mealie-mcp 0.12.1

Mealie MCP Server for Agentic AI!

Mealie - A2A | AG-UI | MCP

Version: 0.12.1

Overview

Mealie MCP Server + A2A Server

It includes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and an out of the box Agent2Agent (A2A) agent

Manage your self-hosted Mealie instance through an MCP server!

This repository is actively maintained - Contributions are welcome!

Supports:

• User & Household Management
• Recipe Management (CRUD, Import, Ratings)
• Meal Planning (Organizer)
• Shopping Lists
• System Administration
• Safe search levels (where applicable)
• Pagination control

MCP

Available MCP Tools

This server utilizes dynamic Action-Routed tools to optimize token overhead and maximize IDE compatibility.

Tool Name	Description
mealie_admin	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for admin. Methods: get_app_info, get_app_statistics, check_app_config, get_admin_users, post_admin_users, unlock_users, get_admin_users_item_id, put_admin_users_item_id, delete_admin_users_item_id, generate_token, get_admin_households, post_admin_households, get_admin_households_item_id, put_admin_households_item_id, delete_admin_households_item_id, get_admin_groups, post_admin_groups, get_admin_groups_item_id, put_admin_groups_item_id, delete_admin_groups_item_id, check_email_config, send_test_email, get_admin_backups, post_admin_backups, get_admin_backups_file_name, delete_admin_backups_file_name, upload_one, import_one, get_maintenance_summary, get_storage_details, clean_images, clean_temp, clean_recipe_folders, debug_openai
mealie_app	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for app. Methods: get_startup_info, get_app_theme
mealie_explore	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for explore. Methods: get_explore_groups_group_slug_foods, get_explore_groups_group_slug_foods_item_id, get_explore_groups_group_slug_households, get_household, get_explore_groups_group_slug_organizers_categories, get_explore_groups_group_slug_organizers_categories_item_id, get_explore_groups_group_slug_organizers_tags, get_explore_groups_group_slug_organizers_tags_item_id, get_explore_groups_group_slug_organizerss, get_explore_groups_group_slug_organizerss_item_id, get_explore_groups_group_slug_cookbooks, get_explore_groups_group_slug_cookbooks_item_id, get_explore_groups_group_slug_recipes, get_explore_groups_group_slug_recipes_suggestions, get_recipe
mealie_groups	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for groups. Methods: get_all_households, get_one_household, get_logged_in_user_group, get_group_members, get_group_member, get_group_preferences, update_group_preferences, get_storage, start_data_migration, get_groups_reports, get_groups_reports_item_id, delete_groups_reports_item_id, get_groups_labels, post_groups_labels, get_groups_labels_item_id, put_groups_labels_item_id, delete_groups_labels_item_id, seed_foods, seed_labels, seed_units
mealie_households	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for households. Methods: get_households_cookbooks, post_households_cookbooks, put_households_cookbooks, get_households_cookbooks_item_id, put_households_cookbooks_item_id, delete_households_cookbooks_item_id, get_households_events_notifications, post_households_events_notifications, get_households_events_notifications_item_id, put_households_events_notifications_item_id, delete_households_events_notifications_item_id, test_notification, get_households_recipe_actions, post_households_recipe_actions, get_households_recipe_actions_item_id, put_households_recipe_actions_item_id, delete_households_recipe_actions_item_id, trigger_action, get_logged_in_user_household, get_household_recipe, get_household_members, get_household_preferences, update_household_preferences, set_member_permissions, get_statistics, get_invite_tokens, create_invite_token, email_invitation, get_households_shopping_lists, post_households_shopping_lists, get_households_shopping_lists_item