@striderlabs/mcp-instacart

MCP server that gives AI agents the ability to search products, manage cart, and place grocery orders on Instacart.

Built by Strider Labs — building the action layer for AI agents.

Features

• 🔍 Search Products — Find products across Instacart with prices and availability

• 🛒 Cart Management — Add items, view cart, clear cart

• 📦 Place Orders — Preview and place orders with delivery time selection

• 🔐 Session Persistence — Cookies saved locally for seamless re-authentication

• 🛡️ Order Safety — Requires explicit confirmation before placing orders

Installation

npm install @striderlabs/mcp-instacart

Or install globally:

npm install -g @striderlabs/mcp-instacart

Prerequisites

This package requires Playwright browsers. Install them with:

npx playwright install chromium

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instacart": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@striderlabs/mcp-instacart"]
    }
  }
}

Other MCP Clients

npx @striderlabs/mcp-instacart

Available Tools

Authentication

Shopping

Cart

Orders

Usage Examples

Check Session Status

User: Am I logged into Instacart?
Agent: [calls instacart_status]
→ Returns login state, email, saved address

Search for Products

User: Find organic bananas on Instacart
Agent: [calls instacart_search with query="organic bananas"]
→ Returns list of products with prices

Build a Shopping List

User: Add milk, eggs, and bread to my Instacart cart
Agent: 
  [calls instacart_add_to_cart with product="milk"]
  [calls instacart_add_to_cart with product="eggs"]
  [calls instacart_add_to_cart with product="bread"]
→ Items added to cart

View Cart

User: What's in my Instacart cart?
Agent: [calls instacart_view_cart]
→ Returns items, quantities, subtotal, fees, total

Place Order

User: Place my Instacart order
Agent: [calls instacart_place_order with confirm=false]
→ Returns preview asking for confirmation
User: Yes, place it
Agent: [calls instacart_place_order with confirm=true]
→ Order placed, returns confirmation

Authentication Flow

Instacart requires browser-based login. The flow:

1. Call instacart_login — returns login URL

2. User opens URL and logs in manually

3. Cookies are automatically saved to ~/.strider/instacart/

4. Future sessions use saved cookies

Session cookies persist until they expire or instacart_logout is called.

Configuration

Session data is stored in:

~/.strider/instacart/
├── cookies.json    # Browser cookies
└── session.json    # Session metadata

Order Safety

The instacart_place_order tool has a built-in safety mechanism:

• Without confirm=true: Returns a preview, does not place order

• With confirm=true: Actually places the order

Agents should ALWAYS show the preview and get explicit user confirmation before calling with

Technical Details

• Uses Playwright for browser automation

• Runs headless by default

• Includes stealth patches to avoid detection

• Supports all Instacart stores available in your area

Limitations

• Requires manual login (no programmatic auth)

• Browser automation may break if Instacart updates their UI

• Some anti-bot measures may require solving CAPTCHAs manually

• Payment methods must be pre-configured in your Instacart account

Troubleshooting

"Not logged in" errors

Run instacart_login and complete the login flow manually.

Timeout errors

Instacart pages may be slow. The server will retry automatically, but you can also:

1. Check your internet connection

2. Try again after a moment

"Could not find element" errors

Instacart may have updated their UI. Please file an issue with details.

CAPTCHA challenges

Some actions may trigger CAPTCHA. You'll need to:

1. Open Instacart in a regular browser

2. Complete the CAPTCHA

3. Try the MCP action again

Development

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/markswendsen-code/mcp-instacart
cd mcp-instacart

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Install Playwright browsers
npx playwright install chromium

# Build
npm run build

# Run locally
node dist/index.js

License

MIT

Links

• Strider Labs

• MCP Protocol

• GitHub Issues