diff options
| author | Tom Flux <tom@tomflux.xyz> | 2026-06-23 21:02:26 +0100 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Tom Flux <tom@tomflux.xyz> | 2026-06-23 21:02:26 +0100 |
| commit | 95c04f07c6b554baa88d539d57b6bea0c1caf336 (patch) | |
| tree | 59323262de1ac35ff58707294706740a5870803f /mcp.md | |
| parent | cd0e10ed3cc591e1ac4d8743144750aa35c33a80 (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>
Diffstat (limited to 'mcp.md')
| -rw-r--r-- | mcp.md | 262 |
1 files changed, 262 insertions, 0 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,262 @@ +# 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. |