_id, put_households_shopping_lists_item_id, delete_households_shopping_lists_item_id, update_label_settings, add_recipe_ingredients_to_list, add_single_recipe_ingredients_to_list, remove_recipe_ingredients_from_list, get_households_shopping_items, post_households_shopping_items, put_households_shopping_items, delete_households_shopping_items, post_households_shopping_items_create_bulk, get_households_shopping_items_item_id, put_households_shopping_items_item_id, delete_households_shopping_items_item_id, get_households_webhooks, post_households_webhooks, rerun_webhooks, get_households_webhooks_item_id, put_households_webhooks_item_id, delete_households_webhooks_item_id, test_one, get_households_mealplans_rules, post_households_mealplans_rules, get_households_mealplans_rules_item_id, put_households_mealplans_rules_item_id, delete_households_mealplans_rules_item_id, get_households_mealplans, post_households_mealplans, get_todays_meals, create_random_meal, get_households_mealplans_item_id, put_households_mealplans_item_id, delete_households_mealplans_item_id
mealie_organizer	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for organizer. Methods: get_organizers_categories, post_organizers_categories, get_all_empty, get_organizers_categories_item_id, put_organizers_categories_item_id, delete_organizers_categories_item_id, get_organizers_categories_slug_category_slug, get_organizers_tags, post_organizers_tags, get_empty_tags, get_organizers_tags_item_id, put_organizers_tags_item_id, delete_recipe_tag, get_organizers_tags_slug_tag_slug, get_organizerss, post_organizerss, get_organizerss_item_id, put_organizerss_item_id, delete_organizerss_item_id, get_organizerss_slug_slug
mealie_recipes	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for recipes. Methods: get_recipe_formats_and_templates, get_recipe_as_format, test_parse_recipe_url, create_recipe_from_html_or_json, parse_recipe_url, parse_recipe_url_bulk, create_recipe_from_zip, create_recipe_from_image, get_recipes, post_recipes, put_recipes, patch_many, get_recipes_suggestions, get_recipes_slug, put_recipes_slug, patch_one, delete_recipes_slug, duplicate_one, update_last_made, scrape_image_url, update_recipe_image, delete_recipe_image, upload_recipe_asset, get_recipe_comments, bulk_tag_recipes, bulk_settings_recipes, bulk_categorize_recipes, bulk_delete_recipes, bulk_export_recipes, get_exported_data, get_exported_data_token, purge_export_data, get_shared_recipe, get_shared_recipe_as_zip, get_recipes_timeline_events, post_recipes_timeline_events, get_recipes_timeline_events_item_id, put_recipes_timeline_events_item_id, delete_recipes_timeline_events_item_id, update_event_image, get_comments, post_comments, get_comments_item_id, put_comments_item_id, post_parser_ingredient, parse_ingredient, parse_ingredients, get_foods, post_foods, put_foods_merge, get_foods_item_id, put_foods_item_id, delete_foods_item_id, get_units, post_units, put_units_merge, get_units_item_id, put_units_item_id, delete_units_item_id, get_recipe_img, get_recipe_timeline_event_img, get_recipe_asset, get_user_image, get_validation_text
mealie_shared	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for shared. Methods: get_shared_recipes, post_shared_recipes, get_shared_recipes_item_id, delete_shared_recipes_item_id
mealie_users	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for users. Methods: get_token, oauth_login, oauth_callback, refresh_token, logout, register_new_user, get_logged_in_user, get_logged_in_user_ratings, get_logged_in_user_rating_for_recipe, get_logged_in_user_favorites, update_password, update_user, forgot_password, reset_password, update_user_image, create, delete, get_ratings, get_favorites, set_rating, add_favorite, remove_favorite
mealie_utils	Consolidated Action-Routed tool for utils. Methods: download_file

A2A Agent

This package also includes an A2A agent server that can be used to interact with the Mealie MCP server.

