Read recipes, nutrition and inventory, manage ingredients and costs, and render ReciPal labels. For food producers with a monthly ReciPal subscription. Hosted by usefulapi — connect from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client.
Team and Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector for the organization first.
Run this command, then run /mcp in Claude Code to log in:
Add to Cursor or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"recipal": {
"url": "https://recipal.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"recipal": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://recipal.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}No Add custom MCP server option? It depends on your account or workspace settings: see OpenAI's guide.
Run these commands. The second one opens the login page:
Other MCP clients (Windsurf, Cline, Zed and more): add the URL as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP). The client then opens the login page in your browser. Do not add an Authorization header: see Before you connect.
Read a recipe and its ingredient lines to review nutrition, allergens and quantities. Review label accuracy before using it on products.
recipal_get_recipe recipal_list_recipe_ingredients
Review inventory and identify ingredients at risk of running out. These tools require a ReciPal inventory plan.
recipal_list_inventories recipal_get_inventory
Create a scaled copy of a selected recipe, leaving the original unchanged. The new record counts against your vendor recipe allowance.
Changes data · recipal_scale_recipe
Add or update an ingredient cost. The change affects costs of recipes that use that ingredient.
Changes data · recipal_create_ingredient_cost recipal_update_ingredient_cost
Start a PDF or PNG render, then check its status for a temporary download link. Rendering and status checks spend API quota.
Changes data · recipal_start_label_render recipal_get_label_render_status
The login page asks for your ReciPal API key.
Find it in ReciPal under Account Settings (API access). API access needs a paid ReciPal subscription, and the key works for that one account. Use a key you authorize for this connection. Recipes, formulations, costs, nutrition, labels and stock records you request pass to your chosen AI client and its LLM provider; the API key is not sent to the LLM. When requested, tools create or change recipes, ingredient lines, ingredients and costs, remove recipe lines, and start label renders. Changes can affect derived labels in other recipes. Review nutrition and allergens before using labels on products. Every request, including login and render-status checks, spends vendor quota and is never retried. Inventory needs the vendor inventory plan. Revoke or reset the key in ReciPal to stop access; a new key starts a new usage/billing identity.
Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your ReciPal API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
Turn on the ReciPal connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
recipal_list_recipes | read | List recipes List your recipes (products) with yield, servings, cost per batch/package and the headline per-serving nutrition (calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrate, protein). Sorted by last update by default. Set full=true for the complete object with every nutrient. Pages of up to 20; a page with fewer rows is the last. GET /recipes. |
recipal_get_recipe | read | Get recipe One recipe in full: yield, servings, packages, allergens, costs (ingredient + packaging/labor/overhead), ingredient list, tags, primary label path and the complete per-serving nutrition. GET /recipes/{id}. |
recipal_list_recipe_ingredients | read | List recipe ingredients The formula of one recipe: every recipe ingredient line with ingredient id, name, quantity, unit, waste %, total grams and the display name per label language. Use the line ids with recipal_update_recipe_ingredient. GET /recipes/{id}/recipe_ingredients. |
recipal_get_recipe_ingredient | read | Get recipe ingredient One ingredient line of a recipe, including units_and_grams (the units you can use for it, each with its weight in grams). GET /recipes/{recipe_id}/recipe_ingredients/{id}. |
recipal_list_ingredients | read | List ingredients List your own ingredients (custom and subrecipe ingredients) with allergens, units and headline nutrition per 100 g. Set full=true for every nutrient. Archived ones are hidden unless asked for. GET /ingredients. |
recipal_get_ingredient | read | Get ingredient One ingredient in full (yours or a public one): allergens, ingredient-list text, custom units, and every nutrient per 100 grams. GET /ingredients/{id}. |
recipal_list_ingredient_costs | read | List costs of an ingredient The cost history of one ingredient: effective date, quantity, unit, price and shipping per entry (the entry with the latest effective_at not in the future is the active one). GET /ingredients/{id}/ingredient_costs. |
recipal_list_current_ingredient_costs | read | List current ingredient costs The currently active cost of every ingredient (one entry per ingredient): price, shipping, quantity and unit. GET /ingredient_costs. |
recipal_get_ingredient_cost | read | Get ingredient cost One ingredient cost entry by id. GET /ingredient_costs/{id}. |
recipal_get_label | read | Get label A recipe's saved nutrition-facts label settings (format, which rows show, styling) plus the computed nutrition claims (e.g. Fat Free) and ingredient list per language. The token is the last part of the recipe's primary_label path (/api/v1/labels/{token}). Optionally compute claims and ingredient list for another format. GET /labels/{token}. |
recipal_start_label_render | write | Start label render WRITE (render job): start rendering a recipe's nutrition label as a PDF or PNG and return the render status with a token. Always asynchronous: poll recipal_get_label_render_status with the token until status is ready, then give the user the temporary download url. Each account may run 5 renders in parallel. GET /recipes/{id}/label.pdf|label.png?async=true. |
