {
      "url": "https://rxresu.me/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex (CLI / IDE extension)

Add server:

codex mcp add reactive-resume --url https://rxresu.me/mcp

Then sign in with OAuth:

codex mcp login reactive-resume

API key fallback (config.toml):

[mcp_servers."reactive-resume"]
url = "https://rxresu.me/mcp"
http_headers = { "x-api-key" = "your-api-key" }

Claude (web app custom connector)

Add https://rxresu.me/mcp as a custom remote MCP connector, then connect with OAuth in Claude’s connector UI.

Claude Desktop (local config file)

Use mcp-remote bridge with API key (example shown above in Method 2).

External references

Self-hosting

If you’re running a self-hosted Reactive Resume instance, replace https://rxresu.me/mcp with your instance URL:

{
  "url": "https://resume.example.com/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "x-api-key": "your-api-key"
  }
}

Reconnecting after the OAuth provider upgrade

Self-hosted instances automatically apply the additive OAuth schema migration at startup. This preserves existing client and token records and adds the provider’s resource and client-resource tables. Clients registered before OAuth provider 1.7 do not have per-resource grants. Remove the old connection from your MCP client and add it again so it dynamically registers a new client, then sign in again. Refreshing an existing token does not create these grants. New registrations receive only the resources configured for this instance; existing clients are not automatically granted access.

Available tools

Tool names use canonical unprefixed snake_case names.

Tool	Description
`list_resumes`	List all resumes with IDs, names, tags, and status. Supports filtering by tags and sorting by last updated, creation date, or name
`list_resume_tags`	List every distinct tag in use across your resumes (sorted)
`read_resume`	Get the full data of a specific resume by ID
`download_resume_pdf`	Create a 10-minute authenticated PDF download URL. Defaults to the resume; set `target: "cover-letter"` for its visible cover letter
`create_resume`	Create a new, empty resume with a name and slug. Optionally pre-fill with sample data
`import_resume`	Create a resume from a full ResumeData JSON export (random name/slug). Large files may exceed client limits
`duplicate_resume`	Create a copy of an existing resume with a new name and slug
`apply_resume_patch`	Apply JSON Patch (RFC 6902) operations to modify a resume’s data
`update_resume`	Update metadata only: name, slug, tags, `isPublic`. Returns canonical share URL; passwords are not managed via MCP
`delete_resume`	Permanently delete a resume and all associated files. Irreversible
`lock_resume`	Lock a resume to prevent edits, patches, and deletion
`unlock_resume`	Unlock a previously locked resume to re-enable editing
`get_resume_statistics`	Get view and download statistics for a resume
`list_applications`	List tracked job applications. Supports stage, tag, and archived filters
`read_application`	Read one full application record with contacts, follow-up details, documents, and timeline
`list_application_tags`	List every distinct tag used across applications
`get_application_stats`	Get aggregate application counts by stage and source
`create_application`	Create a tracked job application
`update_application`	Update fields, move stage, archive/unarchive, edit contacts/follow-ups/tags, or link a resume
`add_application_note`	Append a note to an application’s activity timeline
`delete_application`	Permanently delete one application and its owned uploaded documents
`bulk_update_applications`	Move, archive/unarchive, or add tags to multiple applications
`bulk_delete_applications`	Permanently delete multiple applications
`import_applications`	Bulk-create parsed application rows, up to 500 items
`attach_application_document`	Attach a sent resume or cover-letter PDF from base64-encoded PDF bytes
`remove_application_document`	Remove a sent resume or cover-letter PDF
`autofill_application_from_job`	Use AI to extract job details from a URL or pasted job description
`score_application_match`	Score the linked resume against the application job description
`tailor_resume_for_application`	Create and link a tailored resume copy for an application
`draft_application_message`	Draft a cover letter or recruiter follow-up from application and resume context

Breaking change (tool names)

Older clients may refer to prefixed or dot-separated names. Those names are no longer registered; update automations and saved prompts to the canonical names above.

Available resources

Resources follow MCP conventions: static items appear in resources/list; parameterized access is declared in resources/templates/list and read via resources/read once you know the ID.

Discovery	What you get
`resources/list`	Static resources only: currently `resume://_meta/schema` (ResumeData JSON Schema)
`resources/templates/list`	`resume://{id}`: template for reading full resume JSON by ID (not enumerated per resume)
`list_resumes` (tool)	Primary way to discover resume IDs; resumes are not listed as separate MCP resources

URI	Description
`resume://_meta/schema`	ResumeData JSON Schema; use for valid JSON Patch paths and value types
`resume://{id}`	Full resume data as JSON; use an ID from `list_resumes`

Breaking change (schema URI)

The schema resource was previously resume://schema. It is now resume://_meta/schema. Update any saved prompts, automations, or client configs that referenced the old URI.

Static server card (`/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json`)

GET /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json returns a JSON document (SEP-1649) with serverInfo, optional authentication metadata, and summaries of tools, resources, resource templates, and prompts. It is generated to match the live MCP server, and a client that cannot run a full capability scan against /mcp/ can use it for discovery.