Architecture:

---
config:
  layout: dagre
---
flowchart TB
 subgraph subGraph0["Agent Capabilities"]
        C["Agent"]
        B["A2A Server - Uvicorn/FastAPI"]
        D["MCP Tools"]
        F["Agent Skills"]
  end
    C --> D & F
    A["User Query"] --> B
    B --> C
    D --> E["Platform API"]

     C:::agent
     B:::server
     A:::server
    classDef server fill:#f9f,stroke:#333
    classDef agent fill:#bbf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style B stroke:#000000,fill:#FFD600
    style D stroke:#000000,fill:#BBDEFB
    style F fill:#BBDEFB
    style A fill:#C8E6C9
    style subGraph0 fill:#FFF9C4

Component Interaction Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant Server as A2A Server
    participant Agent as Agent
    participant Skill as Agent Skills
    participant MCP as MCP Tools

    User->>Server: Send Query
    Server->>Agent: Invoke Agent
    Agent->>Skill: Analyze Skills Available
    Skill->>Agent: Provide Guidance on Next Steps
    Agent->>MCP: Invoke Tool
    MCP-->>Agent: Tool Response Returned
    Agent-->>Agent: Return Results Summarized
    Agent-->>Server: Final Response
    Server-->>User: Output

Graph Architecture

This agent uses pydantic-graph orchestration for intelligent routing and optimal context management.

---
title: Mealie MCP Graph Agent
---
stateDiagram-v2
  [*] --> RouterNode: User Query
  RouterNode --> DomainNode: Classified Domain
  RouterNode --> [*]: Low confidence / Error
  DomainNode --> [*]: Domain Result

• RouterNode: A fast, lightweight LLM (e.g., nvidia/nemotron-3-super) that classifies the user's query into one of the specialized domains.
• DomainNode: The executor node. For the selected domain, it dynamically sets environment variables to temporarily enable ONLY the tools relevant to that domain, creating a highly focused sub-agent (e.g., gpt-4o) to complete the request. This preserves LLM context and prevents tool hallucination.

Usage

MCP CLI

Short Flag	Long Flag	Description
-h	--help	Display help information
-t	--transport	Transport method: 'stdio', 'http', or 'sse' [legacy] (default: stdio)
-s	--host	Host address for HTTP transport (default: 0.0.0.0)
-p	--port	Port number for HTTP transport (default: 8000)
	--auth-type	Authentication type: 'none', 'static', 'jwt', 'oauth-proxy', 'oidc-proxy', 'remote-oauth' (default: none)
	--token-jwks-uri	JWKS URI for JWT verification
	--token-issuer	Issuer for JWT verification
	--token-audience	Audience for JWT verification
	--oauth-upstream-auth-endpoint	Upstream authorization endpoint for OAuth Proxy
	--oauth-upstream-token-endpoint	Upstream token endpoint for OAuth Proxy
	--oauth-upstream-client-id	Upstream client ID for OAuth Proxy
	--oauth-upstream-client-secret	Upstream client secret for OAuth Proxy
	--oauth-base-url	Base URL for OAuth Proxy
	--oidc-config-url	OIDC configuration URL
	--oidc-client-id	OIDC client ID
	--oidc-client-secret	OIDC client secret
	--oidc-base-url	Base URL for OIDC Proxy
	--remote-auth-servers	Comma-separated list of authorization servers for Remote OAuth
	--remote-base-url	Base URL for Remote OAuth
	--allowed-client-redirect-uris	Comma-separated list of allowed client redirect URIs
	--eunomia-type	Eunomia authorization type: 'none', 'embedded', 'remote' (default: none)
	--eunomia-policy-file	Policy file for embedded Eunomia (default: mcp_policies.json)
	--eunomia-remote-url	URL for remote Eunomia server

A2A CLI

Endpoints

• Web UI: http://localhost:8000/ (if enabled)
• A2A: http://localhost:8000/a2a (Discovery: /a2a/.well-known/agent.json)
• AG-UI: http://localhost:8000/ag-ui (POST)

