Skip to main content
Glama
pipeworx-io

Recipes MCP

by pipeworx-io

mcp-recipes

Recipes MCP — wraps TheMealDB API (free tier, no auth)

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1679+ live data sources.

Tools

Tool

Description

search_meals

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.

get_meal

Get complete recipe details including ingredients with measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions. Pass a meal ID from search_meals or random_meal.

random_meal

Get a random meal recipe with full ingredients and cooking instructions. Use when you need recipe inspiration without a specific search.

meals_by_ingredient

Find all recipes using a specific ingredient (e.g., "chicken", "garlic", "pasta"). Returns meal names and IDs to pass to get_meal.

Related MCP server: mcp-spoonacular

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "recipes": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/recipes/mcp"
    }
  }
}

What this endpoint actually serves

tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/recipes/mcp returns the tools in the table above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx, discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth, connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1679+ data sources. The only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx reaches all of them from either one.

No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_meals \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"query":"pasta"}'

No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_meals. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.

Standalone (no gateway account)

This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "recipes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-recipes"]
    }
  }
}

Or run it directly to confirm it starts:

npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-recipes

It speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Recipes data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

More

License

MIT

Related MCP Connectors

Related MCP Servers

  • F
    license
    Not graded
    quality
    D
    maintenance
    Enables recipe search, storage, and meal planning using TheMealDB API. Provides comprehensive recipe discovery, automatic recipe collection management, and custom meal plan creation with detailed cooking instructions and ingredients.
    1
    -
  • A
    license
    Not graded
    quality
    B
    maintenance
    Enables searching for cocktail recipes by name, ingredient, or randomly, and retrieving full cocktail details including ingredients, measurements, and instructions via TheCocktailDB API.
    130 npm
    MIT
  • F
    license
    Not graded
    quality
    D
    maintenance
    MCP server for discovering and retrieving meal recipes from TheMealDB API, enabling search, random meals, category/ingredient filtering, and full recipe details.
    -