FAQ

Do I need an API key?

No. The agent runs on your existing Claude Code or Codex subscription. JobPilot ships no model keys and bills you for nothing.

Which AI model should I use?

A mid-tier one: Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT 5.6 Terra.

Avoid top-tier models like Claude Opus 5. Applying to jobs is reading postings and filling forms, not hard reasoning, so the top tier thinks longer at every step and eats your weekly usage limits far faster without applying to more jobs. On a Pilot running cycles all day you can burn a week's allowance in a day or two. Mid-tier is also faster, so more of your backlog gets done.

Set it in your provider: /model in Claude Code, or your Codex model setting.

Where does the agent run?

On your machine. Your dashboard lives on the web, but the terminal companion, the AI session, and the browser doing the work all run locally, so you can watch every action in the agent dock.

How do I start the agent again after it stops?

On Windows, press Start agent in the dock. Everywhere else, use one of the two commands the dock offers: run setup again in Claude Code or Codex, or type jobpilot in any shell. Those work on Windows too.

The button exists only on Windows, and only after the agent has run at least once. Getting started explains why.

Which job boards are supported?

Any board. Every new account starts with LinkedIn, Indeed, Hiring Cafe, and We Work Remotely, and the board picker offers Wellfound, Y Combinator (Work at a Startup), Welcome to the Jungle, Hacker News "Who's Hiring", Remote OK, 4 Day Week, and Upwork. Add any other board from the boards page. The agent drives a real browser, so it isn't limited to a fixed list.

How many jobs does the Pilot apply to per day?

Up to your daily apply cap, one application per cycle. The cap is enforced by the server, not just by the AI's instructions, so it holds even if a cycle goes off-script. The same is true of the networking cap.

How does the Pilot decide what to do first?

The server ranks the agenda every cycle: your answered questions come first, then interview replies, then applications ordered by match score, then networking, then discovery of new postings. You steer it with your goals text and limits. See the Pilot.

Does the Pilot ever send messages or post publicly without me?

Only what you explicitly set to auto: applications within your cap, and networking emails if you chose the "auto" autonomy level. LinkedIn messages and public self-promotion posts always wait for your approval, and interview replies are always drafted for review. Those rules are enforced server-side.

What happens if my computer sleeps or crashes mid-cycle?

Nothing is lost. Each cycle does one unit of work and saves the result before moving on; work claimed by a crashed cycle times out and returns to the agenda. The host restarts cycles on its own after a reboot or wake.

Can I use JobPilot manually while the Pilot is running?

Yes. Campaigns and dashboard actions work as usual. If you launch a session with the other provider yourself, the Pilot pauses instead of fighting for the terminal and resumes when you're done.

Why does the journal show "cycles"?

A cycle is one unit of autonomous work: one application, one inbox review, one search. The Activity tab's "By cycle" view groups the journal so you can see what each cycle did, its outcome, and how long it took.

How long do I have to answer a question?

Most questions wait indefinitely; the related job is parked until you answer. The exception is a login code, which expires after about five minutes; missing one just skips that job cleanly. You only see those for codes the agent can't read itself, meaning SMS and authenticator apps. Codes that arrive by email are pulled from your connected mailbox without asking you. Turn on notifications under Settings → Notifications to get questions as a push on your phone.

Can JobPilot read and send email?

Yes, through your own Google OAuth client. See Email setup. Reading powers the inbox and verification codes; sending powers networking. It can never delete mail, and it works without email too; you just lose those features.

What about captchas?

The agent solves checkbox and text captchas itself. For image challenges it uses a 2Captcha or CapSolver key if you've added one under credentials; otherwise it skips the job and says why.

How do I update the agent?

When a new version ships, the dashboard shows an update banner in the agent dock. Update now swaps the terminal host for the new one and relaunches it, which stops any running session. You rarely need it: the agent checks for a new release every time it starts, so any restart picks one up.

The plugin is separate. Update it in your provider with the copy-paste commands behind Prefer to update manually? on the same banner.

Can I switch between Claude Code and Codex?

Yes, any time, from the agent dock. Both providers run the same skills from the same plugin.

Where are my resumes stored?

Uploaded PDFs and generated variants are stored in your JobPilot account, not on your machine. The structured content is editable under Documents.

Does the agent change my resume?

Not on its own. Two things touch resume content, both needing your click:

• After an upload, review-resume proposes a rewrite and lists every change. Press Review to read it side by side, then Apply rewrite or Discard. Your PDF is never modified, so Re-extract from PDF restores the original text.
• Per job, tailor-resume creates a variant and leaves your base alone. When the base doesn't fit the job it also reorders, merges, or drops entries and promotes projects onto the timeline, all still on the variant.

Neither can invent an employer, date, or number. The server rejects a reworded bullet containing a figure absent from the original, derives merged date ranges from the roles being merged, and refuses to promote an undated project. Anything it can't verify comes back flagged.

Why am I getting rejections with no interviews?

Check how fast they arrive. Anything inside a day is an automated screen rather than a person judging your resume, usually triggered by work authorization, location, or a years-of-experience question. These move the number more than another resume edit:

• Check the sponsorship question. If you need sponsorship, most enterprise employers filter on it before a human reads anything. The agent skips postings that say so outright; most enforce it silently.
• Apply to fewer employers that fit you better. Fifty applications to employers that filter you out produce fifty rejections.
• Use networking. A referral routes around the automated screen entirely.
• Connect your mailbox so rejections land on your pipeline and your response rate becomes a number you can watch.

How do I delete my data?

Delete your account under settings. That destroys your per-user encryption key, which makes every stored secret unreadable, and removes your profile data.

Is JobPilot open source?

Yes, MIT-licensed: github.com/suxrobGM/jobpilot.