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MCP Ingredient Converter in VS 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.

Pure math over a static table, no writes, no network: auto-approve in agent mode so a conversion inside a recipe-notes task costs no clicks.

What you get in VS Code

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 VS Code

The file is .vscode/mcp.json, and the key inside it is servers.

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. VS Code reads its own config, so here it is:

// .vscode/mcp.json  (the key is "servers")
{
  "servers": {
    "ingredient-convert": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-servers/servers/ingredient-convert/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Or from a terminal:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"ingredient-convert","command":"node","args":["/absolute/path/to/mcp-servers/servers/ingredient-convert/dist/index.js"]}'

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:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"ingredient-convert","command":"npx","args":["-y","@theluckystrike/mcp-ingredient-convert"]}'

VS Code asks you to confirm you trust the server and its capabilities before it starts. Nothing runs until you answer.

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.

{
  "servers": {
    "ingredient-convert": {
      "url": "https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/ingredient-convert",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code notes worth knowing first

The top-level key is "servers", not "mcpServers". A config pasted from a Claude Desktop or Cursor README parses cleanly, contributes no servers, and gives you no error to read, which makes it the most expensive one-word mistake here. Alongside it an "inputs" array holds secrets. The newer Agent Host reads a workspace .mcp.json instead.

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

Questions

Why does my mcp.json do nothing?

The key is servers, not mcpServers. A config copied from a Claude Desktop README parses cleanly and contributes nothing. Rename it. On the newer Agent Host, use a workspace .mcp.json instead.

Do I have to edit the file at all?

No. code --add-mcp takes the server object on the command line, and MCP: Add Server in the palette asks whether the target is Workspace or Global.

Where do the MCP Ingredient Converter tools show up?

In Chat, behind the tools picker, once the server has started. Adding or changing one raises a prompt asking you to confirm you trust it; if the picker is empty, that prompt is usually still waiting.

Related

MCP Ingredient Converter in detail · The same server in Cursor and Windsurf · Every server in VS Code · Guides · VS Code docs · Buy Pro