Short Flag	Long Flag	Description
-h	--help	Display help information
	--host	Host to bind the server to (default: 0.0.0.0)
	--port	Port to bind the server to (default: 9000)
	--reload	Enable auto-reload
	--provider	LLM Provider: 'openai', 'anthropic', 'google', 'huggingface'
	--model-id	LLM Model ID (default: nvidia/nemotron-3-super)
	--base-url	LLM Base URL (for OpenAI compatible providers)
	--api-key	LLM API Key
	--mcp-url	MCP Server URL (default: http://localhost:8000/mcp)
	--web	Enable Pydantic AI Web UI

Using as an MCP Server

The MCP Server can be run in two modes: stdio (for local testing) or http (for networked access). To start the server, use the following commands:

Run in stdio mode (default):

mealie-mcp --transport "stdio"

Run in HTTP mode:

mealie-mcp --transport "http"  --host "0.0.0.0"  --port "8000"

AI Prompt:

Find a recipe for lasagna

AI Response:

Found 3 recipes for "lasagna":
1. Classic Meat Lasagna
2. Vegetable Lasagna
3. Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Agentic AI

mealie-mcp is designed to be used by Agentic AI systems. It provides a set of tools that allow agents to interact with Mealie.

Agent-to-Agent (A2A)

This package also includes an A2A agent server that can be used to interact with the Mealie MCP server.

CLI

Argument	Description	Default
--host	Host to bind the server to	0.0.0.0
--port	Port to bind the server to	9000
--reload	Enable auto-reload	False
--provider	LLM Provider (openai, anthropic, google, huggingface)	openai
--model-id	LLM Model ID	nvidia/nemotron-3-super
--base-url	LLM Base URL (for OpenAI compatible providers)	http://ollama.arpa/v1
--api-key	LLM API Key	ollama
--mcp-url	MCP Server URL	http://mealie-mcp:8000/mcp
--allowed-tools	List of allowed MCP tools	web_search

Examples

Run A2A Server

mealie-agent --provider openai --model-id gpt-4 --api-key sk-... --mcp-url http://localhost:8000/mcp

Run with Docker

docker run -e CMD=mealie-agent -p 8000:8000 mealie-mcp

Security & Governance

This project is built on agent-utilities, inheriting enterprise-grade security and governance features.

Authentication & Authorization

Feature	Description
OIDC Token Delegation	RFC 8693 token exchange for user-context propagation from A2A → MCP
Eunomia Policies	Fine-grained, policy-driven tool authorization (none, embedded, remote)
Scoped Credentials	Tools execute with the caller's scoped identity where possible
3LO / OAuth / API Token	Multiple auth strategies with graceful fallback

Eunomia Policy Enforcement

Eunomia provides a policy enforcement point for all tool calls:

• Embedded mode: Load local mcp_policies.json for role-based access, sensitivity gating, and audit logging
• Remote mode: Forward authorization decisions to a central Eunomia policy server for multi-agent governance
• Enable via CLI: --eunomia-type embedded --eunomia-policy-file mcp_policies.json

Runtime Protections

Protection	Description
Tool Guard	Sensitivity detection with human-in-the-loop approval gating
Prompt Injection Defense	Input scanning and repetition/loop guards
Content Filtering	Output schema enforcement and cost budget controls
Stuck Loop Detection	Automatic detection and recovery from agent loops
Context Limit Warnings	Proactive alerts before context window exhaustion

Graph Agent Architecture

The A2A agent uses pydantic-graph orchestration with:

• RouterNode: Lightweight classifier that routes queries to specialized domains
• DomainNode: Focused executor with only relevant tools loaded, preventing tool hallucination
• Approval Gates: Policy-driven approval workflows before sensitive operations
• Usage Guards: Budget and rate limiting enforcement

Production Recommendation: Enable --eunomia-type embedded (or remote) + OIDC delegation + containerized deployment. See agent-utilities documentation for full policy configuration.

Docker

Build

docker build -t mealie-mcp .

Run MCP Server

docker run -p 8000:8000 mealie-mcp

Run A2A Server

docker run -e CMD=mealie-agent -p 8001:8001 mealie-mcp

Deploy MCP Server as a Service

The Mealie MCP server can be deployed using Docker, with configurable authentication, middleware, and Eunomia authorization.

