HowToCook MCP
A recipe MCP server: the agent searches dishes by category, plans a weekly menu around allergies and suggests tonight's dinner
- 795 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
Minimal access
Why this level
- Reads only the bundled recipe file, with no keys, accounts or network requests to external services
- In http and sse modes it opens a port and allows requests from any origin
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/howtocook-mcpDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewMinimal accessThe tool runs nothing and makes no network calls.
- Reads only the bundled recipe file, with no keys, accounts or network requests to external services
- In http and sse modes it opens a port and allows requests from any origin
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
HowToCook MCP is a Model Context Protocol server built on the HowToCook cookbook that turns an AI assistant into a menu planner. The recipes sit in the `all_recipes.json` file inside the package, so at runtime the server reads a local file and makes no network requests to external services. It starts with `npx -y howtocook-mcp` over standard input and output, or in the `http` and `sse` modes with the `--transport` and `--port` flags. The server offers five tools. `mcp_howtocook_getAllRecipes` returns the whole book at once, and the author warns that it bloats the context badly. `mcp_howtocook_getRecipesByCategory` selects dishes by category, for example 水产 (fish and seafood), 早餐 (breakfast), 荤菜 (meat dishes) or 主食 (staple dishes with grain and dough). `mcp_howtocook_getRecipeById` returns a full recipe by name or ID with fuzzy matching: ingredients and steps, and up to five candidates when the query is ambiguous. Two tools plan meals. `mcp_howtocook_recommendMeals` takes a list of allergens, ingredients to avoid and a headcount from 1 to 10, and returns a meal plan for the week with an approximate shopping list. `mcp_howtocook_whatToEat` picks a mix of meat and other dishes for dinner from the headcount. For Claude Desktop the repository holds a ready `HowToCook-mcp.dxt` file that installs in one action.
Who it is for. For anyone who wants an assistant in Claude Desktop or Cursor to plan menus from a ready reference of Chinese home cooking and can read it in Chinese.
Good fit when
- You need a weekly menu for a family that accounts for allergies and ingredients nobody eats
- You need to decide quickly what to cook for dinner for 2 to 4 people without a long choice
- You want a selection of recipes by category, such as breakfasts, fish or staple dishes
- You are studying how a small TypeScript MCP server with three transport modes is built
Not a fit when
- You need recipes in Russian: the cookbook and the category names are in Chinese, and translation falls to the assistant
- You need a license you can rely on: the repository has no license file
- You need calorie counting, ingredient prices or delivery ordering: the server returns only recipes and menu picks
- The server has to run without Node.js: launching it needs version 16.0.0 or newer
Example request
Use howtocook to plan a weekly menu for three people: we skip coriander and our child is allergic to shrimpMCP
- Transport
- stdio, http, sse
- Authentication
- not required
Limitations
This is an unofficial implementation on top of the Anduin2017/HowToCook cookbook; the server's author keeps a separate repository and a separate dataset in `all_recipes.json`.
The license is not unambiguous: the project description names MIT, `package.json` says ISC, and the repository has no license file. Check the rights to use and copy with the author.
Categories have to be written in Chinese in a query, for example 水产 or 早餐. The `mcp_howtocook_getAllRecipes` tool returns the whole cookbook at once, and the author advises against overusing it because of the context size.
Version 0.2.2. It needs Node.js 16.0.0 or newer, and the default port for `http` mode is 3000.
How to disable. Remove the `howtocook-mcp` entry from the client's MCP configuration and restart it. If you installed it globally, run `npm uninstall -g howtocook-mcp`. A `.dxt` file in Claude Desktop is turned off in the extension settings.
FAQ
Where does the server get its recipes and does it need the internet?
Recipes come from the local `all_recipes.json` file, which ships in the package and is built from the HowToCook cookbook. The server reads it at startup and contacts no external services while running.
How do I plan a menu around allergies?
`mcp_howtocook_recommendMeals` takes allergens in `allergies`, ingredients to exclude in `avoidItems` and the headcount in `peopleCount` from 1 to 10. It returns a meal plan for the week and an approximate shopping list.
How do I pick dinner when I do not know what to cook?
`mcp_howtocook_whatToEat` takes only the headcount from 1 to 10 and picks a mix of meat and other dishes. The pick is random, so a repeated call can give a different menu.
How do I install the server in Claude Desktop?
The repository has a ready `HowToCook-mcp.dxt` file: opening it in Claude Desktop shows an install dialog. You can also build the file yourself with `dxt pack` from the project folder.
How do I run the server over HTTP?
Run `node build/index.js --transport http --port 8080` after building with `npm run build`. The server answers on the `/mcp` path. Without flags it works over standard input and output, and the default HTTP and SSE port is 3000.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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README in short
The project description is in Chinese, with an English version in a separate file. It shows a link to the source cookbook, a simplified DXT install, a tool list with example requests, steps to build from source, command-line flags and two Cursor setup examples. Alongside sit the TypeScript sources, a Docker image setup and the recipe file.