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authorTom Flux <tom@tomflux.xyz>2026-06-23 21:02:26 +0100
committerTom Flux <tom@tomflux.xyz>2026-06-23 21:02:26 +0100
commit95c04f07c6b554baa88d539d57b6bea0c1caf336 (patch)
tree59323262de1ac35ff58707294706740a5870803f
parentcd0e10ed3cc591e1ac4d8743144750aa35c33a80 (diff)
Add MCP server spec; mark phases 1-2 done in plan
mcp.md specs the Phase 3 FastMCP "ai service": tools, the Django API gaps to close, authless-connector + URL-secret auth, and the brainstorm->commit path for meta-recipes and cook logs. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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+# MCP Server — Specification
+
+> Written 2026-06-23. Phase 3 of `plan.md`: let claude.ai "cooking mode" read
+> and update the pantry directly, so Tom stops reciting his inventory and pantry
+> upkeep becomes conversational. Builds on the shipped pantry redesign (the
+> `state` field) and auth phase.
+>
+> Decisions locked in `plan.md §3` and `requirements.md §7`: a **separate
+> FastMCP "ai service"** (a pattern Tom already runs elsewhere) that talks to
+> the existing Django REST API, hosted on the same box at
+> **`food.jihakuz.xyz/mcp`**, behind nginx, **bearer-token** auth.
+
+---
+
+## 1. Goal
+
+One sentence: **Claude, in claude.ai cooking mode, can see what's actually in
+the pantry and write changes back — without Tom typing his inventory.**
+
+In scope:
+- Read the pantry (what's in / low / out, by location).
+- Update item state conversationally ("used the last of the noodles" → Out).
+- Add items ("bought eggs and pork mince").
+- See what's cookable (the meta-recipe matcher) and the recipe templates
+ (which double as a substitution table).
+- **Commit ideas back** — create/update a meta-recipe Tom brainstormed in the
+ chat, and log a cook (with rating). This is a primary workflow: Tom thinks out
+ loud in the LLM, then wants it saved without re-entering it by hand.
+
+Out of scope (for now): the open-ended "this isn't on the shelf, what else
+works?" reasoning is *Claude's* job given the recipe/slot data — the MCP just
+serves the data; no substitution engine here. Fixed (non-template) recipes stay
+admin-managed; the brainstorm→commit path targets meta-recipes.
+
+**Why the cooking blocks still work:** MCP only gives Claude *tools/data*. It
+doesn't change how claude.ai renders cooking mode. Claude pulls real pantry
+contents through these tools and still produces its normal formatted cooking
+blocks — now grounded instead of guessed.
+
+## 2. Architecture
+
+```
+ claude.ai (cooking mode)
+ │ Streamable HTTP, secret in the URL path
+ ▼
+ nginx food.jihakuz.xyz/mcp (TLS, public)
+ │ proxy_pass 127.0.0.1:8765
+ ▼
+ FastMCP "ai service" (food-mcp.service, localhost only)
+ │ HTTP + DRF token (the `caine` token)
+ ▼
+ Django REST API 127.0.0.1:8042/api/ (localhost — bypasses the
+ │ external /api/ nginx block)
+ ▼
+ SQLite
+```
+
+Three trust hops, three credentials:
+- **claude.ai → MCP**: a long random **secret in the connector URL path**
+ (see §4). This endpoint is internet-exposed, so that secret is the only thing
+ protecting it.
+- **MCP → Django API**: the existing `caine` DRF token, over `127.0.0.1` — so
+ it reaches Django directly and isn't subject to nginx's external `/api/`
+ block.
+- **Django → DB**: unchanged.
+
+The MCP service is **inbound-only from claude.ai** and **outbound-only to
+localhost Django**. It holds no database connection of its own.
+
+## 3. Transport & hosting
+
+- **Transport:** Streamable HTTP (the remote-MCP transport claude.ai connectors
+ use). FastMCP served over HTTP, bound to `127.0.0.1:8765`.
+- **Public route:** nginx on `food.jihakuz.xyz`, `location /mcp` →
+ `proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8765`. TLS via the existing Let's Encrypt setup.
