How to automate job applications with Claude Code or Codex, step by step

Xiang (Arnold) Shang · 30 October 2026 · 10 min read

Short answer: install Claude Code or Codex, connect it to a job tracker so it remembers what it did, give it your real resume, let it set up its own browser, then tell it what jobs you want and how to apply. It searches, reads each posting, fills in the form and shows you what it wrote. You check, and it submits. Later it reads your job emails and updates each application by itself.

Every prompt below is one I use. Copy them and change the details to yours.

What you need

• A computer (Mac, Windows or Linux) and Node.js installed.
• Claude Code or Codex. Both work. The cheapest paid plan of either is enough to start; heavy days may hit its limits.
• A resume, as text, PDF or Word. If you do not have one, the AI can make one from what you tell it.
• About an hour for the first setup. After that you just open it and say “carry on”.

1. Install Claude Code or Codex

Open a terminal and run one of these.

Claude Code:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude

Codex:

npm install -g @openai/codex
codex

Sign in when it asks. If something fails, paste the error into the AI and ask it to fix it; it is good at this.

2. Give it a memory

Each new conversation with an AI starts empty. Without somewhere to keep things, it forgets which jobs it applied to, what it found about each company and what you told it last week. I use ApplyKoala for this: the AI saves jobs, applications, recruiters and your answers there, and you can see all of it on a board.

Connect it with one command.

Claude Code (then type /mcp and sign in):

claude mcp add --scope user --transport http applykoala https://applykoala.com/mcp

Codex:

codex mcp add applykoala --url https://applykoala.com/mcp
codex mcp login applykoala

Then check it works:

Check that ApplyKoala is connected and read my job search records. (It should be empty.)

The MCP page has the steps for other AI apps.

3. Give it your resume

Paste your resume or give it the file path. It does not need any special format.

This is my resume. Read it together with what is already in ApplyKoala. Ask me about anything unclear. Do not add experience I do not have. Show me the profile you want to save, and save it to ApplyKoala after I agree. From now on, help me find jobs and fill in applications. Before each one is submitted, show me exactly what you filled in, and submit only after I say yes.

Most forms want a file to upload. If you only pasted text, ask for one:

Using only the resume content I gave you and confirmed, make a PDF resume I can upload, saved on this computer. Keep it simple, with real text that can be copied, not images. Do not add experience, skills or results I have not confirmed. Check it for broken characters, cut-off text and odd page breaks, then give me the file to check.

4. Let it set up a browser

You do not need to know the install commands. Ask:

Install and set up Playwright, or a similar browser tool, so you can search for jobs, upload my resume and fill in applications. Open a page to test it, and tell me when you need me to sign in or allow something. Use a headless browser where you can, so it does not take over the browser I am using. If you hit a captcha or a site blocks you, tell me and open a window so I can deal with it.

A headless browser runs out of sight, so you can keep using your computer. Some sites accept it; others show a captcha or block it. The first time you sign in to a job site, you may have to do it yourself.

5. Say what jobs you want

Be specific, and say what to do when a job is close but not quite right:

Find product engineer jobs at startups in London. I like full stack and AI product work, where I take features from idea to release. I am looking for around £70,000 a year. Show me lower-paid jobs too, but ask me before applying. Fill in right to work, visa and start date only from what I have told you. Check ApplyKoala first and do not apply to the same job twice. Look on company websites first; startup lists from accelerators and investors are good places to find companies. Read what each job actually involves and tell me where I match and where I fall short. Save the good ones to ApplyKoala and look into each company. Do not search by job title alone: different titles can mean the same work, and the same title can mean very different work.

The last line matters more than it sounds. A “Solutions Engineer” at one company writes the same code as a “Full Stack Engineer” at another, and a search box only finds the title you typed.

6. Let it fill, check, then submit

Fill in applications using my resume and the real experience in ApplyKoala. You can upload my resume, answer questions, check for missed fields and deal with errors on the page. If a question has nothing to go on, ask me. Do not guess. Write cover letters in plain words: what I actually did and why it matters for this job. No pile of adjectives, and do not turn the job's requirements into my experience. When it is filled in, show me what you entered: which resume, the cover letter, salary, visa and every other answer. Submit after I say yes. After submitting, check that it went through and update ApplyKoala. Close that application's tab when it is done. Do not close my other tabs.

You only say this once. After that, “carry on” or “apply to this one” is enough.

Read the first applications closely. When something is wrong, say exactly what and why (“I would not describe that project this way”). Those corrections become the rules it follows. What happened when I let AI send 100 applications in a day is why I check.

7. Let it read your job emails

Confirmations, rejections and interview invites arrive by email. If the AI can read them, it can update each application without you.

