feat: add ATS & keyword verification pass to /apply's compile-and-inspect loop (#40)

An ATS reads the compiled PDF's embedded text layer, not the rendered page,
and LaTeX can silently produce PDFs whose text extracts as garbage: icon
glyphs where contact details should be, (cid:*) markers from fonts without
Unicode mappings, interleaved lines from multi-column layouts. This matters
more now that /add-template lets users bring arbitrary templates. The
existing Step 5 loop verifies what a human sees; this adds verification of
what a parser sees.

New Step 5d in /apply (CV only - cover letters rarely go through keyword
screening; cleanup renumbered to 5e):

- Extract the CV PDF's text layer with pdftotext -layout. pdftotext
  (poppler) is an optional dependency: if missing, the mechanical check is
  skipped with a warning and keyword coverage falls back to the visual PDF
  read - the same graceful-skip pattern as salary_lookup.py
- Parseability checks verified against a real extraction of the stock
  template: email/phone must survive as literal text (fontawesome icons
  extract as harmless glyph-name noise like MOBILE-ALT/Envelope, but a
  contact detail carried only by an icon or hyperlink is invisible to ATS),
  no (cid:*) or replacement-character garbage, reading order matching
  visual order, dates present
- Keyword coverage reuses the required/preferred list from Step 1, matched
  in the posting's language, reported as covered / synonym-only /
  missing-have-it / missing-gap. Honesty rule enforced: keywords the
  profile genuinely supports get added to experience bullets; genuine gaps
  stay visible, never stuffed

Integration: CLAUDE.md verification checklist section, ATS Parseability
guidance in 05-cv-templates.md, narrow Bash(pdftotext:*) entry in the
pre-approved permissions (keeping with the tightened scope from #27),
cv/*.txt gitignored (extraction is personal data; also deleted by the
step itself), and optional-dependency docs in README and SETUP.

.claude/commands/apply.md

@@ -218,7 +218,43 @@ If the layout has problems, edit the `.tex` files and recompile. Common fixes (s
 
 Do not proceed to Step 6 until both PDFs pass inspection.
 
-### 5d. Clean up build artifacts
+### 5d. ATS & keyword verification (CV)
+
+An ATS parser reads the PDF's embedded **text layer**, not the rendered page — a CV that passed visual inspection can still extract as garbage (icon glyphs where the contact details should be, scrambled reading order in multi-column layouts). This step verifies what a parser actually sees. It applies to the **CV only**; cover letters rarely go through keyword screening.
+
+**Availability check:** run `pdftotext -v`. `pdftotext` (poppler) is an optional dependency, not part of TeX distributions. If it is missing, print a one-line warning that the mechanical parse check is skipped, do the keyword-coverage check (item 3 below) against your visual Read of the PDF instead, and note the degraded mode in the Step 6 report. Same graceful-skip pattern as the salary lookup.
+
+**1. Extract the text layer:**
+
+```bash
+cd cv && pdftotext -layout main_<company>.pdf main_<company>.txt
+```
+
+Read the `.txt` file.
+
+**2. Parseability checks** on the extracted text:
+
+- [ ] **Text extracted at all**, with no garbage runs: no `(cid:NNN)` markers, no `�` replacement characters, no stretches of missing text that are visible in the PDF
+- [ ] **Email and phone survive as literal text.** Icon fonts extract as glyph names (the stock template's contact line extracts as `MOBILE-ALT [+XX ...] • Envelope [your.email@...]`) — that noise is harmless, but the actual address and digits must be present. A contact detail carried only by an icon or a hyperlink target (like the `LinkedIn` link text) is invisible to an ATS; the email must be printed as text.
+- [ ] **Reading order matches the visual order** — section headings appear in the same sequence as on the page, and lines from different sections are not interleaved. The stock banking template is single-column and safe; custom templates registered via `/add-template` with sidebars or multi-column layouts are where this breaks.
+- [ ] **Dates recognizable** — each role and degree has its years present in the extraction.
+
+Failures here are template-level problems: fix them in the `.tex` (e.g. print the email as text rather than icon-only), then re-run 5a–5c and re-extract. If a custom template's layout fundamentally scrambles extraction order, tell the user prominently — they may be trading ATS compatibility for looks.
+
+**3. Keyword coverage.** Reuse the required/preferred keyword list you extracted in Step 1 — do not re-derive it. Match each keyword against the extracted text, **in the posting's language** (a Danish posting's keywords are matched in Danish even though the CV is in English — where the CV legitimately covers the concept in English, count it as synonym-only and note the language difference). Report a table:
+
+| Keyword | Priority | Status | Note |
+|---------|----------|--------|------|
+| ... | required/preferred | covered / synonym-only / missing (have it) / missing (gap) | where it appears, or why absent |
+
+- **covered** — the term appears (verbatim or trivial inflection).
+- **synonym-only** — the concept is present under a different term. If the posting's exact term is truthfully applicable per the profile, prefer the posting's term (ATS keyword matches are often literal).
+- **missing (have it)** — the profile shows the candidate genuinely has this skill but the CV never says it: add it where it fits naturally, preferring experience bullets (concrete evidence) over the profile statement, then re-run 5a–5c.
+- **missing (gap)** — a genuine gap: leave it missing. **Never stuff keywords.** This is the same honesty rule the reviewer follows — a gap gets acknowledged in the cover letter's framing, not hidden in the CV.
+
+**4. Clean up:** delete the extracted `.txt` file.
+
+### 5e. Clean up build artifacts
 