+ Note SSE/streaming needs `proxy_buffering off;` and a long
+ `proxy_read_timeout` on that location.
+- **Process:** its own systemd unit `food-mcp.service` alongside `food.service`,
+ runs as `openclaw`, `Restart=on-failure`.
+
+## 4. Auth
+
+**Resolved (checked against Anthropic's connector docs, June 2026):** claude.ai
+custom connectors authenticate a remote MCP server one of two ways — **OAuth**
+(the server must support Dynamic Client Registration; claude.ai runs the
+handshake) or **authless** (no auth). The "Add custom connector" dialog only
+asks for the server **URL**; OAuth client id/secret are optional "Advanced
+settings". There is **no field to paste a static bearer token or custom
+header**, so the original bearer-header plan isn't directly supported. Two ways
+to honour the "tight secret, single user" intent:
+
+- **Recommended — authless connector + secret in the URL path.** Register the
+ connector URL as `https://food.jihakuz.xyz/mcp/<long-random-secret>/`. To
+ claude.ai it's an authless server; in reality nginx proxies *only* that exact
+ secret prefix to the FastMCP service and 404s everything else. The URL **is**
+ the bearer-equivalent — it matches Tom's "a tight enough secret, I'm the only
+ user" call with zero OAuth machinery. Treat the URL as the secret: TLS only,
+ keep it out of git, rotate by changing the path.
+- **Heavier but properly revocable — OAuth with Dynamic Client Registration.**
+ FastMCP can front an OAuth provider. Correct and per-grant revocable, but real
+ work for a single-user app. Reach for it only if the URL-secret feels too
+ loose.
+
+To confirm first-hand: claude.ai → Settings → Connectors → **Add custom
+connector** shows a single URL field (OAuth fields under "Advanced settings").
+
+**MCP → Django** is unchanged: the `caine` DRF token in an `Authorization:
+Token …` header, over `127.0.0.1`.
+
+## 5. Tools
+
+Designed for how Claude reasons in conversation — **by ingredient name, not DB
+id**. Each maps to the existing API (with the small additions in §6).
+
+| Tool | Purpose | Params | Returns | Backing call |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| `get_pantry` | "What do I have?" | `location?` (fridge/cupboard/freezer), `include_out?` (default false) | items: `{name, state, location, quantity?, unit, expiry?, is_staple}` grouped by location, plus counts | `GET /api/pantry/` |
+| `set_item_state` | The conversational update — "used the last of the noodles" | `ingredient` (name), `state` (in/low/out), `location?` | the updated item | **new** `POST /api/pantry/set-state/` (§6) |
+| `add_to_pantry` | "I bought eggs and pork mince" | `items: [{name, location?, quantity?, unit?}]` | per-item result (created / restocked) | `POST /api/bulk-pantry-add/` |
+| `what_can_i_cook` | Meal options grounded in stock | `servings?` | meta-recipes with `ready/partial/missing` + per-slot availability + expiry warnings | `GET /api/what-can-i-cook/` |
+| `get_recipes` | The templates + their slot options (the substitution table) | — | meta-recipes with slots, options, base ingredients | `GET /api/meta-recipes/` |
+| `log_cook` | Record a cooked meal + rating — the cook-log commit path | `meta_recipe` or `recipe`, `slot_choices?`, `servings?`, `rating?`, `notes?` | cook-log id + `used_ingredients` (a suggestion set to confirm — **no** auto state change) | `POST /api/log-cook/` (§6) |
+| `create_meta_recipe` | Commit a meta-recipe brainstormed in the chat (create or update) | nested template: `name`, `method`, `slots:[{name, options:[{ingredient, qty, unit}]}]`, `base_ingredients:[]` (+ `id` to update) | the saved recipe + any auto-created ingredients | `POST`/`PUT /api/create-meta-recipe/` (already exists) |
+
+Notes:
+- `set_item_state` resolves the name via the existing alias-aware
+ `helpers.find_ingredient`. If a name is ambiguous or unknown, the tool returns
+ a clear error listing close matches so Claude can ask Tom.