Using Docker Run

docker pull knucklessg1/mealie-mcp:latest

docker run -d \
  --name mealie-mcp \
  -p 8004:8004 \
  -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e PORT=8004 \
  -e TRANSPORT=http \
  -e AUTH_TYPE=none \
  -e EUNOMIA_TYPE=none \
  -e MEALIE_BASE_URL=https://mealie.example.com \
  -e MEALIE_TOKEN=your-token \
  -e MEALIE_SSL_VERIFY=true \
  knucklessg1/mealie-mcp:latest

For advanced authentication (e.g., JWT, OAuth Proxy, OIDC Proxy, Remote OAuth) or Eunomia, add the relevant environment variables:

docker run -d \
  --name mealie-mcp \
  -p 8004:8004 \
  -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e PORT=8004 \
  -e TRANSPORT=http \
  -e AUTH_TYPE=oidc-proxy \
  -e OIDC_CONFIG_URL=https://provider.com/.well-known/openid-configuration \
  -e OIDC_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id \
  -e OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret \
  -e OIDC_BASE_URL=https://your-server.com \
  -e ALLOWED_CLIENT_REDIRECT_URIS=http://localhost:*,https://*.example.com/* \
  -e EUNOMIA_TYPE=embedded \
  -e EUNOMIA_POLICY_FILE=/app/mcp_policies.json \
  -e MEALIE_BASE_URL=https://mealie.example.com \
  -e MEALIE_TOKEN=your-token \
  -e MEALIE_SSL_VERIFY=true \
  knucklessg1/mealie-mcp:latest

Using Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  mealie-mcp:
    image: knucklessg1/mealie-mcp:latest
    environment:
      - HOST=0.0.0.0
      - PORT=8004
      - TRANSPORT=http
      - AUTH_TYPE=none
      - EUNOMIA_TYPE=none
      - MEALIE_BASE_URL=https://mealie.example.com
      - MEALIE_TOKEN=your-token
      - MEALIE_SSL_VERIFY=true
    ports:
      - 8004:8004

For advanced setups with authentication and Eunomia:

services:
  mealie-mcp:
    image: knucklessg1/mealie-mcp:latest
    environment:
      - HOST=0.0.0.0
      - PORT=8004
      - TRANSPORT=http
      - AUTH_TYPE=oidc-proxy
      - OIDC_CONFIG_URL=https://provider.com/.well-known/openid-configuration
      - OIDC_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
      - OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
      - OIDC_BASE_URL=https://your-server.com
      - ALLOWED_CLIENT_REDIRECT_URIS=http://localhost:*,https://*.example.com/*
      - EUNOMIA_TYPE=embedded
      - EUNOMIA_POLICY_FILE=/app/mcp_policies.json
      - MEALIE_BASE_URL=https://mealie.example.com
      - MEALIE_TOKEN=your-token
      - MEALIE_SSL_VERIFY=true
    ports:
      - 8004:8004
    volumes:
      - ./mcp_policies.json:/app/mcp_policies.json

Run the service:

docker-compose up -d

Configure mcp.json for AI Integration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mealie": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--with",
        "mealie-mcp",
        "mealie-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MEALIE_BASE_URL": "https://mealie.example.com",
        "MEALIE_TOKEN": "your-token",
        "MEALIE_SSL_VERIFY": "true"
      },
      "timeout": 300000
    }
  }
}

Install Python Package

python -m pip install mealie-mcp

uv pip install mealie-mcp

Repository Owners

MCP Configuration Examples

stdio (recommended for local development)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mealie": {
      "command": ".venv/bin/mealie-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "MEALIE_URL": "",
        "MEALIE_API_KEY": ""
}
    }
  }
}

Streamable HTTP (recommended for production)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mealie": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/mealie-mcp/mcp"
    }
  }
}