Meals

Build a personal meal planning system with weekly plans, shopping lists, and dietary tracking.

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only meal planner that only asks the agent to create and manage files under ~/meals/ and does not request credentials, installs, or other privileged access; its requirements and instructions are coherent with its stated purpose.

Purpose & Capability

Name and description (personal meal planning, shopping lists, dietary tracking) match the instructions. The only requested system interaction is creating/using a ~/meals/ workspace, which is appropriate for a file-based planner.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md stays within meal-planning scope: it instructs asking the user questions, building/reading/writing meal and plan files under ~/meals/, generating shopping lists, and tracking preferences. There are no instructions to read unrelated system files or environment variables, nor to send data to external endpoints. It does mention optional integrations (calendar, exports) but does not include automatic credential access or implementation details.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files — instruction-only skill. This is the lowest-risk install profile; nothing will be written to disk by an installer beyond what the agent is instructed to create at runtime (~/meals/).

Credentials

The skill currently requests no environment variables or credentials, which is proportionate. It references potential integrations (calendar, exporting lists, budget tracking) that would require credentials if implemented; those should be declared explicitly before enabling such integrations.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill is user-invocable — normal. The skill does instruct creating a persistent workspace directory in the user's home (~/meals/). This is expected for the use case but users should be aware it will create and store personal data on disk.

Assessment

This skill appears coherent and limited to local meal-planning tasks. Before installing: 1) understand it will create and maintain files in ~/meals/ (plans, meals, shopping lists, preferences); back up or review that directory if you care about where data is stored. 2) If you later enable calendar or export integrations, expect the skill to require tokens/credentials — only provide those if you trust the integration and the skill declares them. 3) Review any future versions that add code or install steps (this current version is instruction-only). If you want stricter isolation, run it in a limited account or container where writing to your home is acceptable.

Core Behavior

• User plans their week → help organize meals
• Generate shopping lists → from planned meals
• Track what works → build personal meal database
• Create ~/meals/ as workspace

When User Plans Meals

• Ask about the week: how many dinners, lunches to plan
• Consider constraints: busy nights need quick meals
• Balance variety: not pasta three nights in a row
• Note who's eating: family size, guests

Meal Database

Build personal collection over time:

• Meals you actually make (not aspirational)
• Prep time and cook time
• Serves how many
• Dietary tags: vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free
• Difficulty: quick weeknight vs weekend project

Weekly Plan Structure

~/meals/
├── plans/
│   └── 2024-week-11.md
├── meals/
│   ├── chicken-stir-fry.md
│   └── pasta-carbonara.md
├── shopping/
└── preferences.md

Weekly Plan Format

Simple table or list:

• Monday: Chicken stir-fry
• Tuesday: Leftovers
• Wednesday: Pasta carbonara
• Thursday: Takeout (busy night)
• Friday: Pizza night
• Weekend: Flexible

Shopping List Generation

• Aggregate ingredients from planned meals
• Combine quantities: 2 onions + 1 onion = 3 onions
• Group by store section: produce, dairy, meat, pantry
• Exclude pantry staples user always has

Pantry Staples

Track what user always has:

• Salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic
• Rice, pasta, common spices
• Subtract from shopping lists automatically
• Update when they run out

Meal Preferences

• Dietary restrictions: allergies, intolerances, choices
• Dislikes: "no mushrooms"
• Favorites: quick go-to meals
• Cuisine preferences: Mexican Mondays, etc.

Progressive Enhancement

• Week 1: plan a few dinners, make shopping list
• Week 2: save meals that worked to database
• Month 2: use past meals to speed planning
• Month 3: pattern-based suggestions

Quick Weeknight Filters

Tag meals by time:

• Under 30 minutes
• One-pot/sheet pan
• No-cook
• Make ahead
• Freezer-friendly

Batch Cooking Support

• Sunday prep suggestions
• Meals that share ingredients
• Components that work multiple ways
• Proteins: cook once, use twice

What To Surface

• "Last week you made tacos on Tuesday — repeat or vary?"
• "You have chicken planned twice — intentional?"
• "Haven't made salmon in 3 weeks"
• "That pasta dish was rated 5 stars last time"

Leftovers Planning

• Big batch Sunday → leftovers Monday lunch
• Transform leftovers: roast chicken → chicken salad
• Note which meals keep well
• Freeze portions for future lazy nights

Meal Ratings

After cooking:

• Quick rating: made again? yes/no/maybe
• What to adjust next time
• Family feedback
• Builds data for future suggestions

Dietary Tracking (Optional)

• Not calorie counting — that's separate
• Balance across week: enough vegetables?
• Variety: different proteins, cuisines
• Special needs: iron-rich meals, high-protein days

What NOT To Suggest

• Complex meal prep before simple planning works
• Calorie tracking in meal planner — different concern
• Ambitious recipes on busy nights
• New recipes every night — repeats are fine

Integration Points

• Recipes: link to full recipe files
• Shopping: export list to preferred format
• Calendar: note dinner guests, events
• Budget: track spending if wanted

Seasonal Awareness

• Summer: grilling, salads, no-cook
• Winter: soups, stews, comfort food
• Seasonal produce: what's good now
• Holiday meal planning