CryptoJones · CryptoJones · Jul 10, 2026 · Jul 10, 2026
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -233,6 +233,7 @@ killing the process:
 | `PUT`    | `/api/apps/{name}/raw?expected_version=…` | Replace the full Markdown document. |
 | `DELETE` | `/api/apps/{name}` | Delete → `204`. |
 | `POST`   | `/api/apps/{name}/draft` | Draft a tailored cover letter via the configured LLM; saves it and returns `{ok, material}`. Rate-limited. |
+| `GET`    | `/api/apps/{name}/cover-letter.pdf` | Download the saved cover letter as a PDF. |
 | `POST`   | `/api/poll` | Enqueue an on-demand poll → `{count:0}`. Rate-limited; the worker drains it. |
 | `POST`   | `/api/scrape` | Body `{url}`. Fetch a posting page server-side (SSRF-guarded) and extract `{company, role, location, salary, source, description}` for the editor's Autofill. Rate-limited; 502 when the page can't be read. |
 
@@ -343,7 +344,7 @@ résumé you control — provider-agnostic, and built so your data can stay on-p
   AES-256-GCM under `APPLYTRACK_SECRETS_KEY` and never echoed back. Without that
   master key the per-tenant-key path is disabled (the instance default still works).
 - **Generate from the application sheet.** Each app gets a **Generate cover letter**
-  action; the result renders inline with copy / download `.md` / regenerate /
+  action; the result renders inline with copy / download `.md` or PDF / regenerate /
   discard. Letters are stored per application and are excluded from the export
   snapshot by design.
 
@@ -510,7 +511,7 @@ v1 is intentionally focused. Deferred, with clean seams already in place:
 - **Link checking.** `/api/apps/{name}/check-link` returns 501 today; the
   SSRF-hardened prober already exists in the poller for when it's enabled.
 - **Richer cover-letter output.** The materials engine ships plain-text/Markdown
-  letters ([Cover letters](#cover-letters)); LaTeX/PDF rendering is the next module.
+  letters ([Cover letters](#cover-letters)) with direct Markdown and PDF downloads.
 
 ## Contributing
 

diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api.Tests/CoverLetterDrafterTests.cs b/api/ApplyTrack.Api.Tests/CoverLetterDrafterTests.cs
@@ -60,6 +60,14 @@ public async Task The_returned_body_is_trimmed()
         Assert.Equal(new string('y', 100), body);
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task A_saved_signature_is_appended_exactly()
+    {
+        var body = await new CoverLetterDrafter(new StubLlmClient())
+            .DraftAsync(new AppFields { Company = "Acme" }, SampleResume(), Cfg, "Sincerely,\nAda Byte");
+        Assert.EndsWith("Sincerely,\nAda Byte", body);
+    }
+
     [Theory]
     [InlineData("too short")]                  // under the 40-char floor
     [InlineData("")]                            // empty

diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api.Tests/MaterialsEndpointTests.cs b/api/ApplyTrack.Api.Tests/MaterialsEndpointTests.cs
@@ -316,6 +316,34 @@ public async Task Cover_letters_default_on_and_the_toggle_round_trips()
         Assert.Equal("llama3.1", after.GetProperty("model").GetString());
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Cover_letter_signature_round_trips_and_is_appended_to_new_drafts()
+    {
+        using var client = await AuthedClientAsync(NewFactory(WithStub(new StubLlmClient())));
+        await client.PutAsync("/api/resume", Json(NonEmptyResume));
+        await client.PutAsync("/api/llm-settings", Json("""{"cover_letter_signature":"Sincerely,\nAda Byte"}"""));
+        var settings = await ReadJson(await client.GetAsync("/api/llm-settings"));
+        Assert.Equal("Sincerely,\nAda Byte", settings.GetProperty("cover_letter_signature").GetString());
+
+        var name = await CreateAppAsync(client, "Acme Corp", "Engineer");
+        var draft = await ReadJson(await client.PostAsync($"/api/apps/{name}/draft", null));
+        Assert.EndsWith("Sincerely,\nAda Byte", draft.GetProperty("material").GetString());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Cover_letter_pdf_download_returns_a_pdf()
+    {
+        using var client = await AuthedClientAsync(NewFactory(WithStub(new StubLlmClient())));
+        await client.PutAsync("/api/resume", Json(NonEmptyResume));
+        var name = await CreateAppAsync(client, "Acme Corp", "Engineer");
+        await client.PostAsync($"/api/apps/{name}/draft", null);
+
+        var pdf = await client.GetAsync($"/api/apps/{name}/cover-letter.pdf");
+        Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.OK, pdf.StatusCode);
+        Assert.Equal("application/pdf", pdf.Content.Headers.ContentType?.MediaType);
+        Assert.Equal("%PDF-", Encoding.ASCII.GetString((await pdf.Content.ReadAsByteArrayAsync())[..5]));
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public async Task Draft_is_refused_when_cover_letters_are_disabled()
     {

diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api/ApplyTrack.Api.csproj b/api/ApplyTrack.Api/ApplyTrack.Api.csproj
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <RootNamespace>ApplyTrack.Api</RootNamespace>
-    <Version>1.10.0</Version>
+    <Version>1.11.0</Version>
     <Authors>Aaron K. Clark</Authors>
     <Copyright>Copyright 2026 Aaron K. Clark</Copyright>
     <PackageLicenseExpression>Apache-2.0</PackageLicenseExpression>

diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Data/LlmSettingsRepo.cs b/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Data/LlmSettingsRepo.cs
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@ public LlmSettingsRepo(
         _log = log;
     }
 
-    private sealed record Row(string BaseUrl, string Model, string ApiKeyCiphertext, bool CoverLettersEnabled);
+    private sealed record Row(
+        string BaseUrl, string Model, string ApiKeyCiphertext,
+        bool CoverLettersEnabled, string CoverLetterSignature);
 
     /// <summary>The tenant's override with the API key decrypted, or null when no row exists.</summary>
     public async Task<LlmOverride?> GetOverrideAsync()
@@ -76,6 +78,10 @@ private sealed record Row(string BaseUrl, string Model, string ApiKeyCiphertext,
             : (row.BaseUrl, row.Model, row.ApiKeyCiphertext.Length > 0, row.CoverLettersEnabled);
     }
 
+    /// <summary>The tenant's exact multi-line closing signature, or blank when unset.</summary>
+    public async Task<string> GetCoverLetterSignatureAsync() =>
+        (await ReadRowAsync())?.CoverLetterSignature ?? "";
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Save the override. <paramref name="changeKey"/> distinguishes "leave the stored
     /// key alone" (false) from "set/clear it" (true): a blank <paramref name="newKeyPlaintext"/>
@@ -85,7 +91,8 @@ private sealed record Row(string BaseUrl, string Model, string ApiKeyCiphertext,
     /// </summary>
     public async Task UpsertAsync(
         string baseUrl, string model, bool changeKey, string? newKeyPlaintext,
-        bool? coverLettersEnabled = null, IDbTransaction? tx = null)
+        bool? coverLettersEnabled = null, string? coverLetterSignature = null,
+        IDbTransaction? tx = null)
     {
         var ciphertext = "";
         if (changeKey && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(newKeyPlaintext))
@@ -101,16 +108,24 @@ public async Task UpsertAsync(
         var keyUpdate = changeKey ? "api_key_ciphertext = EXCLUDED.api_key_ciphertext," : "";
         await _conn.ExecuteAsync(
             $"""
-             INSERT INTO llm_settings (tenant_id, base_url, model, api_key_ciphertext, cover_letters_enabled, updated_at)
-             VALUES (@t, @baseUrl, @model, @ciphertext, coalesce(@enabled, true), now())
+             INSERT INTO llm_settings (
+                 tenant_id, base_url, model, api_key_ciphertext,
+                 cover_letters_enabled, cover_letter_signature, updated_at)
+             VALUES (@t, @baseUrl, @model, @ciphertext, coalesce(@enabled, true),
+                 coalesce(@signature, ''), now())
              ON CONFLICT (tenant_id) DO UPDATE SET
                  base_url   = EXCLUDED.base_url,
                  model      = EXCLUDED.model,
                  {keyUpdate}
                  cover_letters_enabled = coalesce(@enabled, llm_settings.cover_letters_enabled),
+                 cover_letter_signature = coalesce(@signature, llm_settings.cover_letter_signature),
                  updated_at = now()
              """,
-            new { t = _t, baseUrl = baseUrl.Trim(), model = model.Trim(), ciphertext, enabled = coverLettersEnabled },
+            new
+            {
+                t = _t, baseUrl = baseUrl.Trim(), model = model.Trim(), ciphertext,
+                enabled = coverLettersEnabled, signature = coverLetterSignature?.Trim(),
+            },
             tx);
     }
 
