Anylist

An MCP server that integrates with AnyList — shopping lists, recipes, and meal planning — exposed via the Model Context Protocol. Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Claude Web/Mobile, or any MCP-compatible client like Home Assistant.

Two deployment modes:

• Local (stdio) — runs on your machine alongside Claude Desktop or Claude Code. Fastest setup, no server required.
• HTTP server — runs in Docker behind a Cloudflare Tunnel. Required for Claude Web, Claude Mobile, or home assistant and useful for sharing access across devices or users.

Tools Overview

The MCP server provides 5 domain-grouped tools rather than 18+ individual ones:

• shopping — Manage shopping lists and items: add, check off, delete, organize by category and store, and browse favorites
• recipes — Browse, create, and import recipes from URLs; includes ingredient and step parsing
• meal_plan — Schedule meals on a calendar with optional links to recipes
• recipe_collections — Organize recipes into curated named collections
• health_check — Verify your connection to AnyList and access to target lists

These tools work together to enable typical workflows: browse or create recipes → plan meals → add ingredients to your shopping list. See docs/tools.md for the complete reference including all actions and parameters.

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Installation: Claude Desktop

The fastest way to get started is to download the latest anylist-mcp.mcpb from the releases page.

1. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions
2. Drag and drop the .mcpb file, or click "Advanced settings" → Install extension
3. Enter your configuration when prompted:
   • AnyList Email — your AnyList account email
   • AnyList Password — your AnyList account password
   • Default Shopping List — optional, defaults to "Groceries"

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Installation: Claude Code / Claude Desktop (from source)

Prerequisites

• Node.js v20+
• An AnyList account

Setup

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/bobby060/anylist-mcp.git
cd anylist-mcp
npm install

Add to your MCP config (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json or equivalent):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anylist": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/anylist-mcp/src/server.js"],
      "env": {
        "ANYLIST_USERNAME": "[email protected]",
        "ANYLIST_PASSWORD": "yourpassword",
        "ANYLIST_LIST_NAME": "Groceries"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Installation: Claude Web / Claude Mobile

Claude Web and Mobile require an HTTP MCP server accessible over HTTPS. This project includes a Docker-based HTTP server designed to run behind a Cloudflare Tunnel. The server is designed for self-hosting, but can theoretically support any number of users. You can (should?) restrict what email addresses are allowed to create accounts in the allowed-emails.txt file.

See docs/cloudflare-setup.md for the full setup guide, including:

• Quick tunnel for development (no Cloudflare account needed)
• Named tunnel for production (stable URL on your own domain)

Quick start:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/bobby060/anylist-mcp.git
cd anylist-mcp

# Configure
cp .env.http.example .env          # fill in SERVER_SECRET_KEY and SESSION_SECRET
mkdir -p config
cp allowed-emails.example.txt config/allowed-emails.txt   # add your email

# Start server + Cloudflare quick tunnel
docker compose --profile cloudflare-temp up --build
# Watch logs for the trycloudflare.com URL, then add it as an MCP server in Claude Settings/Connectors

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Generating OAuth Client Credentials (for Home Assistant / headless clients)

Some MCP clients — like Home Assistant — require a pre-registered client_id and client_secret rather than dynamic client registration. You create a confidential client once, then enter the credentials in your integration. Home Assistant will still send you through a one-time browser login (authorization code flow) to link your account.

Prerequisites: the HTTP server must already be running and you must have an account on it.

# Run inside the Docker container (the server must be up)
docker compose exec anylist-mcp node scripts/create-client.js [email protected] "Home Assistant"

This prints a client_id and client_secret. Save the secret immediately — it is hashed in the database and cannot be retrieved later.

The server URL (what you enter in HA) is:

https://<your-tunnel-domain>

See docs/home-assistant.md for step-by-step Home Assistant setup.

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Development

# Unit tests (mocked, no credentials needed)
npm test

# Integration tests (requires .env with real credentials)
npm run test:integration

# Inspect with the MCP inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node src/server.js

Building the desktop extension

npm run pack   # produces anylist-mcp.mcpb

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Roadmap

• Google OAuth — allow users to sign in to the HTTP MCP server with their Google account instead of a separate password.
• Web gui-based workflow for created oauth client credentials

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Credits

AnyList API from a fork of anylist by @codetheweb.

Contributions welcome — feel free to open issues and pull requests.