OurGroceries MCP Server & CLI

A command-line tool and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing grocery lists on OurGroceries.com.

Features

This package provides CLI commands and MCP tools to:

• Get visible shopping-list summaries without raw item arrays

• Get categories, settings, active items, and crossed-off item history

• Resolve natural-language item requests against the master catalog and shopping history

• Add items to lists

• Remove items from lists

• Update item details (name, category, notes, star rating)

• Cross off and uncross items

Related MCP server: Unofficial AnyList MCP Server

Installation

The npm package is published as @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp. The installed executable remains ourgroceries-mcp.

Login to OurGroceries

Authenticate with your OurGroceries account:

npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp login

Enter your email and password when prompted.

The login command saves an OurGroceries auth cookie and team ID. It does not save your password.

CLI Usage

Run commands directly with npx; no global install is required. Operational commands print JSON on success and write errors to stderr with a nonzero exit code.

Start by listing your shopping lists, then use the returned list IDs for item commands:

npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp get-lists
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp get-active-items --list-id LIST_ID
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp get-crossed-off-items --list-id LIST_ID --search "milk" --limit 20

Use the resolver before adding item text. It can infer a likely target list from history, tell you whether to add a new item, uncross an existing crossed-off item, or do nothing because the item is already active:

npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp resolve-item-to-add --query "plátanos"
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp resolve-item-to-add --query "add olives" --list-id LIST_ID
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp add-item --list-id LIST_ID --value "olives"
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp uncross-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID

Other useful commands:

npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp get-categories
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp get-settings
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp update-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID --new-value "whole milk"
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp cross-off-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp remove-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID

For the full command list and options:

npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp --help
npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp get-crossed-off-items --help

MCP Usage

Running the package without a subcommand starts the MCP server over stdio. Add it to an MCP client after logging in.

For Claude Code

claude mcp add ourgroceries npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp

For Claude Desktop

Add to your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

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

Then restart Claude Desktop.

Codex Skill

This repository and npm package include a Codex skill at skills/ourgroceries-cli. Use $ourgroceries-cli when you want Codex to operate OurGroceries through the CLI instead of through MCP.

Credentials

By default, credentials are stored in a local config file:

• macOS/Linux: ~/.config/ourgroceries-mcp/config.json

• Windows: %APPDATA%\ourgroceries-mcp\config.json

On macOS and Linux, the config file is written with owner-only 0600 permissions where supported.

To remove saved credentials:

npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp logout

logout removes the saved config file only. It does not modify environment variables.

Environment-variable fallback

If there is no usable config file, the server can read credentials from environment variables:

• OURGROCERIES_AUTH_COOKIE

• OURGROCERIES_TEAM_ID

Both variables must be set. A saved config file takes priority over environment variables. If the saved config file is invalid and both environment variables are set, the server warns and uses the environment variables.

Troubleshooting Credentials

If the CLI or MCP server reports missing or invalid credentials, run:

npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp login

Then retry your CLI command or restart your MCP client. If you use environment variables instead of the config file, refresh both variables. Login debug output from npx -y @sergib/ourgroceries-mcp login --debug redacts passwords, auth cookies, and cookie headers.

What You Can Do

• View your lists: See shopping-list IDs and item counts without dumping every item

• Read items: Get active items or filtered crossed-off history for one list

• Resolve item names: Turn natural-language or partial item text into known values and likely target lists

• Add items: Add deterministic item values to any list with optional notes

• Remove items: Delete items from your lists

• Update items: Change item names, categories, notes, or star ratings

• Check off items: Cross items off or uncross previously crossed-off items

Recommended Add Flow

For item add requests, use the resolver before mutating a list, even when the user gives only an item name or partial name:

1. Call resolve_item_to_add with the user's text and, when known, listId.

2. Review the top candidate, suggestedTargets, and recommendedAction.

3. Follow recommendedAction when it is list-specific, even if the resolver inferred the list.

4. Call add_item only when the recommendation is add_item.

5. Call uncross_item when the recommendation is uncross_item.

6. Do not mutate when the recommendation is already_active.

7. Ask for a list only when the recommendation is choose_list and suggestedTargets are missing or ambiguous.

MCP Example Prompts

Once configured, you can ask Claude:

• "What's on my grocery list?"

• "Add milk to my shopping list"

• "Mark eggs as crossed off"

• "Remove bread from the list"

• "Update the note on bananas to say 'organic'"

License

MIT

Developer CLI Usage

Build first, then run the local binary directly:

npm ci
npm run build
node build/cli.js

Running node build/cli.js with no subcommand starts the MCP server over stdio, matching the package's ourgroceries-mcp binary behavior.

For local CLI testing with your own OurGroceries account, authenticate once:

node build/cli.js login

The CLI uses the same credentials as MCP mode: saved config file first, then the OURGROCERIES_AUTH_COOKIE and OURGROCERIES_TEAM_ID environment-variable fallback. logout removes only the saved config file:

node build/cli.js logout

Operational commands print JSON on success and write errors to stderr with a nonzero exit code. They use explicit IDs for mutations. Use focused reads and the resolver before mutating items:

node build/cli.js get-lists
node build/cli.js get-categories
node build/cli.js get-settings
node build/cli.js get-active-items --list-id LIST_ID
node build/cli.js get-crossed-off-items --list-id LIST_ID --search "milk" --limit 20
node build/cli.js resolve-item-to-add --query "add olives" --list-id LIST_ID
node build/cli.js add-item --list-id LIST_ID --value "milk" --note "2%"
node build/cli.js remove-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID
node build/cli.js update-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID --new-value "whole milk" --star 1
node build/cli.js cross-off-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID
node build/cli.js uncross-item --list-id LIST_ID --item-id ITEM_ID

Reference docs for maintainers live in docs/.

Before sending CLI changes, run:

npm run check
npm audit --audit-level=moderate

Publishing to npm

When publishing a new package version, refresh npm authentication and verify the account first:

npm login
npm whoami
npm publish --access public