recipal_get_label_render_status | read | Get label render status Status of a label render started with recipal_start_label_render: waiting, processing, ready or error. When ready, url is a temporary presigned download link. Poll about once a second; each poll counts toward the weekly request limit. GET /recipes/label_renders/{token}. |
recipal_list_inventories | read | List raw-material inventory Raw-material (ingredient) stock rows: quantity on hand, weeks remaining, daily consumption, quantity on order, reorder risk (safe, warning, critical), reorder level and the on-hand value. Needs an inventory plan (otherwise 403 INVENTORY_PLAN_REQUIRED). By default sorted by weeks remaining, lowest first. GET /inventories. |
recipal_get_inventory | read | Get raw-material inventory row One raw-material stock row by id (quantity, unit, weeks remaining, reorder guideline, on-hand value). Needs an inventory plan. GET /inventories/{id}. |
recipal_list_inventory_tags | read | List ingredient tags Ingredient tags in use with the number of ingredients carrying each, most used first. Use them to filter recipal_list_inventories. Needs an inventory plan. GET /inventories/tags. |
recipal_list_finished_goods | read | List finished goods inventory Finished-goods stock rows: recipe, quantity on hand, unit, total packages, lot-code settings, case/pallet sizes and the on-hand value. Needs an inventory plan. GET /finished_goods. |
recipal_get_finished_good | read | Get finished goods row One finished-goods stock row by id. Needs an inventory plan. GET /finished_goods/{id}. |
recipal_list_finished_good_tags | read | List recipe tags Recipe tags in use with the number of recipes carrying each, most used first. Use them to filter recipal_list_finished_goods. Needs an inventory plan. GET /finished_goods/tags. |
recipal_create_recipe | write | Create recipe WRITE: create a new, empty recipe (add ingredient lines with recipal_add_recipe_ingredient, or use recipal_create_recipe_from_ingredients to do both at once). All fields are optional. Creates a record in your ReciPal account; it counts against the plan's recipe allowance. POST /recipes. |
recipal_update_recipe | write | Update recipe WRITE: change fields of one recipe; fields you leave out stay unchanged. package_yield_quantity "default" sets the package weight to the total weight of the current ingredients (no moisture loss accounted for); ingredient_list "default" rebuilds the label ingredient list in descending weight order. Changes labels and costs of this recipe. Tags cannot be set here. PUT /recipes/{id}. |
recipal_scale_recipe | write | Copy or scale recipe WRITE: create a NEW recipe as a copy of an existing one, with every ingredient quantity and the yield multiplied by scale_amount (1 = plain copy; per-serving nutrition stays the same; scaling down cannot take packages below 1). Costs and tags carry over. The original is not changed. Without a name the copy is called "<name> (copy)" or "<name> <n>x". POST /recipes/{id}/scale. |
recipal_create_recipe_from_ingredients | write | Create recipe with ingredients WRITE: create a new recipe and its ingredient lines in one call. ingredients lists ingredient ids with the weight of each in grams. Optional yield, servings and packaging fields as in recipal_create_recipe. Creates a record in your ReciPal account. POST /recipes/shortcut. |
recipal_create_subrecipe | write | Turn recipe into subrecipe WRITE: turn a recipe into an ingredient (a subrecipe) with its nutrition, costing and ingredient list, so it can be used inside other recipes. Later changes to the recipe flow through to the ingredient. Fails if the recipe is empty. Returns the new ingredient. POST /recipes/{id}/create_subrecipe. |
recipal_add_recipe_ingredient | write | Add ingredient to recipe WRITE: add an ingredient line to a recipe, by unit and quantity (the unit must be one the ingredient offers, e.g. "1 cup" or "1 gram"; see units_and_grams from recipal_get_recipe_ingredient or valid_units from recipal_get_ingredient) or directly by total_grams (overrides unit and quantity). Changes the recipe's nutrition, label and cost. POST /recipes/{id}/recipe_ingredients. |
recipal_update_recipe_ingredient | write | Update recipe ingredient amount WRITE: change the AMOUNT of one ingredient line in a recipe (unit, quantity, waste or total_grams; total_grams overrides unit and quantity). It cannot swap the ingredient: remove the line and add another instead. Changes the recipe's nutrition, label and cost. PUT /recipes/{recipe_id}/recipe_ingredients/{id}. |
recipal_remove_recipe_ingredient | write | Remove ingredient from recipe WRITE (destructive): permanently remove one ingredient line from a recipe. It cannot be undone, but the same ingredient can be added back (with recipal_add_recipe_ingredient). Changes the recipe's nutrition, label and cost. The ingredient itself is not deleted. DELETE /recipes/{recipe_id}/recipe_ingredients/{id}. |
recipal_create_ingredient | write | Create ingredient WRITE: create a custom ingredient (private to your account) with its nutrition facts. For a food ingredient give nutrition_unit and nutrition_quantity (the serving the nutrients are entered for, e.g. 1 cup; for units beyond gram/oz/lb/kg add them in measures first) and all required nutrients. food and non_food cannot be changed later. Non-food items: set food=false and non_food to labor, packaging, safety, other_hourly or other_fixed. POST /ingredients. |
recipal_update_ingredient | write | Update ingredient WRITE: change fields of one of YOUR ingredients (public ingredients cannot be edited); fields you leave out stay unchanged. If nutrition_unit, nutrition_quantity or their measure change, nutrients you do not pass are rescaled to keep the same amount per serving. measures REPLACES the whole list of custom units, so send them all. Setting archived true hides the ingredient from lists; false restores it. The change flows into every recipe using the ingredient. PUT /ingredients/{id}. |