@@ -119,7 +134,8 @@ ON CONFLICT (tenant_id) DO UPDATE SET
         // Dapper's global MatchNamesWithUnderscores flag.
         _conn.QuerySingleOrDefaultAsync<Row?>(
             "SELECT base_url AS baseurl, model, api_key_ciphertext AS apikeyciphertext, "
-            + "cover_letters_enabled AS coverlettersenabled "
+            + "cover_letters_enabled AS coverlettersenabled, "
+            + "cover_letter_signature AS coverlettersignature "
             + "FROM llm_settings WHERE tenant_id = @t",
             new { t = _t });
 }
diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Endpoints/AppsEndpoints.cs b/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Endpoints/AppsEndpoints.cs
@@ -108,7 +108,8 @@ public static void MapAppsEndpoints(this IEndpointRouteBuilder app)
 
             var resume = await resumes.GetAsync();
             var cfg = EffectiveLlmConfig.Resolve(instance, await llm.GetOverrideAsync());
-            var body = await drafter.DraftAsync(rec.Fields, resume, cfg, ct);
+            var body = await drafter.DraftAsync(
+                rec.Fields, resume, cfg, await llm.GetCoverLetterSignatureAsync(), ct);
             await letters.UpsertAsync(rec.Name, body, cfg.Model);
             return Results.Ok(new { ok = true, material = body });
         }).RequireRateLimiting("draft");

diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Endpoints/MaterialsEndpoints.cs b/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Endpoints/MaterialsEndpoints.cs
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ public static void MapMaterialsEndpoints(this IEndpointRouteBuilder app)
                 base_url = baseUrl,
                 model,
                 has_api_key = hasKey,
+                cover_letter_signature = await repo.GetCoverLetterSignatureAsync(),
                 // Whether this tenant wants cover letters at all; OFF hides the
                 // drafting UI and the draft endpoint refuses.
                 cover_letters_enabled = lettersEnabled,
@@ -99,14 +100,21 @@ public static void MapMaterialsEndpoints(this IEndpointRouteBuilder app)
                 ? en.GetBoolean()
                 : null;
 
-            await repo.UpsertAsync(baseUrl, model, changeKey, newKey, lettersEnabled);
+            string? signature = payload.ValueKind == JsonValueKind.Object
+                && payload.TryGetProperty("cover_letter_signature", out var sig)
+                && sig.ValueKind == JsonValueKind.String
+                ? sig.GetString()?.Trim()
+                : null;
+
+            await repo.UpsertAsync(baseUrl, model, changeKey, newKey, lettersEnabled, signature);
 
             var (savedUrl, savedModel, hasKey, savedEnabled) = await repo.GetViewAsync();
             return Results.Ok(new
             {
                 base_url = savedUrl,
                 model = savedModel,
                 has_api_key = hasKey,
+                cover_letter_signature = await repo.GetCoverLetterSignatureAsync(),
                 cover_letters_enabled = savedEnabled,
             });
         });
@@ -119,6 +127,14 @@ public static void MapMaterialsEndpoints(this IEndpointRouteBuilder app)
                 ? Results.NoContent()
                 : throw new AppNotFoundException($"no cover letter for '{name}'");
         });
+
+        app.MapGet("/api/apps/{name}/cover-letter.pdf", async (string name, CoverLetterRepo letters) =>
+        {
+            var body = await letters.GetBodyAsync(name)
+                ?? throw new AppNotFoundException($"no cover letter for '{name}'");
+            var filename = $"{Slug.NameStem(Slug.Normalize(name))}-cover-letter.pdf";
+            return Results.File(CoverLetterPdfRenderer.Render(body), "application/pdf", filename);
+        });
     }
 
     private static string GetString(JsonElement obj, string key) =>

diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Materials/CoverLetterDrafter.cs b/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Materials/CoverLetterDrafter.cs
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ public sealed class CoverLetterDrafter
     };
 
