Skill: shopping-list

Needs the Cook MCP server (tools like shopping_list and search_recipes). If these tools are missing, the Cook MCP server isn't connected: if you installed the cooklang plugin or extension, check that its cook server is running (e.g. /mcp) or reinstall it; otherwise add it from https://github.com/cook-md/cook-mcp. Never sum quantities by hand instead.

Use when the user asks for a shopping or grocery list from recipes or a meal plan.

Use the shopping_list tool. It does the arithmetic: merges duplicate ingredients across recipes, follows recipe references (a .menu's recipes and their sub-recipes), groups items by aisle from config/aisle.conf, and subtracts what config/pantry.conf already holds. Never hand-sum quantities yourself — it is error-prone and drifts from what the user's apps compute.

Workflow

1. Find the recipes or plans: search_recipes when the user names dishes, list_recipes (kind: "menu" for plans) to browse. Never reference a recipe that is not in the collection.
2. Call shopping_list with recipes: paths exactly as those tools returned them. Append :N to scale one entry, e.g. "Dinner/Pasta.cook:2" for a double batch. A .menu plan is one entry; its own {N%servings} references already set the amounts.
3. Pantry: by default items in stock are subtracted. Set ignore_pantry: true when the user wants the full list (e.g. shopping for someone else's kitchen).
4. Format: the default JSON is grouped by aisle — present it as a grouped checklist. Set format: "markdown" when the user wants text to paste or print.
5. Report diagnostics that matter: references that didn't resolve, ingredients that couldn't be merged because their units differ.

Aisle grouping

Items not listed in config/aisle.conf are not grouped under a store aisle. Run validate with no arguments to see ingredients with no aisle. If the user wants store-ordered output, author it. The file is a list of [category] sections; order of sections and items is significant — arrange to match the store layout. Define synonyms with |:

[produce]
potatoes

[dairy]
milk
butter

[canned goods]
tuna|chicken of the sea

Save it with write_config (path: "config/aisle.conf"), always the full file — keep the existing sections and add to them. Parse problems come back as warnings in diagnostics; fix them and save again. Afterwards, run validate with no arguments to see ingredients with no aisle.

Saved lists in Cook apps

Cook apps keep a saved list in a hidden .shopping-list file at the collection root: recipe references (./Mains/Carbonara{2}, nested two spaces per level for menu → recipe → sub-recipe) plus free-hand items (olive oil{4%l}, salt), with -- comments. Only author it if the user asks for a list that shows up in their app, and only with your client's file tools; cook-mcp does not write it. The app computes totals from it, so never put summed quantities there.