+- `get_recipes` is what makes Claude useful for substitutions: a protein slot
+ already lists "pork mince OR chicken", so Claude can suggest swaps from real
+ data before reaching for general world knowledge.
+- Keep the tool set **small and well-described** — current Opus models reach for
+ tools conservatively, so each tool's description states *when* to call it
+ ("Call `set_item_state` when the user says they used up or ran low on
+ something"), not just what it does.
+- `create_meta_recipe` maps to the existing nested create/update endpoint — **no
+ Django change needed**. Claude assembles the slots/options from the brainstorm;
+ the endpoint auto-creates unknown ingredients. Passing an `id` updates an
+ existing template (it rebuilds slots/bases). This + `log_cook` are the
+ brainstorm→commit workflow Tom asked for.
+
+## 6. Django API changes required (the gaps to close)
+
+These are small, live on the Django side, and are the "make the API
+MCP-ready" work. Each ships with a test.
+
+1. **`log_cook` accepts `rating`, returns suggestions, mutates nothing.** Today
+ the endpoint ignores `rating` though the model has the field (research.md §5).
+ Add `rating`, and route creation through model validation so the "exactly one
+ recipe link" rule is enforced (currently bypassed by `objects.create`).
+ **Remove the old auto-deduct path** — instead return `used_ingredients` (base
+ + slot choices) as a suggestion set. Pantry state is only ever changed by
+ `set_item_state` after Tom confirms (presence-based pantry; never silently
+ mutate from a cook log).
+2. **New `POST /api/pantry/set-state/`** — `{ingredient, location?, state}`,
+ resolves by name/alias, sets state, returns the item. Backs `set_item_state`.
+ (Alternative: have the MCP `GET /api/pantry/` then `PATCH /api/pantry/<id>/`
+ — but a by-name endpoint is cleaner and reusable.)
+3. **Make the API matcher presence-based.** `what_can_i_cook` in `views.py`
+ still compares quantities; the web matcher was already moved to presence
+ (have-it beats have-enough). Apply the same change so the MCP and web agree.
+4. **`bulk-pantry-add` restocks instead of duplicating.** It currently matches
+ existing rows by `quantity__gt=0`, so adding an item that's marked Out
+ creates a duplicate. Match by ingredient+location and set `state="in"`
+ (mirror what the web `pantry_add` now does).
+5. **Pantry serializer exposes `state`** — already true (`fields = "__all__"`),
+ just confirm it in a test so it can't regress.
+
+*Note:* `create_meta_recipe` needs **no** Django change — `POST/PUT
+/api/create-meta-recipe/` already does nested create/update with ingredient
+auto-creation. The brainstorm→commit path is otherwise pure MCP plumbing over
+endpoints that exist; the only write-path gap is `log_cook`'s rating (item 1).
+
+## 7. Project layout & dependencies
+
+A small package in this repo, its own process — not bolted into Django:
+
+```
+mcp_server/
+ __init__.py
+ __main__.py # FastMCP app; runs streamable-HTTP on 127.0.0.1:8765
+ client.py # thin httpx client around the Django API (caine token)
+ tools.py # the @mcp.tool definitions from §5
+```
+
+- Deps via a uv group so they only install where needed:
+ `[dependency-groups] mcp = ["fastmcp", "httpx"]`. Deploy with
+ `uv sync --group mcp` on the box that runs the service.
+- The service holds no Django import — it's a pure HTTP client of `/api/`.
+ Keeps the two deployables decoupled (Tom's "ai service" pattern).
+
+## 8. Config (env, in `/var/lib/food/.env`)
+
+| Var | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `FOOD_MCP_URL_SECRET` | the secret path segment nginx requires on `/mcp/<secret>/` (see §4) |
+| `FOOD_API_BASE` | `http://127.0.0.1:8042/api` |
+| `FOOD_API_TOKEN` | the `caine` DRF token |
+
+All out of git; the systemd unit loads the same `.env` the Django service uses.
+
+## 9. Deployment (sketch)
+
+1. `uv sync --group mcp` on the box.
