Cover Letter MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that generates professional PDF cover letters using LaTeX. This server integrates seamlessly with Claude Desktop to create beautifully formatted cover letters with a clean, professional design and advanced folder management capabilities.

Features

• 🎯 Professional Design: Clean, modern layout matching professional resume standards

• 📄 PDF Generation: High-quality PDF output using LaTeX

• 🔧 Claude Desktop Integration: Works directly within Claude Desktop interface

• 📁 Advanced Folder Management: Create custom folders and organize cover letters by job, company, or category

• 🗂️ Directory Navigation: List and browse your cover letter collection with built-in file explorer

• ⚡ Fast Generation: Dockerized environment for consistent, quick processing

• 🛡️ Input Sanitization: Automatic escaping of special characters for LaTeX safety

• 🔒 Secure Paths: Built-in path sanitization prevents security issues

Prerequisites

• Docker: Make sure Docker Desktop is installed and running

• Claude Desktop: Latest version with MCP support

• Git: For cloning the repository

Quick Start

1. Clone the Repository

2. Create Downloads Directory

3. Build the Docker Image

4. Configure Claude Desktop

Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

Location of config file:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration:

Replace

• Windows: "C:/Users/YourUsername/path/to/cover-letter-mcp/downloads:/downloads"

• macOS/Linux: "/Users/YourUsername/path/to/cover-letter-mcp/downloads:/downloads"

5. Restart Claude Desktop

Restart Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server configuration.

Usage

Once configured, you can generate cover letters directly in Claude Desktop with advanced organization features:

Example Usage

Basic Cover Letter Generation

Organized Cover Letter with Custom Folder

Advanced Organization

Folder Management

Smart Organization Features

• 🗂️ Auto-Folder Creation - Folders are created automatically when generating cover letters

• 📁 Custom Directory Structure - Organize by company, role type, industry, or any system that works for you

• 🔍 Directory Browser - List contents of any folder to see your cover letter collection

• 📊 File Information - View file sizes, creation dates, and organize by metadata

• 🛡️ Path Security - Built-in sanitization prevents directory traversal and invalid characters

Organization Examples

By Company:

• applications/google/

• applications/microsoft/

• applications/amazon/

By Role Type:

• roles/software-engineer/

• roles/product-manager/

• roles/data-scientist/

By Industry:

• industries/fintech/

• industries/healthcare/

• industries/gaming/

By Status:

• drafts/

• submitted/2024/

• archived/old-versions/

Advanced Options

Custom filename with organization:

Multiple applications organization:

API Reference

Tools Available

generate_cover_letter

Generates a PDF cover letter from structured data with optional folder organization.

Parameters:

• name (string): Full name of the applicant

• company (string): Company name

• position (string): Position being applied for

• body (string): Main body text of the cover letter

• filename (string, optional): Custom filename (without .pdf extension)

• folderPath (string, optional): Custom folder path within downloads directory

Example:

create_folder

Creates a new folder within the downloads directory.

Parameters:

• folderPath (string): Folder path to create (supports nested folders)

Example:

list_folders

Lists all folders and files in the downloads directory.

Parameters:

• path (string, optional): Specific subdirectory to list

Example:

File Structure

Technical Details

LaTeX Template

The server uses a custom LaTeX template that creates:

• Clean, centered header with applicant name

• Professional spacing and typography

• Automatic date insertion

• Proper business letter formatting

• High-quality PDF output

Security Features

• Input Sanitization: All user input is properly escaped for LaTeX

• Filename Safety: Generated filenames are sanitized to prevent path traversal

• Path Security: Folder paths are sanitized to prevent directory traversal attacks

• Isolated Environment: Docker container provides secure, isolated execution

• Character Filtering: Removes or replaces invalid filesystem characters

MCP Protocol

This server implements the Model Context Protocol specification:

• Tools: generate_cover_letter, create_folder, list_folders

• Resources: Lists and provides access to generated PDFs (including nested folders)

• Capabilities: Full read/write access to cover letter generation and folder management

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Docker command not found"

• Ensure Docker Desktop is installed and running

• Verify Docker is in your system PATH

"Permission denied" on Windows

• Make sure Docker Desktop has access to your drive

• Try running PowerShell as Administrator

• Ensure the downloads folder has write permissions

"Container not found"

• Rebuild the Docker image: docker build -t cover-letter-mcp .

• Check that the image name matches your configuration

"LaTeX compilation failed"

• This usually indicates special characters in the input

• The server automatically escapes most characters, but some complex formatting may need adjustment

"Folder creation errors"

• Verify write permissions in the downloads directory

• Check that folder paths don't contain invalid characters

• Ensure Docker has access to the mounted volume

"Path-related issues"

• Folder paths are automatically sanitized for security

• Invalid characters are replaced with underscores

• Directory traversal attempts (../) are automatically blocked

Debug Mode

To see detailed logs from the MCP server, check the Claude Desktop developer console or run the Docker container manually:

For verbose debugging:

Development

Local Development

For development without Docker:

1. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Install LaTeX (varies by system):

   # Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-recommended # macOS with Homebrew brew install --cask mactex # Windows # Download and install MiKTeX or TeX Live

3. Run the server:

   python server.py

Security Considerations

• Path Validation: All folder paths are validated and sanitized

• Input Escaping: LaTeX special characters are properly escaped

• Container Isolation: Docker provides process and filesystem isolation

• Volume Mounting: Only the downloads directory is accessible to the container

Contributing

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature-name

3. Make your changes

4. Test thoroughly with various folder structures

5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the troubleshooting section

2. Review the Claude Desktop MCP documentation

3. Open an issue on GitHub with:

   • Your operating system

   • Claude Desktop version

   • Docker version

   • Complete error messages

   • Steps to reproduce

Changelog

v2.0.0 - Folder Management Update

• ✨ NEW: Custom folder organization within downloads directory

• ✨ NEW: create_folder tool for creating organized directory structures

• ✨ NEW: list_folders tool for browsing and managing cover letter collections

• ✨ NEW: Enhanced generate_cover_letter with folderPath parameter

• 🛡️ NEW: Path sanitization and security features

• 📊 NEW: File metadata display (size, date) in directory listings

• 🗂️ NEW: Auto-creation of folder paths when generating cover letters

• 📁 NEW: Support for nested folder structures

• 🔍 NEW: Directory navigation and file organization tools

• 🔒 NEW: Enhanced security with Docker volume isolation

v1.0.0

• Initial release

• Professional LaTeX cover letter generation

• Docker containerization

• Claude Desktop integration

• Basic PDF output to downloads folder

Made with ❤️ for the Claude Desktop and MCP community