With Gmail, the simplest way is an app password:

1. Turn on 2-Step Verification in your Google Account.
2. Search for “App passwords” in your Google Account settings.
3. Make one for your job search assistant.
4. Let the AI set up the script. Type the password on your computer, not into the chat.

Some work, school and Advanced Protection accounts do not offer app passwords; then you need a different way to sign in to Google.

Set up reading and sending Gmail on this computer. First check whether there is a Google sign-in I can already use. If not, write a local script with Python, IMAP and SMTP:
reading: imap.gmail.com, port 993, SSL
sending: smtp.gmail.com, port 465, SSL
I will type the email address and app password on this computer myself. Keep the password in the system's credential store if there is one. Never print it, put it in the chat or commit it to a code repository. Test by reading the sender, subject and time of my last 5 emails. Do not send test emails and do not delete anything. When it works, save the script and a short note on how to use it.

Once it works:

Check my recent job emails. Match confirmations, rejections and interview invites to the jobs in ApplyKoala and update them. If a job site needs an account, help me sign in to the ones I already have, and sign up for new ones after I agree. Use verification emails only for the sign-up or application in progress. When an email needs a reply, show me a draft and send it only after I say yes.

Picture captchas and extra identity checks may still need you.

Let your AI handle your job search email goes further: a separate inbox, the rules to give the AI, job-site passwords and Workday accounts, and how to take access back.

8. Hand it recruiter messages

The AI cannot read WhatsApp or LinkedIn messages. Take a screenshot or paste the chat:

Sort out this conversation with a recruiter. Using what is already in ApplyKoala, pull out their name, company, contact details, the job they mentioned and where things stand. If it is clear, note whether they are an agency recruiter or work at the company. Save them as a contact linked to the job. Ask me about anything unclear; do not guess. Then write me a short reply. Do not send it yet.

Most of the time I just paste the screenshot with no words; it knows what to do.

If you are not sure what to say back, how to respond to a recruiter has short replies for each case.

When an interview is booked, say it the way you would to a friend:

They booked an interview for next Wednesday at 2pm London time, on video. Update ApplyKoala with the time, how it happens and what I need to do.

It goes on your ApplyKoala calendar, shown in your own time zone.

9. Answer the odd questions once

Forms often ask things your resume does not cover. Let the AI ask you, answer in whatever language is easiest, and keep the answer:

I will answer this in my own language. Turn it into natural English and show me. After I agree, save it to my profile or stories in ApplyKoala. Next time a similar question comes up, check what is saved first and adapt it to the question instead of asking me from scratch.

The same goes for your past work. You do not need to write it all up on day one. When you remember something, say:

I want to add something from a previous job. Check what ApplyKoala already has, then help me turn it into a story I can tell in interviews. Use only the facts I give you; ask me if something is missing. Save it to ApplyKoala.

Your experience, answers, contacts and progress build up over time, and each application gets quicker.

The question that comes up most is “Why do you want to work here?” How to answer it shows a three-sentence shape that works for most forms.

Every day after that

Open Claude Code or Codex and paste:

Read ApplyKoala and check my latest job emails. Update the status of each application, finish any applications in progress, then find new jobs. Ask me before submitting each application.

When you trust it, you can drop the last line. The AI only works while the session is open. If you want it to check email or apply on a schedule while you are away, you need to set up a scheduled task.

What it will not do well

• Job sites that ban bots. LinkedIn and some others do not allow automated applying and may restrict your account. Use the AI to read and research there, and apply yourself.
• Captchas and identity checks. Many it gets through; some need you.
• Long company portals. Multi-page forms that make you create an account per company are slower and break more often.
• Your voice. Even with good rules, its writing is tidier than you are. Read the cover letters.

Questions

Can AI apply to jobs for me automatically? Yes. Claude Code and Codex can control a browser, fill in forms and submit them. They do it best when you tell them what to apply for, give them your real details, and check the first applications before they go out.

Is this the same as an auto-apply bot? Not quite. Most auto-apply tools send the same answers to as many jobs as possible. Here the AI reads each job, tells you how you match and writes for that job, and you decide which ones to send.

Do I need to know how to code? No. You type requests in plain words, and the AI installs and fixes things itself. You need to be comfortable opening a terminal and pasting a command.

Does ApplyKoala submit applications? No. ApplyKoala keeps your jobs, research, applications and contacts. Your AI fills in and submits forms with its own browser tools.

Is it safe to give the AI my email password? Do not give it your real password. An app password can be removed at any time in your Google Account, and you type it on your computer, not into the chat. The AI reads your email on your computer; what it reads is sent to the company that makes the AI, under their privacy policy.

How to run your job search with Claude Code or Codex covers what to ask once you are set up.

Everything here works on paper. If you would rather not keep the paper,the app does this bit — paste a posting and it fills in the details, and it all stays on your own computer.