rendercv/docs/user_guide/cli_reference.md

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CLI Reference

RenderCV provides a command-line interface with three main commands:

• rendercv new - Generate a sample CV to get started
• rendercv render - Generate PDF, Markdown, HTML, and PNG from your YAML input
• rendercv create-theme - Create a custom theme with editable templates

!!! tip "New to command line?" Commands are typed in your terminal/command prompt. Options starting with -- modify behavior:

```bash
rendercv new "John Doe" --theme moderncv
```

**You can combine multiple options** in a single command:

```bash
rendercv render CV.yaml --watch --dont-generate-html --dont-generate-png
```

This renders your CV with auto-reload enabled, skipping HTML and PNG generation.

rendercv

Check your installed version:

rendercv --version

Get help anytime:

rendercv --help

rendercv new

Generate a sample CV file to start editing.

Basic usage:

rendercv new "John Doe"

This creates John_Doe_CV.yaml in your current folder.

Choose a different theme:

rendercv new "John Doe" --theme moderncv

Available themes: << available_themes >>

Use a different language:

rendercv new "John Doe" --locale french

Available locales: << available_locales >>

For advanced users - generate editable templates:

rendercv new "John Doe" --create-typst-templates

This creates template files you can customize for complete design control. See Override Default Templates for details.

rendercv render

Generate your CV outputs (PDF, Markdown, HTML, PNG) from a YAML file.

Basic usage:

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml

This creates a rendercv_output folder with all formats.

Common Scenarios

Auto-reload while editing:

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml --watch

The CV regenerates automatically whenever you save changes. Great for live preview!

Only generate PDF:

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml --dont-generate-markdown --dont-generate-html --dont-generate-png

Or use the short form:

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml -nomd -nohtml -nopng

Custom output location:

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml --pdf-path ~/Desktop/MyCV.pdf

All Options

Option	Short	What it does
--watch	-w	Re-render when file changes
--quiet	-q	Hide all messages
--design FILE	-d	Load design from separate file
--locale-catalog FILE	-lc	Load locale from separate file
--settings FILE	-s	Load settings from separate file
--pdf-path PATH	-pdf	Custom PDF location
--typst-path PATH	-typ	Custom Typst location
--markdown-path PATH	-md	Custom Markdown location
--html-path PATH	-html	Custom HTML location
--png-path PATH	-png	Custom PNG location
--dont-generate-pdf	-nopdf	Skip PDF generation
--dont-generate-typst	-notyp	Skip Typst generation
--dont-generate-markdown	-nomd	Skip Markdown generation
--dont-generate-html	-nohtml	Skip HTML generation
--dont-generate-png	-nopng	Skip PNG generation

Override any YAML value:

Use dot notation to change specific fields. This overrides values in the YAML without editing the file.

rendercv render CV.yaml --cv.phone "+1-555-555-5555"
rendercv render CV.yaml --cv.sections.education.0.institution "MIT"
rendercv render CV.yaml --design.theme "moderncv"

rendercv create-theme

Create your own theme with full control over the design.

Basic usage:

rendercv create-theme "mytheme"

This creates a mytheme/ folder with template files you can edit. See Override Default Templates for details.