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MCP Ingredient Converter in Claude Code

Convert cups, tablespoons and grams per ingredient, with a real density table and friendly fractions. convert_ingredient turns an amount of a named ingredient between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters, fluid ounces, grams and ounces using a per-ingredient density table; scale_recipe doubles or halves a list of recipe lines into friendly fractions; convert_bulk converts many amounts at once and reports unknown ingredients per item; decimal_to_fraction and fraction_to_decimal handle the 1 1/2 cup style; common_conversions lists the most-googled conversions; list_ingredients dumps the table with sources.

The density table lives next to your code, so a conversion sits in the same terminal as the recipe file you are writing; bulk conversion keeps a whole ingredient list consistent in one call.

What you get in Claude Code

You say	Tool
How many grams is 1 cup of all-purpose flour?	`convert_ingredient`
Double this recipe: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 100 g butter.	`scale_recipe`
Convert 250 g butter and 120 ml honey to cups.	`convert_bulk`

The contract suite walks a real stdio case through the density table: 1 cup of all-purpose flour comes back as 125 grams with cups, tablespoons and ounces alongside, unknown ingredients are refused with a reason, and nothing hangs.

Install it in Claude Code

The file is .mcp.json, and the key inside it is mcpServers.

Scope	Path
local (default)	`~/.claude.json, this project only`
project	`.mcp.json at the repository root`
user	`~/.claude.json, every project`

If you also run Claude Desktop, the shortest path there is one click: ingredient-convert.mcpb from the bundle catalog opens as an extension, with no JSON and no terminal. Claude Code reads its own config, so here it is:

From the terminal, against a built file:

claude mcp add --scope user ingredient-convert -- node /absolute/path/to/mcp-servers/servers/ingredient-convert/dist/index.js
claude mcp list    # health-check it before the first prompt

# or --scope project, committed to .mcp.json for the team

The node command above wants a built file. From a clone, once:

git clone https://github.com/theluckystrike/mcp-servers.git
cd mcp-servers && npm install
npm run build -w packages/mcp-license -w servers/ingredient-convert

That writes servers/ingredient-convert/dist/index.js, and its absolute path is the one argument the config needs.

The npm packages are not published yet, so the form below returns a 404 today. It is here because it is what the entry becomes the day the publish lands, with nothing else changed:

claude mcp add ingredient-convert -- npx -y @theluckystrike/mcp-ingredient-convert

No restart. The entry is picked up in the next session, and `/mcp` reconnects one on demand.

Nothing is published to npm yet, so the working install paths are the ones above: the .mcpb bundle from the bundle catalog, a clone and build, or the hosted URL.

No install: the hosted endpoint

The same server runs at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/ingredient-convert over MCP streamable HTTP, no install. Mint a free token with curl https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token, or use a Pro key. It has no filesystem, so a file comes back as a one-hour download link.

claude mcp add --transport http ingredient-convert https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/ingredient-convert \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Claude Code notes worth knowing first

The `--` is load-bearing: it separates Claude Code's own options, such as --transport, --env and --scope, from the command that runs the server. And the default scope is local, private to you and to the directory you ran it in, so adding it in the wrong folder leaves the tools absent with no error at all.

Free: Everything: seven tools, the full density table, no metering, no key. Pro is $19 once, verified offline.

Questions

Which scope should I use for MCP Ingredient Converter?

Local, the default, writes ~/.claude.json and is private to you and that directory. --scope project writes .mcp.json at the repository root, shared through version control. --scope user loads it everywhere.

Why did my first prompt ignore the server?

Measured, not documented: of three fresh projects, one first prompt made zero tool calls although initialize answered in 1.05 seconds. Run claude mcp list once first: it prints Connected, and the next run used the tool.

Can I use MCP Ingredient Converter without installing anything?

Yes: claude mcp add --transport http ingredient-convert https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/ingredient-convert --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>". Mint a free token at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token or use a Pro key. -t and -H are the short forms.

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