# The Meal Plan Vault

> The Meal Plan Vault is a household-first meal planning SaaS that is built to be driven by AI agents as well as people. It exposes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server at https://www.mealplanvault.com/mcp, so any MCP-compatible agent can read and write the user's recipes, weekly meal plan, and grocery lists directly. Families collaborate on a weekly meal calendar, import recipes from any website with AI, vote on what to cook, and auto-generate organized grocery lists. Built with Next.js, Postgres, and Claude. A 14-day Pro trial is included with no credit card required.

## For AI agents

If you are an AI agent working on behalf of a Meal Plan Vault user, do not scrape the web app — connect to the MCP server and use its tools.

- Endpoint: `https://www.mealplanvault.com/mcp` (streamable HTTP transport, JSON-RPC 2.0)
- Auth: OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and RFC 7591 dynamic client registration, or a personal access token (`mpv_pat_…`) the owner creates in Settings → Connections → API access, sent as `Authorization: Bearer`. Scopes are `mcp:read` and `mcp:write`; write tools reject read-only tokens.
- REST alternative: agents that build clients from OpenAPI instead of speaking MCP (for example Meta Muse custom connectors) can call the same tools at `https://www.mealplanvault.com/api/agent/v1/tools/{tool_name}` with a personal access token. Spec: https://www.mealplanvault.com/api/agent/v1/openapi.json
- Tool surface: 19 tools (6 read, 13 write). All operations are scoped to the authenticated user's household and inherit that user's household role (admin, editor, or viewer).
- Accountability: every tool call is recorded in an activity log the owner can audit at https://mealplanvault.com/dashboard/agents, including the tool name, the client name, and whether it succeeded.
- Integration guide for agents: https://mealplanvault.com/for-agents
- Setup guide for humans: https://mealplanvault.com/help/mcp

### Available MCP tools

- `list_recipes` (read): Search recipes by title or tag.
- `get_recipe` (read): Read a recipe in full — ingredients, steps, tags.
- `create_recipe` (write): Write a new recipe into the vault.
- `import_recipe_from_url` (write): Import a recipe from any link.
- `update_recipe_notes` (write): Add or update the notes on a saved recipe.
- `get_meal_plan_week` (read): Read any week of the plan.
- `set_meal_plan_entry` (write): Schedule a meal into a day and slot.
- `remove_meal_plan_entry` (write): Clear a slot in the plan.
- `list_grocery_lists` (read): List grocery lists.
- `get_grocery_list` (read): Read a list and everything on it.
- `create_grocery_list` (write): Build a new list, sorted by aisle.
- `add_grocery_list_item` (write): Add an item to a list.
- `check_grocery_list_item` (write): Check an item off while shopping.
- `remove_grocery_list_item` (write): Remove an item from a list.
- `delete_grocery_list` (write): Delete a list and its items.
- `list_pantry_items` (read): See what's on hand, by shelf or by what expires soonest.
- `add_pantry_item` (write): Add something you just bought.
- `update_pantry_item` (write): Draw an item down after cooking with it.
- `remove_pantry_item` (write): Remove an item once it's gone.

### Example requests an agent can fulfil end to end

- "Plan next week's dinners around what's already in the vault, and keep Tuesday meatless." — `get_meal_plan_week`, `list_recipes`, `set_meal_plan_entry`
- "Turn next week's plan into a grocery list sorted by aisle." — `get_meal_plan_week`, `get_recipe`, `create_grocery_list`
- "Import this recipe and put it on Thursday." — `import_recipe_from_url`, `set_meal_plan_entry`
- "I'm at the store — read me what's left and check things off." — `get_grocery_list`, `check_grocery_list_item`

The platform is designed for households rather than solo cooks: every recipe, meal plan, grocery list, and pantry item is scoped to a household, and members are assigned admin, editor, or viewer roles. Recipes can be imported from 500+ cooking websites via AI, scaled to any serving size, organized into custom cookbooks, and annotated with private notes and cooking logs. Meal planning is drag-and-drop with optional themed days, democratic meal requests with voting, and one-click conversion to a sectioned grocery list. An AI cooking assistant (Chef Ava) answers substitution, technique, and dietary-adaptation questions, with @-mentions for recipes already in the vault. Subscription tiers are Free, Pro, and Family, with the Pro tier inherited by all household members of a Pro admin.

## Core pages

- [Homepage](https://mealplanvault.com): Product overview, feature highlights, and trial signup.
- [Pricing](https://mealplanvault.com/pricing): Free, Pro, and Family plan comparison with monthly and annual billing.
- [About](https://mealplanvault.com/about): Mission, team, and the story behind the household-first approach.
- [Compare](https://mealplanvault.com/compare): Side-by-side comparisons against Paprika, Mealie, Plan to Eat, and other meal planners.
- [Help center](https://mealplanvault.com/help): User-facing guides for getting started, importing recipes, planning meals, and household setup.
- [Blog](https://mealplanvault.com/blog): Recipes, meal planning tips, and seasonal cooking guides.
- [Newsletter](https://mealplanvault.com/newsletter): Weekly digest with new recipes, seasonal meal ideas, and product updates.
- [Browser extension](https://mealplanvault.com/extension): One-click recipe save from any cooking site.
- [Free meal plan PDF](https://mealplanvault.com/free-meal-plan): Lead-magnet download — a printable seven-day plan with shopping list.

## Product capabilities

- Agentic tooling: built-in MCP server with 19 tools over one OAuth-protected endpoint, separate read and write scopes, per-connection revoke, and a per-call activity log in the owner's dashboard. Included on every plan, including Free.
- Recipes: AI-powered URL and photo import, bulk import (Paprika, Mealie, Tandoor, Crouton), tags, collections, cookbooks, ratings, scaling, version history, USDA nutrition labels, cooking logs, and private dated notes.
- Meal planning: drag-and-drop weekly calendar, customizable meal types, themed days, quick meals, printable plans, and iCal export.
- Household collaboration: multi-user households with admin/editor/viewer roles, email invites, democratic meal requests with voting, batched activity notifications, and full-data ZIP export.
- Grocery and pantry: auto-generated grocery lists organized by store section, auto-complete with celebration animation, and pantry tracking with quantities, expiration dates, and storage locations.
- AI assistant (Chef Ava): substitutions, dietary adaptations (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.), seasonal suggestions, food storage and safety guidance, and one-click save of useful responses to recipe notes.
- Notifications: in-app activity feed and configurable email channels (meal plan updates, trial reminders, weekly digests, comment replies).

## Pricing summary

- Free — $0/month. Up to 10 recipes, up to 3 household members, 10 AI queries/day, basic meal planning and grocery lists.
- Pro — $9.99/month or $99/year. Unlimited recipes, unlimited AI queries, AI recipe import, advanced analytics, pantry tracking, up to 5 household members.
- Family — $14.99/month or $149/year. Everything in Pro, plus unlimited household members and priority support.
- Every paid plan includes a 14-day free trial of Pro features with no credit card required.

## Help articles

- [Connect an AI app (MCP)](https://mealplanvault.com/help/mcp): Step-by-step MCP setup for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Goose, Zed, and other clients.
- [Getting started](https://mealplanvault.com/help/getting-started): Account setup, household creation, and a guided first week.
- [Importing recipes](https://mealplanvault.com/help/importing-recipes): Single URL import, bulk import, and migrating from other recipe apps.
- [Creating a meal plan](https://mealplanvault.com/help/creating-meal-plan): Calendar basics, themed days, and quick meals.
- [Generating a grocery list](https://mealplanvault.com/help/generating-grocery-list): Building a list from a meal plan, store sections, and pantry deduction.
- [Household setup](https://mealplanvault.com/help/household-setup): Inviting members, roles, and shared access.
- [Household voting](https://mealplanvault.com/help/household-voting): How meal requests and voting work.
- [Using the AI assistant](https://mealplanvault.com/help/ai-assistant): Asking Chef Ava for substitutions, adaptations, and ideas.
- [FAQ](https://mealplanvault.com/help/faq): Common questions about features, billing, and data.

## Optional

- [Browser extension install](https://mealplanvault.com/extension): Chrome/Edge extension for one-click recipe import — supplementary to the in-app URL importer.
- [Print views](https://mealplanvault.com/print): Print-friendly recipe cards and weekly meal plans.
- [Security](https://mealplanvault.com/security): Authentication, household scoping, MCP scopes and per-tool permissions, the agent activity log, and revocation.
- [Privacy policy](https://mealplanvault.com/privacy): Data handling, retention, and user rights.
- [Terms of service](https://mealplanvault.com/terms): Accounts, households, billing, acceptable use, AI features, and connected-agent responsibilities.
- [Sitemap](https://mealplanvault.com/sitemap.xml): Full list of indexable pages.
- [Support portal](https://mealplanvault.featurebase.app/help): Knowledge base, feature requests, and bug reports hosted on Featurebase.