Recipes

Search Meals

search_meals

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search TheMealDB for recipes by meal name. Returns full recipe details — category, cuisine area, ingredients with measurements, step-by-step instructions, tags, thumbnail, and YouTube/source URLs.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`query`	Yes	Meal name or partial name to search for

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`meals`	Yes	List of meals matching the search query
`total`	Yes	Number of meals matching the search query

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedMay 8, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "meals": {
+      "description": "List of meals matching the search query",
+      "items": {
+        "properties": {
+          "area": {
+            "description": "Cuisine area/region (e.g., Italian, Indian)",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "category": {
+            "description": "Meal category (e.g., dessert, seafood)",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "id": {
+            "description": "TheMealDB meal ID",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "ingredients": {
+            "description": "List of ingredients with measurements",
+            "items": {
+              "properties": {
+                "ingredient": {
+                  "description": "Ingredient name",
+                  "type": "string"
+                },
+                "measure": {
+                  "description": "Measurement quantity and unit",
+                  "type": "string"
+                }
+              },
+              "required": [
+                "ingredient",
+                "measure"
+              ],
+              "type": "object"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "instructions": {
+            "description": "Cooking instructions",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "name": {
+            "description": "Meal name",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "source_url": {
+            "description": "Source website URL",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "tags": {
+            "description": "List of meal tags/keywords",
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "thumbnail_url": {
+            "description": "URL to meal thumbnail image",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "youtube_url": {
+            "description": "YouTube video URL for recipe",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "id",
+          "name",
+          "category",
+          "area",
+          "instructions",
+          "thumbnail_url",
+          "youtube_url",
+          "source_url",
+          "tags",
+          "ingredients"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "total": {
+      "description": "Number of meals matching the search query",
+      "type": "integer"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "total",
+    "meals"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedMay 6, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "query": "pasta"
+  },
+  {
+    "query": "chicken tikka"
+  }
+]

First observedApr 14, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Adds detail on return content (category, ingredients, instructions, URLs) beyond annotations, which already declare non-destructive read-only behavior. No contradiction.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Single, front-loaded sentence with no filler; enumerates useful return fields efficiently.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Adequate for a simple search tool: annotations cover safety, output schema exists, and description covers return content; minor omission of list-vs-single result behavior is not significant given output schema.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema fully documents the 'query' parameter with type and description; tool description's 'by meal name' adds no additional semantics beyond schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Clearly states it searches TheMealDB by meal name and enumerates returned fields, distinguishing it from siblings like get_meal (specific ID) and meals_by_ingredient (by ingredient).

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Provides clear use case (search by name) but does not explicitly mention when to prefer alternatives like get_meal or meals_by_ingredient, nor any exclusions.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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