recipal_create_ingredient_cost | write | Add ingredient cost WRITE: add a price for an ingredient that becomes active on effective_at (the active cost is the one with the latest effective_at not after the date; one cost per ingredient per date). price and shipping are per quantity x unit. Changes the cost of every recipe using the ingredient from that date. Not allowed for subrecipe ingredients. POST /ingredient_costs. |
recipal_update_ingredient_cost | write | Update ingredient cost WRITE: change an existing ingredient cost entry (date, unit, quantity, price, shipping); fields you leave out stay unchanged. Changes recipe costs that depend on it. Not allowed for subrecipe ingredients. PUT /ingredient_costs/{id}. |
recipal_usage_status | Usage status (free-tier meter) Report the caller's current usage: the plan, calls used this month, the limit of the plan (the free monthly cap or the Pro fair use limit), remaining, and whether the limit is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter. | |
recipal_request_feature | Request a missing feature Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the ReciPal tools cannot do yet (a missing tool, field or filter). Call it only when the user asks for something none of the tools can do, and tell the user that you send the request. Do not call it for errors or for normal requests. Do not include personal data, credentials or customer records. Stored with the product name and the client type (for example Claude or Cursor), without the user's account. At most 5 requests per day. Does not count against the meter. | |
recipal_upgrade | Upgrade to Pro (unlimited*) Get Pro: unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 a month) on ReciPal (the free tier caps monthly usage). Plans: "monthly" — $9/month; "yearly" — $90/year (2 months free). Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period, so it also suits a one-time job. *A fair use limit applies. For heavy use (near Pro's limit): "plus" or "plus_yearly" — Pro+, $39/month or $390/year, unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 100,000 a month); an existing Pro subscription changes to Pro+ in place (needs confirm: true; the price difference for the rest of the period is charged at once). Otherwise returns a short link to open in your browser (it opens Stripe Checkout); after payment the account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter. | |
recipal_cancel_subscription | Cancel the Pro subscription Cancel the caller's ReciPal Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; Pro continues until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run recipal_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter. |
| Plan | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 tool calls / month |
| Proper ReciPal API key | $9/mo · $90/yr | Unlimited* |
*Pro fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month on this server. For more, write to [email protected].
Pro covers this ReciPal server only. Subscribe with recipal_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with recipal_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running recipal_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].
Review recipe nutrition and allergens. Check raw-material stock. Copy a recipe for a larger batch. Record an ingredient price change. Render a nutrition label. See what you can do for the details.
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by ReciPal. The server calls the ReciPal API with your own ReciPal access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.
Yes. In Claude, add this server's URL as a custom connector. In ChatGPT, add it as a custom MCP server in Plugins. Then log in once. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Codex work too. See the setup steps.
The login page asks for your ReciPal API key. See Before you connect for where to find it.
No. Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your ReciPal API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
The login stores them encrypted in the authorization grant of your connection. The server uses them to call the ReciPal API for you and to derive a private account id for usage metering. usefulapi does not show them on any page or in any reply. To stop all access, remove the connector and change or delete these credentials in ReciPal.
Yes, if you approve it. 13 of the 30 ReciPal tools can create or change data. The other 17 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.
The Free plan gives 50 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month), for this ReciPal server only. Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period. Run recipal_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
Ask the AI to run recipal_upgrade: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. To cancel, run recipal_cancel_subscription. Pro continues to the end of the paid period.
Tell the AI what you wanted to do. It can send the request with recipal_request_feature. We store the text with the server name, the type of AI client and the tool you tried, not with your account, and read every request when we plan new tools. You can send up to 5 requests per day.
Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth login: Claude (web and desktop), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and others.
This is a Model Context Protocol endpoint — meant to be connected from an AI client, not opened in a browser. An invalid_token response at the URL is the auth gate working as designed; clients authenticate automatically.
Need a tool this server does not have, or a connection to another system? We build custom integrations and MCP servers.