Available prompts

Prompts are pre-built workflows that give the AI structured instructions and context. Each prompt embeds the resume data and the schema resource (resume://_meta/schema) automatically.

Prompt	Description
`build_resume`	Guide you step-by-step through building a resume from scratch: basics, summary, experience, education, skills, and design
`improve_resume`	Review your resume and suggest concrete improvements to wording, impact, metrics, and structure
`review_resume`	Get a structured, professional critique with a scorecard (1–10 across seven dimensions) and prioritized recommendations. Read-only; no changes are made

Usage examples

Once your MCP client is connected, you can work with your resumes in natural language:

Browsing

“List my resumes”
“Show me my resume named ‘Software Engineer’”
“What skills are listed on my resume?”
“Show me the stats for my resume”

Tracking applications

“Create an application for Senior Frontend Engineer at Acme, stage saved, source LinkedIn.”
“List my archived applications tagged remote.”
“Move my Acme application to interview and add a note that the technical screen is next Tuesday.”
“Attach this resume PDF to the Acme application.”
“Score the resume linked to this application against the job description.”
“Create a tailored resume copy for this application.”
“Draft a follow-up message for the recruiter.”

For a complete workflow and prompt library, see Managing applications with MCP.

Creating and managing

“Create a new resume called ‘Frontend Engineer 2026’”
“Import this exported ResumeData JSON as a new resume”
“What tags do I use across my resumes?”
“Duplicate my ‘Software Engineer’ resume for a product manager role”
“Make my resume public and give me the share link”
“Lock my finalized resume so it can’t be accidentally edited”
“Delete my old draft resume”
“Download a PDF of my Software Engineer resume”
“Download the visible cover letter from my Software Engineer resume as a PDF”

Editing

“Update my name to Jane Doe”
“Change my headline to Senior Software Engineer”
“Add TypeScript to my skills with an Advanced proficiency level”
“Add a new experience entry for my role as Staff Engineer at Acme Corp from Jan 2024 to Present”
“Remove the third item from my skills section”

Styling

“Change the template to bronzor”
“Set the primary color to blue”
“Hide the interests section”

Using prompts

“Help me build my resume from scratch” (uses build_resume)
“Review my resume and give me a score” (uses review_resume)
“Improve the wording on my resume” (uses improve_resume)

The AI reads your current resume with read_resume before making changes with apply_resume_patch, so it targets the correct JSON paths. Use update_resume for name, slug, tags, and public visibility, not for section content.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
”Unauthorized” with no login prompt	Your client may not support MCP OAuth discovery. Use API key mode (`x-api-key`)
OAuth login opens but fails redirect/callback	Confirm your client’s MCP OAuth callback settings and retry the connection
”API error (401)“	Your API key is invalid or expired. Create a new one in Settings → API Keys
”API error (404)“	The resume ID doesn’t exist. Use `list_resumes` to find valid IDs
”API error (403)“	The resume is locked. Unlock it in the Reactive Resume dashboard
Connection refused	Check that the URL is correct and the instance is running
”ReferenceError: File is not defined” when using `mcp-remote`	You’re running Node.js 18. `mcp-remote` requires Node.js 20 or later; upgrade with `nvm use 20` or `nvm alias default 20`
”Application documents must be PDF files”	`attach_application_document` only accepts `contentType: "application/pdf"` and base64-encoded PDF bytes

​What is MCP?

​Prerequisites

​Configuration

​Method 1: Streamable HTTP (recommended)

​Option A: OAuth2 (recommended)

​Option B: API key (fallback)

​Method 2: mcp-remote

​Where to put the config

​Authentication details (how Reactive Resume MCP works)

​OAuth2 flow used by this server

​Popular client setup

​Cursor

​Codex (CLI / IDE extension)

​Claude (web app custom connector)

​Claude Desktop (local config file)

​External references

​Self-hosting

​Reconnecting after the OAuth provider upgrade

​Available tools

​Breaking change (tool names)

​Available resources

​Breaking change (schema URI)

​Static server card (/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json)

​Available prompts

​Usage examples

​Browsing

​Tracking applications

​Creating and managing

​Editing

​Styling

​Using prompts

​Troubleshooting

What is MCP?

Prerequisites

Configuration

Method 1: Streamable HTTP (recommended)

Option A: OAuth2 (recommended)

Option B: API key (fallback)

Method 2: mcp-remote

Where to put the config

Authentication details (how Reactive Resume MCP works)

OAuth2 flow used by this server

Popular client setup

Cursor

Codex (CLI / IDE extension)

Claude (web app custom connector)

Claude Desktop (local config file)

External references

Self-hosting

Reconnecting after the OAuth provider upgrade

Available tools

Breaking change (tool names)

Available resources

Breaking change (schema URI)

Static server card (`/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json`)

Available prompts

Usage examples

Browsing

Tracking applications

Creating and managing

Editing

Styling

Using prompts

Troubleshooting