Reactive-Resume/docs/guides/managing-applications-with-mcp.mdx

---
title: "Managing applications with MCP"
description: "Use a connected MCP client to track job applications, attach sent PDFs, run Application Copilot, and manage your pipeline with natural-language prompts."
---

Use this guide when you want an AI client to manage the **Application Tracker** for you. After the Reactive Resume MCP server is connected, the agent can use tools for the same application workflows available in the app: listing applications, creating records, importing rows, updating stages, adding notes, managing follow-ups, attaching documents, and running Application Copilot.

## Prerequisites

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect the MCP server">
    Follow [Using the MCP Server](/guides/using-the-mcp-server) to connect your MCP client with OAuth or an API key.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the application tools are visible">
    Ask your client to list the Reactive Resume tools. You should see tools such as `list_applications`, `create_application`, `update_application`, `attach_application_document`, and `draft_application_message`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Decide how destructive actions should be handled">
    Tell your agent to ask before deleting applications, bulk-updating many records, or replacing attached documents.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  Application Copilot tools require the same AI provider setup used by the app. Match scoring and resume tailoring work best when the application has a linked Reactive Resume and a job description.
</Info>

## Start with a pipeline review

Begin by asking the agent to inspect your current pipeline. This gives the agent valid application IDs and avoids duplicate records.

```text
List my active applications grouped by stage. Include company, role, tags, follow-up date, linked resume name, and whether a resume or cover-letter PDF is attached.
```

Useful review prompts:

```text
Show me applications that need follow-up this week.
```

```text
Find applications tagged remote that are still in saved or applied stage.
```

```text
Summarize my pipeline stats by stage and source, then point out stale applications.
```

```text
List archived applications from the last 90 days.
```

## Create applications

Use `create_application` when you already know the role details.

```text
Create an application for Senior Product Engineer at Acme. Stage: saved. Location: Berlin or remote. Source: LinkedIn. Tags: remote, typescript, senior. Add a note that I want to tailor my platform resume before applying.
```

If you have a job posting, ask the agent to extract details first.

```text
Use the Reactive Resume application auto-fill tool on this job posting URL, then create a saved application from the extracted company, role, location, salary, and job description. Tag it with remote and backend.
```

If the posting is private, paste the description into your prompt:

```text
Create an application from this pasted job description. Use auto-fill if available, keep the stage as saved, and tag it with ai, platform, and high-priority.

[Paste the job description here]
```

## Import applications

Use `import_applications` when you already have spreadsheet rows. The Application Tracker accepts up to 500 imported rows at a time.

```text
Import these application rows into Reactive Resume. Normalize the stages to saved, applied, screening, interview, offer, or rejected. Skip rows that do not have both a company and role, and tell me what was skipped.

Company,Role,Stage,Location,Source,Tags
Acme,Frontend Engineer,applied,Remote,LinkedIn,remote;react
Globex,Staff Engineer,interview,Berlin,Referral,staff;platform
```

```text
I am pasting rows from my spreadsheet. Import them, tag every imported application with migrated-2026, and leave archived as false.
```

```text
Import these rejected applications and mark them as archived after import.
```

## Update stages and notes

Use `update_application` for structured changes and `add_application_note` when you want an activity timeline entry without changing other fields.

```text
Move my Acme Senior Product Engineer application to interview and add a note: Recruiter screen scheduled for July 12 at 10:00.
```

```text
Add a note to the Globex application: Submitted take-home assignment and waiting for review.
```

```text
Set a follow-up date for the Stripe application to next Monday, with the note: Ask whether they need more portfolio examples.
```

```text
Update the contacts on the Acme application. Recruiter: Priya Shah, priya@example.com. Hiring manager: Jordan Lee, LinkedIn URL https://www.linkedin.com/in/example.
```

```text
Archive every rejected application older than 30 days, but show me the list and ask for confirmation before applying the bulk update.
```

## Attach sent documents

Use document attachment when you want the tracker to store the exact resume PDF or cover-letter PDF you sent for an application.

```text
Attach this PDF as the sent resume for the Acme application, then confirm the application now has a resume document.
```

```text
Attach this cover letter PDF to the Globex Staff Engineer application.
```

```text
Replace the resume PDF on the Stripe application with this updated PDF. Add a note that I resent the revised resume.
```

```text
Remove the cover-letter PDF from the Acme application, but keep the application record and timeline.
```

<Info>
  `attach_application_document` accepts base64-encoded PDF bytes and `contentType: "application/pdf"`. Some MCP clients hide that detail when they can read local files. If your client cannot read local files, upload the PDF from the web app instead.
</Info>

