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:

bash

rendercv --version

Get help anytime:

bash

rendercv --help

`rendercv new`

Generate a sample CV file to start editing.

Basic usage:

bash

rendercv new "John Doe"

This creates John_Doe_CV.yaml in your current folder.

Choose a different theme:

bash

rendercv new "John Doe" --theme moderncv

Available themes: << available_themes >>

Use a different language:

bash

rendercv new "John Doe" --locale french

Available locales: << available_locales >>

For advanced users - generate editable templates:

bash

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:

bash

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml

This creates a rendercv_output folder with all formats.

Common Scenarios

Auto-reload while editing:

bash

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml --watch

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

Only generate PDF:

bash

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

Or use the short form:

bash

rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml -nomd -nohtml -nopng

Custom output location:

bash

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.

bash

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:

bash

rendercv create-theme "mytheme"

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