     public async Task<string> DraftAsync(
-        AppFields app, Resume resume, EffectiveLlmConfig cfg, CancellationToken ct = default)
+        AppFields app, Resume resume, EffectiveLlmConfig cfg,
+        string signature = "", CancellationToken ct = default)
     {
         if (resume.IsEmpty)
             throw new AppValidationException("add your résumé in Résumé settings before drafting a cover letter");
@@ -38,14 +39,14 @@ public async Task<string> DraftAsync(
         // Reject empty/implausible output rather than save a broken letter.
         if (body.Length is < 40 or > 6000)
             throw new LlmUnavailableException("the model returned an unusable draft — try again");
-        return body;
+        return signature.Trim() is { Length: > 0 } closing
+            ? $"{body}\n\n{closing}"
+            : body;
     }
 
     private static (string System, string User) BuildPrompt(AppFields app, Resume resume)
     {
         var lane = LaneLead.TryGetValue(app.Lane, out var lead) ? lead : LaneLead["ai"];
-        var name = resume.FullName.Length > 0 ? resume.FullName : "the candidate";
-
         var system =
             $"""
             You are an expert cover-letter writer drafting a tailored, ready-to-send cover
@@ -65,7 +66,8 @@ and company are about.
             Structure the letter as:
             - a "Dear Hiring Team," greeting,
             - 2-3 short body paragraphs, ~200-280 words total,
-            - a brief sign-off ending with "{name}".
+            - end after the final body paragraph; do not write a sign-off or signature.
+            The application will append the applicant's saved signature exactly.
             Do NOT include a date or a postal address.
             """;
 

diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Materials/CoverLetterPdfRenderer.cs b/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Materials/CoverLetterPdfRenderer.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// Copyright 2026 Aaron K. Clark
+
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
+using System.Text;
+using System.Globalization;
+using UglyToad.PdfPig.Content;
+using UglyToad.PdfPig.Fonts.Standard14Fonts;
+using UglyToad.PdfPig.Writer;
+using UglyToad.PdfPig.Core;
+
+namespace ApplyTrack.Api.Materials;
+
+/// <summary>Renders a generated letter into a small, portable text PDF.</summary>
+public static partial class CoverLetterPdfRenderer
+{
+    [GeneratedRegex(@"[*_`#]", RegexOptions.CultureInvariant)]
+    private static partial Regex MarkdownMarkers();
+
+    public static byte[] Render(string body)
+    {
+        var builder = new PdfDocumentBuilder();
+        var font = builder.AddStandard14Font(Standard14Font.Helvetica);
+        var lines = Wrap(ToPdfText(MarkdownMarkers().Replace(body.Replace("\r\n", "\n"), "")));
+        const double left = 54;
+        const double top = 770;
+        const double lineHeight = 16;
+        const double bottom = 54;
+        var page = builder.AddPage(PageSize.A4);
+        var y = top;
+
+        foreach (var line in lines)
+        {
+            if (y < bottom)
+            {
+                page = builder.AddPage(PageSize.A4);
+                y = top;
+            }
+
+            if (line.Length > 0)
+                page.AddText(line, 11, new PdfPoint(left, y), font);
+            y -= lineHeight;
+        }
+
+        return builder.Build();
+    }
+
+    private static IReadOnlyList<string> Wrap(string text)
+    {
+        var result = new List<string>();
+        foreach (var paragraph in text.Split('\n'))
+        {
+            if (paragraph.Length == 0)
+            {
+                result.Add("");
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            var words = paragraph.Split(' ', StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
+            var line = "";
+            foreach (var word in words)
+            {
+                var candidate = line.Length == 0 ? word : $"{line} {word}";
+                if (candidate.Length > 88 && line.Length > 0)
+                {
+                    result.Add(line);
+                    line = word;
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    line = candidate;
+                }
+            }
+            result.Add(line);
+        }
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    // PdfPig's Standard 14 fonts are intentionally ASCII-only. Fold accented
+    // Latin characters and replace any remaining non-ASCII glyphs safely.
+    private static string ToPdfText(string text)
+    {
+        var normalized = text.Normalize(NormalizationForm.FormD);
+        var chars = normalized
+            .Where(c => CharUnicodeInfo.GetUnicodeCategory(c) != UnicodeCategory.NonSpacingMark)
+            .Select(c => c <= 127 ? c : '?')
+            .ToArray();
+        return new string(chars);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Migrations/0014_cover_letter_signature.sql b/api/ApplyTrack.Api/Migrations/0014_cover_letter_signature.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+-- SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+-- Copyright 2026 Aaron K. Clark
+-- Tenant-provided closing signature appended to generated cover letters.
+ALTER TABLE llm_settings
+    ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS cover_letter_signature text NOT NULL DEFAULT '';