+2. Add the three env vars to `/var/lib/food/.env`; generate the bearer token.
+3. Install `deploy/food-mcp.service`, `daemon-reload`, start, enable.
+4. Add the `location /mcp` block to the `food.jihakuz.xyz` nginx config
+ (`proxy_buffering off`, long read timeout), `nginx -t`, reload.
+5. In claude.ai, add a custom connector pointing at the **secret URL**
+ `https://food.jihakuz.xyz/mcp/<secret>/` (authless connector — see §4).
+6. Smoke test: in cooking mode, "what's in my pantry?" → Claude calls
+ `get_pantry` and lists real items.
+
+## 10. Conventions & error handling
+
+- Tools return **structured, compact** results (names + states), not raw API
+ JSON dumps — keep token cost down and make Claude's job easy.
+- On a Django API error, the tool returns a short plain-language error
+ (`is_error`) so Claude can relay or ask, never a stack trace.
+- All writes are idempotent-ish: setting state to its current value is a no-op;
+ adding an existing item restocks rather than duplicates.
+- Read tools default to excluding `out` items unless asked — "what do I have"
+ shouldn't list everything you're missing.
+
+## 11. Testing
+
+- **Django side:** unit tests for the new `set-state` endpoint, `log_cook`
+ rating, presence-based API matcher, and bulk-add restock (extend
+ `kitchen/tests.py`).
+- **MCP side:** test `client.py` against a stub API; test each tool maps the
+ right call and shapes results. The MCP server itself can be smoke-tested by
+ pointing a local MCP client (or `curl` with the bearer) at it.
+
+!! i should also be able to run the stack on this box and have you auth with it for testing
+
+## 12. Open decisions to confirm before building
+
+1. **claude.ai connector auth** — RESOLVED (§4): no static-bearer field exists,
+ so use an **authless connector + secret in the URL path** (recommended), or
+ OAuth/DCR if that feels too loose.
+2. **Cook-log nudge — RESOLVED:** `log_cook` does **not** auto-change pantry
+ state. It returns `used_ingredients` so Claude can *suggest* marking them
+ Low/Out; Tom confirms, and the change goes through `set_item_state`. Never
+ silently mutate the pantry from a cook log.
+3. **Bearer in nginx vs app** — check the token in nginx, the FastMCP app, or
+ both? Recommended: app (so it's in one place with the tools); nginx optional.
+
+## Build order
+
+1. Close the Django API gaps (§6) on a branch — small, test-covered, mergeable
+ on their own.
+2. Wire the URL-secret gate in nginx (§4) — `location /mcp/<secret>/` proxies,
+ everything else 404s.
+3. Build the FastMCP service (§5, §7) + systemd unit.
+4. nginx `/mcp` + TLS, register the connector, smoke test.
+
+## Definition of done
+
+In claude.ai cooking mode, Tom can say "what can I make tonight?" and Claude
+lists options grounded in the actual pantry; and "I used the last of the
+noodles" updates the pantry — with no manual inventory typing, and the usual
+cooking blocks intact.
diff --git a/plan.md b/plan.md
index 2ad1a82..374bb12 100644
--- a/plan.md
+++ b/plan.md
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
| Phase | Goal | Risk | Depends on |
|------|------|------|-----------|
| 0 | ✅ Commit the simplify baseline — **done** | none | — |
-| 1 | Pantry: mobile-first, In/Low/Out, fast add | medium (model + UI) | 0 |
-| 2 | Auth (login-once) + prod baseline | low | — (can run parallel to 1) |
-| 3 | MCP server — read + update pantry from claude.ai | medium | 1, 2 |
+| 1 | ✅ Pantry: mobile-first, In/Low/Out, fast add — **done & deployed** | medium (model + UI) | 0 |
+| 2 | ✅ Auth (login-once) + prod baseline — **done & deployed** | low | — |
+| 3 | MCP server — read + update pantry from claude.ai (**specced → `mcp.md`**) | medium | 1, 2 |
Deferred (not in this plan): web what-can-i-cook rework, §4.1 substitutions,
shopping flow rethink, web cook-logging. They stay roughly working but are not