Recipe Finder

Find recipes by ingredients, cuisine, or dietary preferences using the free TheMealDB API. Identify dietary restrictions and display recipes with images and ingredient lists.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
ProductivityBeginner
1503/11/2026
Claude CodeCursorCopilot
#recipe-search#api-integration#meal-planning#food#web-fetch

Recipe Finder

Find recipes by ingredients, cuisine, or dietary preferences using TheMealDB free API.

Triggers

Use this skill when the user:

  • Asks "what can I make with [ingredient]"
  • Requests "recipes for dinner" or "Italian recipes"
  • Says "vegetarian options" or "vegan meals"
  • Asks for meal ideas based on ingredients they have

Tools

  • web_fetch - Fetch recipe data from TheMealDB API

Instructions

  1. Parse the user's request to identify:

    • Main ingredient (e.g., chicken, eggs, pasta)
    • Cuisine type (e.g., Italian, Mexican, Chinese)
    • Dietary restriction (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free)
  2. Call TheMealDB API:

    • By ingredient: https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/filter.php?i={ingredient}
    • By cuisine: https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/filter.php?a={cuisine}
    • Search by name: https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/search.php?s={query}
  3. For each recipe found, optionally fetch details:

    • https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/lookup.php?i={id}
  4. Format response with:

    • Recipe name
    • Thumbnail image (if available)
    • Category and cuisine
    • Key ingredients
    • Brief instructions (or link to full recipe)

Response Format

Present recipes in a clean, scannable format:

  • Recipe name (bold)
  • Image thumbnail (if available)
  • Category | Cuisine
  • Main ingredients list
  • Brief description

Notes

  • TheMealDB is free, no API key required
  • Results are limited but reliable
  • Combine multiple queries for best results (ingredient + cuisine)
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