## Run Application Copilot

Application Copilot tools let an agent use the same AI workflows available in the application detail panel.

```text
Score the resume linked to my Acme application against the saved job description. Summarize the biggest match gaps and do not change my resume.
```

```text
Create a tailored resume copy for the Globex Staff Engineer application. Keep the original resume unchanged, link the tailored copy back to the application, and tell me the new resume name.
```

```text
Draft a cover letter for the Stripe application using the linked resume and job description. Keep it concise and specific to the role.
```

```text
Draft a follow-up email for the recruiter on the Acme application. Mention that I enjoyed the technical screen and ask about next steps. Do not mark the email as sent.
```

```text
Review all interview-stage applications with linked resumes. For each one, score the match and list the top three tailoring opportunities.
```

<Warning>
  Review AI-generated resumes, cover letters, and messages before sending them. MCP tools can draft and save context, but you are responsible for the final content.
</Warning>

## Maintain your pipeline

Ask the agent to do periodic cleanup with explicit confirmation before broad changes.

```text
Find applications that have not changed in 21 days. Group them by stage and recommend which ones need a follow-up, archive, or no action.
```

```text
Add the tag needs-follow-up to every active application with a follow-up date before today. Show me the list before updating.
```

```text
Move all applications tagged offer to offer stage, unless they are already archived.
```

```text
Archive rejected applications older than 60 days. Ask for confirmation before making changes.
```

```text
Delete these duplicate application records after confirming which one has the most complete timeline and documents.
```

## Prompt library

Use these prompts as starting points. Replace company names, roles, tags, dates, and file references with your own details.

### Daily review

```text
Give me a daily application tracker brief. Include applications needing follow-up today, interviews coming up, stale saved roles, and any applications missing a linked resume.
```

```text
Show my active applications in table form with company, role, stage, source, tags, follow-up date, and last updated time.
```

```text
Which applications are missing job descriptions, contacts, sent resume PDFs, or cover-letter PDFs?
```

### Research and capture

```text
Create a saved application from this job post. Extract company, role, location, salary, source URL, and job description. Add tags for the main technologies mentioned.
```

```text
I am considering this role but have not applied. Add it as saved, link my backend resume, and add a note with the three reasons it looks relevant.
```

```text
Add this recruiter contact to the matching application and note that they reached out on LinkedIn today.
```

### Applying

```text
Move the Acme application from saved to applied. Set applied date to today, attach the resume PDF I sent, and add a note with the application portal confirmation number.
```

```text
I just applied to three roles. Create applications for each one, tag them applied-today, and remind me to follow up in one week.
```

```text
Find the best resume to link to this application based on role title and tags. Ask me before updating the application.
```

### Interviews and follow-ups

```text
Move the Globex application to screening and add a recruiter screen contact with the recruiter's name and email.
```

```text
Add a note that the onsite interview is scheduled for July 18. Set the follow-up date to July 19.
```

```text
Draft a short follow-up after my interview. Use the application's company, role, recruiter contact, and timeline notes.
```

### Reporting

```text
Summarize my job search this month: number applied, interviews, offers, rejections, top sources, and response rate.
```

```text
Which sources are producing interviews? Compare LinkedIn, referrals, company sites, recruiters, and other sources.
```

```text
Show applications by stage and tell me where the pipeline is blocked.
```

## Suggested agent instruction

Add this to your MCP client's project or session instructions when you want the agent to manage applications safely:

```text
Use Reactive Resume MCP for application tracking. Start by calling list_applications before creating a new record so you do not duplicate existing applications. Confirm before delete_application, bulk_delete_applications, bulk_update_applications, replacing attached documents, or archiving more than five applications. Prefer add_application_note for timeline updates. Use Application Copilot tools only when the application has enough context, and never present AI-generated cover letters or follow-ups as sent messages.
```

## Troubleshooting

| Issue | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| The agent cannot see application tools | Reconnect the MCP server and ask the client to refresh tool discovery. Confirm you are connected to Reactive Resume v5.2.2 or later. |
| The agent creates duplicates | Ask it to run `list_applications` first and match by company, role, and source URL before creating records. |
| Document attachment fails | Attach only PDFs. If your MCP client cannot read local files, upload the document from the web app. |
| Match scoring or tailoring fails | Link a Reactive Resume to the application and add a job description. Confirm your AI provider is configured. |
| A bulk action changed too much | Use the application list and timeline to inspect what changed. For future sessions, require confirmation before bulk actions. |