Anylist MCP Server

MCP server for AnyList shopping list integration

Local serverstdio

What is the Anylist MCP MCP server?

MCP server for AnyList shopping list integration. That is what the anylist mcp mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.

The short version

An MCP server that integrates with AnyList — shopping lists, recipes, and meal planning — exposed via the Model Context Protocol. Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Claude Web/Mobile, or any MCP-compatible client like Home Assistant.

Getting it running

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @modelcontextprotocol/inspector on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 7 tools. What each one is for:

  • shopping — Manage shopping lists and items: add, check off, delete, organize by category and store, and browse favorites
  • recipes — Browse, create, and import recipes from URLs; includes ingredient and step parsing
  • meal_plan — Schedule meals on a calendar with optional links to recipes
  • recipe_collections — Organize recipes into curated named collections
  • health_check — Verify your connection to AnyList and access to target lists
  • Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server
  • Setup — Add to your MCP config (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json or equivalent):

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: ANYLIST_USERNAME, ANYLIST_PASSWORD, ANYLIST_LIST_NAME, SERVER_SECRET_KEY, SESSION_SECRET. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Things to watch

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

How it compares

Plenty of planning and project tracking servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Anylist MCP's toolset — shopping, recipes, meal_plan and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by bobby060; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
shoppingManage shopping lists and items: add, check off, delete, organize by category and store, and browse favorites
recipesBrowse, create, and import recipes from URLs; includes ingredient and step parsing
meal_planSchedule meals on a calendar with optional links to recipes
recipe_collectionsOrganize recipes into curated named collections
health_checkVerify your connection to AnyList and access to target lists
PrerequisitesThe Prerequisites tool exposed by this server.
SetupAdd to your MCP config (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json or equivalent):

How to install the Anylist MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anylist": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"],
      "env": {
        "ANYLIST_USERNAME": "your-value",
        "ANYLIST_PASSWORD": "your-value",
        "ANYLIST_LIST_NAME": "your-value",
        "SERVER_SECRET_KEY": "your-value",
        "SESSION_SECRET": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
ANYLIST_USERNAMEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
ANYLIST_PASSWORDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
ANYLIST_LIST_NAMEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
SERVER_SECRET_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
SESSION_SECRETCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Anylist MCP to shopping.
  • Use Anylist MCP to recipes.
  • Use Anylist MCP to meal plan.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Anylist MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 7 tools (shopping, recipes, meal_plan, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Anylist MCP directly.