Add start/stop/restart scripts and USER_GUIDE documentation

USER_GUIDE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# AI Job Application Suite — Quick Start & Usage Guide
+
+Welcome to the AI Job Application Suite! This app is designed to automate, tailor, and track your job applications using AI (Gemini 3.6 Flash & local LM Studio fallback).
+
+---
+
+## 🛠️ Managing the Application (Start, Stop, Restart)
+
+Helper bash scripts have been created in the repository root for convenience:
+
+| Action | Command | Description |
+| :--- | :--- | :--- |
+| **Start Server** | `./start.sh` | Starts the app background server on port 3000 and logs output to `.app.log`. |
+| **Stop Server** | `./stop.sh` | Gracefully stops the running app server. |
+| **Restart Server** | `./restart.sh` | Restarts the app server (useful after environment changes). |
+| **Manual Dev Mode** | `npm run dev` | Runs the server synchronously in your active terminal. |
+
+Once started, access the application in your browser at:
+👉 **`http://localhost:3000`**
+
+---
+
+## 🚀 Key Features & How to Use Them
+
+### 1. 📊 Application Tracker (`Applications`)
+- **Track Status**: View applications organized by stage (`Applied`, `Screening`, `Interviewing`, `Offer`, `Rejected`).
+- **Update Status**: Click on status badges to transition applications. Updating to *Interviewing* or *Offer* automatically logs notifications.
+- **Log Applications**: Click **"+ Log New Application"** to manually add applications or log auto-applied jobs.
+
+---
+
+### 2. 📝 AI Tailor Walkthrough (`Tailor Resume`)
+- Paste a Job Posting URL or Job Description.
+- The AI will evaluate your candidate profile against the job posting and generate:
+  - **Match Score & Key Gap Analysis**
+  - **Tailored Resume Bullet Points** customized for the role
+  - **Cover Letter Draft** optimized for ATS keywords
+- *Requires Gemini API key or a local LM Studio model active at `http://localhost:1234/v1`.*
+
+---
+
+### 3. 🤖 Autonomous Auto-Apply Engine (`Auto-Apply`)
+- Configure automated criteria (e.g. minimum match score threshold, preferred roles, max applications per day).
+- Click **"Run Auto-Apply Batch"**. The AI will scan your job feeds, match requirements against your profile, and submit/log compliant applications.
+
+---
+
+### 4. 📰 Job Feeds (`Job Feeds`)
+- Browse aggregation feeds (LinkedIn, Greenhouse, Lever, Indeed).
+- Click **"Tailor & Apply"** on any job card to jump directly to the AI Resume Tailor tool pre-loaded with the job listing.
+
+---
+
+### 5. 📅 Calendar & Interview Scheduler (`Calendar`)
+- View and schedule upcoming screening calls and technical interviews.
+- Integrated with Google Calendar synchronization API.
+
+---
+
+### 6. ⚙️ Profile Settings (`Profile Settings`)
+- Update your master resume text, technical skills, target job titles, desired salary range, and contact information.
+- Configure Auto-Apply rules and threshold preferences.
+
+---
+
+## 🧠 AI Model Configuration
+
+- **Primary Model**: Google Gemini 3.6 Flash (Set your `GEMINI_API_KEY` in [.env](file:///home/david/Documents/vscode/ai-job-application/.env)).
+- **Fallback Local Model**: If Gemini API limit/quota is reached or missing, the server automatically routes requests to your local LM Studio instance (`http://localhost:1234/v1`).
+- Recommended local model: `qwen2.5-vl-7b-instruct-abliterated` or `qwen2.5-coder-7b-instruct`.

restart.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Restart script for AI Job Application server
+
+APP_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+
+echo "Restarting AI Job Application server..."
+"$APP_DIR/stop.sh"
+sleep 1
+"$APP_DIR/start.sh"

start.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Start script for AI Job Application server
+
+APP_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+PID_FILE="$APP_DIR/.app.pid"
+LOG_FILE="$APP_DIR/.app.log"
+
+if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
+    PID=$(cat "$PID_FILE")
+    if kill -0 "$PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+        echo "AI Job Application server is already running (PID: $PID)."
+        echo "Access it at http://localhost:3000"
+        exit 0
+    else
+        rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+    fi
+fi
+
+echo "Starting AI Job Application server..."
+cd "$APP_DIR" || exit 1
+nohup npm run dev > "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 &
+SERVER_PID=$!
+echo "$SERVER_PID" > "$PID_FILE"
+
+sleep 2
+if kill -0 "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "✓ Server successfully started (PID: $SERVER_PID)."
+    echo "✓ App running at: http://localhost:3000"
+    echo "✓ Logs: $LOG_FILE"
+else
+    echo "❌ Server failed to start. Check logs at $LOG_FILE"
+    rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+    exit 1
+fi

stop.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Stop script for AI Job Application server
+
+APP_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+PID_FILE="$APP_DIR/.app.pid"
+
+if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
+    PID=$(cat "$PID_FILE")
+    if kill -0 "$PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+        echo "Stopping AI Job Application server (PID: $PID)..."
+        kill "$PID" 2>/dev/null
+        
+        # Give it a moment to shutdown gracefully
+        for i in {1..5}; do
+            if ! kill -0 "$PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+                break
+            fi
+            sleep 1
+        done
+
+        # Force kill if still running
+        if kill -0 "$PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+            echo "Force stopping PID $PID..."
+            kill -9 "$PID" 2>/dev/null
+        fi
+
+        rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+        echo "✓ Server stopped successfully."
+    else
+        echo "Server is not running (stale PID file found and removed)."
+        rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+    fi
+else
+    # Check for any rogue tsx server.ts process
+    PIDS=$(pgrep -f "tsx server.ts" || pgrep -f "dist/server.cjs")
+    if [ -n "$PIDS" ]; then
+        echo "Stopping running server process(es): $PIDS"
+        kill $PIDS 2>/dev/null
+        echo "✓ Server stopped."
+    else
+        echo "AI Job Application server is not running."
+    fi
+fi