kroger-mcp/README.md

🛒 Kroger MCP Server 🛍️ -- FastMCP for Kroger Shopping

A FastMCP server that provides AI assistants like Claude with seamless access to Kroger's grocery shopping functionality through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This server enables AI assistants to find stores, search products, manage shopping carts, and access Kroger's comprehensive grocery data via the kroger-api python library.

📺 Demo

Using Claude with this MCP server to search for stores, find products, and add items to your cart:

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

You will need Kroger API credentials (free from Kroger Developer Portal). Visit the Kroger Developer Portal to:

1. Create a developer account
2. Register your application
3. Get your CLIENT_ID, CLIENT_SECRET, and set your REDIRECT_URI

The first time you run a tool requiring user authentication, you'll be prompted to authorize your app through your web browser. You're granting permission to your own registered app, not to any third party.

Installation

Option 1: Using uvx with Claude Desktop (Recommended)

Once published to PyPI, you can use uvx to run the package directly without cloning the repository:

Edit Claude Desktop's configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kroger": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "kroger-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KROGER_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "KROGER_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret", 
        "KROGER_REDIRECT_URI": "http://localhost:8000/callback",
        "KROGER_USER_ZIP_CODE": "10001"
      }
    }
  }
}

Benefits of this method:

• Automatically installs the package from PyPI if needed
• Creates an isolated environment for running the server
• Makes it easy to stay updated with the latest version
• Doesn't require maintaining a local repository clone

Option 2: Using uv with a Local Clone

First, clone locally:

git clone https://github.com/CupOfOwls/kroger-mcp

Then, edit Claude Desktop's configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kroger": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/cloned/kroger-mcp",
        "run",
        "kroger-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KROGER_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "KROGER_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret", 
        "KROGER_REDIRECT_URI": "http://localhost:8000/callback",
        "KROGER_USER_ZIP_CODE": "10001"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Installing From PyPI

# Install with uv (recommended)
uv pip install kroger-mcp

# Or install with pip
pip install kroger-mcp

Option 4: Installing From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/CupOfOwls/kroger-mcp
cd kroger-mcp

# Install with uv (recommended)
uv sync

# Or install with pip
pip install -e .

Configuration

Create a .env file in your project root or pass in env values via the JSON config:

# Required: Your Kroger API credentials
KROGER_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
KROGER_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here
KROGER_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:8000/callback

# Optional: Default zip code for location searches
KROGER_USER_ZIP_CODE=90274

Running the Server

# With uv (recommended)
uv run kroger-mcp

# With uvx (directly from PyPI without installation)
uvx kroger-mcp

# Or with Python directly
python server.py

# With FastMCP CLI for development
fastmcp dev server.py --with-editable .

🛠️ Features

💬 Built-In MCP Prompts

• Shopping Path: Find optimal path through store for a grocery list
• Pharmacy Check: Check if pharmacy at preferred location is open
• Store Selection: Help user set their preferred Kroger store
• Recipe Shopping: Find recipes and add ingredients to cart

📚 Available Tools

Location Tools

Tool	Description	Auth Required
search_locations	Find Kroger stores near a zip code	No
get_location_details	Get detailed information about a specific store	No
set_preferred_location	Set a preferred store for future operations	No
get_preferred_location	Get the currently set preferred store	No
check_location_exists	Verify if a location ID is valid	No

Product Tools

Tool	Description	Auth Required
search_products	Search for products by name, brand, or other criteria	No
get_product_details	Get detailed product information including pricing	No
search_products_by_id	Find products by their specific product ID	No
get_product_images	Get product images from specific perspective (front, back, etc.)	No

Cart Tools

Tool	Description	Auth Required
add_items_to_cart	Add a single item to cart	Yes
bulk_add_to_cart	Add multiple items to cart in one operation	Yes
view_current_cart	View items currently in your local cart tracking	No
remove_from_cart	Remove items from local cart tracking	No
clear_current_cart	Clear all items from local cart tracking	No
mark_order_placed	Move current cart to order history	No
view_order_history	View history of placed orders	No

Information Tools

Tool	Description	Auth Required
list_chains	Get all Kroger-owned chains	No
get_chain_details	Get details about a specific chain	No
check_chain_exists	Check if a chain exists	No
list_departments	Get all store departments	No
get_department_details	Get details about a specific department	No
check_department_exists	Check if a department exists	No

Profile Tools

Tool	Description	Auth Required
get_user_profile	Get authenticated user's profile information	Yes
test_authentication	Test if authentication token is valid	Yes
get_authentication_info	Get detailed authentication status	Yes
force_reauthenticate	Clear tokens and force re-authentication	No

Utility Tools

Tool	Description	Auth Required
get_current_datetime	Get current system date and time	No

🧰 Local-Only Cart Tracking

Since the Kroger API doesn't provide cart viewing functionality, this server maintains local tracking:

Local Cart Storage

• File: kroger_cart.json
• Contents: Current cart items with timestamps
• Automatic: Created and updated automatically

Order History

• File: kroger_order_history.json
• Contents: Historical orders with placement timestamps
• Usage: Move completed carts to history with mark_order_placed

🚧 Kroger Public API Limitations

• View Only: The remove_from_cart and clear_current_cart tools ONLY affect local tracking, not the actual Kroger cart
• Local Sync: Use these tools only when the user has already removed items from their cart in the Kroger app/website
• One-Way: Items can be added to the Kroger cart but not removed through the Public API. The Partner API would allow these things, but that requires entering a contract with Kroger.

API	Version	Rate Limit	Notes
Authorization	1.0.13	No specific limit	Token management
Products	1.2.4	10,000 calls/day	Search and product details
Locations	1.2.2	1,600 calls/day per endpoint	Store locations and details
Cart	1.2.3	5,000 calls/day	Add/manage cart items
Identity	1.2.3	5,000 calls/day	User profile information

Note: Rate limits are enforced per endpoint, not per operation. You can distribute calls across operations using the same endpoint as needed.

🏫 Basic Workflow

1. Set up a preferred location:

   User: "Find Kroger stores near 90274"
   Assistant: [Uses search_locations tool]
   User: "Set the first one as my preferred location"
   Assistant: [Uses set_preferred_location tool]
   

2. Search and add products:

   User: "Add milk to my cart"
   Assistant: [Uses search_products, then add_items_to_cart]
   
   User: "Add bread, eggs, and cheese to my cart"
   Assistant: [Uses search_products for each, then bulk_add_to_cart]
   

3. Manage cart and orders:

   User: "What's in my cart?"
   Assistant: [Uses view_current_cart tool to see local memory]
   
   User: "I placed the order on the Kroger website"
   Assistant: [Uses mark_order_placed tool, moving current cart to the order history]
   

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This is an unofficial MCP server for the Kroger Public API. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Kroger.

For questions about the Kroger API, visit the Kroger Developer Portal or read the kroger-api package documentation.