 After the final clean compile, delete the `.aux`, `.log`, `.out` files (keep the `.tex` and `.pdf`).
 

.claude/settings.json

@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
       "Skill(job-application-assistant)",
       "Bash(bun run:*)",
       "Bash(python salary_lookup.py:*)",
-      "Bash(python3 salary_lookup.py:*)"
+      "Bash(python3 salary_lookup.py:*)",
+      "Bash(pdftotext:*)"
     ]
   }
 }

.claude/skills/job-application-assistant/05-cv-templates.md

@@ -174,6 +174,23 @@ Cut content — do not compress geometry or `\vspace`. See "Relevance-weighted c
 **Problem: content finishes early on page 2 (feels thin)**
 Restore the highest-relevance item that was previously cut — a CV that ends mid-page 2 looks incomplete.
 
+## ATS Parseability
+
+Most employers run CVs through an ATS before a human sees them, and the ATS reads the PDF's embedded **text layer**, not the rendered page. A CV can pass visual inspection and still extract as garbage. After the layout passes the compile-and-inspect loop, verify the text layer:
+
+```bash
+cd cv && pdftotext -layout main_<company>.pdf main_<company>.txt
+```
+
+`pdftotext` comes from [poppler](https://poppler.freedesktop.org/), not the TeX distribution - it is an **optional** dependency. If it is not installed, skip the mechanical check with a warning and rely on the visual PDF read for keyword coverage.
+
+What to check in the extraction:
+
+- **Contact details as literal text.** The stock template's fontawesome contact icons extract as glyph names (`MOBILE-ALT`, `Envelope`) - harmless noise, because the actual address and number are printed beside them. The failure mode is a contact detail carried *only* by an icon or a hyperlink (like the `LinkedIn` link text, whose URL is not in the text layer): invisible to an ATS. The email address must always appear as printed text.
+- **No garbled output.** `(cid:NNN)` markers or `�` characters mean a font is embedded without a Unicode mapping - an ATS sees the same garbage. This shows up with unusual fonts in custom templates, not with the stock moderncv setup under lualatex.
+- **Reading order.** The stock banking style is single-column, so extraction order matches visual order. Custom templates (via `/add-template`) with sidebars or multi-column layouts can interleave unrelated lines; if extraction order is scrambled, the user is trading ATS compatibility for looks and should be told.
+- **Keyword coverage.** Match the posting's required/preferred terms against the extracted text, in the posting's language. Prefer the posting's exact term over a synonym when it is truthfully applicable - ATS matching is often literal. Never add a keyword the profile does not support.
+
 ## Page Budget - Hard 2-Page Limit
 
 The CV **must** fit on exactly 2 pages when compiled. Use these content limits as a guide: