Pantry Host

There's already enough of your data in the cloud. Keep your recipes and pantry closer to home — running on your own hardware, on your own network, never stored in the cloud.

_{*The optional AI–powered recipe creation feature sends your ingredient list to Anthropic to generate suggestions. Everything else stays entirely on your local machine.}

A self-hosted Progressive Web App for managing your kitchen. Track your pantry and cookware, import recipes from URLs or at:// AT Protocol URIs, generate AI-suggested meals from what you already have, and take your grocery list, fully informed by a recipe queue, to the store — even offline.

Built with Rex (React + rolldown), GraphQL (Pothos + graphql-yoga), PostgreSQL, and Tailwind CSS. Runs great on a Mac Mini, or whatever.

Want to access the API away from home? You can't. Unless you set up a Tailscale mesh network, an SSH tunnel (ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 your-mac), or a reverse proxy like Cloudflare Tunnel — but that's on you. By default, the app is only reachable on your local network, and that's the point.

Features

• Pantry — track ingredients by category with quantities and tags; batch-scan groceries with your camera
• Recipes — add recipes manually or import from a URL; AI-generate recipes from your pantry
• Federated recipes — import from Bluesky via at:// URIs, or browse publishers aggregated at feed.pantryhost.app (paste any at://… URI into the browser's address bar on my.pantryhost.app/at/… to open it as a first-class detail page with QR sharing)
• Grocery list — queue recipes to cook; see what ingredients you're missing
• Cookware — track what equipment you have so AI suggestions stay realistic
• Multiple kitchens — separate pantries and recipes for different households (e.g. a guest kitchen, a relative's)

---

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• PostgreSQL 14+
• An AI API key (only required for AI recipe generation) — Anthropic

---

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy and fill in environment variables
cp .env.example .env.local

# Start the dev server (Rex + GraphQL server together)
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000.

The GraphQL API runs on port 4001. The database schema is applied automatically on startup — no separate migration step needed.

---

Docker

The fastest way to self-host:

git clone https://github.com/jpdevries/pantry-host.git
cd pantry-host
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:3000. PostgreSQL and the app start automatically — the database schema is applied on first boot.

To enable AI recipe generation, pass your API key:

AI_API_KEY=sk-ant-... docker compose up -d

Data (database + uploaded images) persists in Docker volumes across restarts.

Raspberry Pi

Docker on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (ARM64, 4 GB+ RAM recommended) works out of the box:

git clone https://github.com/jpdevries/pantry-host.git
cd pantry-host
docker compose up -d

The initial docker compose up builds the image on-device — this takes a while on a Pi (10–20 min) but only happens once. Subsequent starts are instant.

Pi 4 with 2 GB RAM: The build step may run out of memory. Add swap first:

sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

Or build on a faster machine and transfer the image:

# On your Mac/PC:
docker buildx build --platform linux/arm64 -t pantry-host:latest .
docker save pantry-host:latest | gzip > pantry-host-arm64.tar.gz

# Copy to Pi, then:
docker load < pantry-host-arm64.tar.gz
docker compose up -d

Not supported: Pi 3 and older (32-bit ARMv7) — the Rex runtime requires ARM64.

Save disk space: Disable image variant generation to keep only the original upload (no WebP/JPEG/grayscale variants):

ENABLE_IMAGE_PROCESSING=false docker compose up -d

HTTPS with Tailscale

Need HTTPS for the barcode scanner on iOS? Tailscale provides free, automatic TLS certificates for your devices — no reverse proxy, no public DNS, no Cloudflare tunnel.

1. Install Tailscale on your server (Mac Mini, Pi, etc.) and your phone/laptop
2. Enable MagicDNS and HTTPS in the Tailscale admin console
3. Run tailscale cert your-machine.tailnet-name.ts.net on the server
4. Add a Caddy container (or similar) to terminate TLS and proxy to port 3000

Your devices can then access Pantry Host at https://your-machine.tailnet-name.ts.net — valid certificate, secure context, camera and barcode scanner work at the grocery store over your Tailnet.

---

Local Hosting

Pantry Host is designed to run on a always-on home machine (a Mac Mini works well) and be accessed by devices on your local network via IP address. No cloud account, no subscription, no data leaving your home.

1. Set up PostgreSQL

Install PostgreSQL if you haven't already:

brew install postgresql@16
brew services start postgresql@16
createdb pantry_host

2. Configure environment

cp .env.example .env.local

Edit .env.local:

DATABASE_URL=postgres://your-mac-username@localhost:5432/pantry_host
AI_PROVIDER=anthropic
AI_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

AI_PROVIDER and AI_API_KEY are only needed for AI recipe generation. Everything else works without them.

3. Run as a persistent service with pm2

pm2 keeps the app running and restarts it automatically after reboots.

npm install -g pm2

# Start the app
pm2 start "npm run start" --name pantry-host

# Save so it restarts after reboot
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Follow the command pm2 startup prints to enable it as a launch agent.

4. Access from other devices on your network

Find your Mac's local IP address:

ipconfig getifaddr en0

Then open http://192.168.x.x:3000 on any device connected to your home Wi-Fi — phones, tablets, other laptops. This gives full read/write access to all features except camera-based barcode scanning (which requires HTTPS on iOS).

Tip: For a friendlier local address, your Mac's hostname (e.g. http://mac-mini.local:3000) works automatically on most home networks via Bonjour.

5. HTTPS for camera features (optional)

iOS Safari requires HTTPS to access the camera. If you want to use the barcode scanner from your phone, set up a local HTTPS proxy with mkcert:

# Install mkcert and create a local CA
brew install mkcert
mkcert -install

# Generate a cert for localhost and your Mac's IP
mkcert localhost 127.0.0.1 192.168.x.x

# Install the HTTPS proxy
npm install -g local-ssl-proxy

# Run proxies for both the frontend and GraphQL server
local-ssl-proxy --source 3443 --target 3000 --cert ./localhost+2.pem --key ./localhost+2-key.pem &
local-ssl-proxy --source 4443 --target 4001 --cert ./localhost+2.pem --key ./localhost+2-key.pem &

A convenience script is included at scripts/https-proxy.sh.

Then open https://192.168.x.x:3443 on your phone.

Trusting the certificate on iOS

iOS requires the mkcert root CA to be installed as a profile and explicitly trusted. Use Safari for all of these steps — Chrome on iOS cannot install profiles or trust certificates.

1. Serve the root CA from your Mac:

cp "$(mkcert -CAROOT)/rootCA.pem" /tmp/rootCA.pem
cd /tmp && python3 -m http.server 8888

2. Install the profile on your iPhone:

Open Safari and go to http://192.168.x.x:8888/rootCA.pem. iOS will prompt you to download a configuration profile — tap Allow.

3. Install the profile:

Go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management (or Profiles & Device Management on older iOS). Tap the mkcert profile and tap Install.

4. Enable full trust:

Go to Settings → General → About → Certificate Trust Settings. Toggle on full trust for the mkcert root certificate. This is a separate step from installing the profile — both are required.

5. Verify both ports:

Visit https://192.168.x.x:3443 (frontend) and https://192.168.x.x:4443 (API) in Safari. Both should load without certificate warnings. Once trusted, Chrome on iOS will also work.

If your Mac's IP address changes (e.g. switching WiFi networks), regenerate the cert: mkcert localhost 127.0.0.1 <new-ip>, then restart both proxies with the new cert files. You do not need to reinstall the root CA on iOS — only the server cert changes.

Guest mode: When someone connects over HTTP via IP address, the UI automatically hides owner-facing features like Batch Scan and Cookware — they see a streamlined read/write view of the pantry, list, and recipes. On localhost (dev) or HTTPS, all features are visible.

6. Remote access (optional)

If you want to reach the app while away from home without exposing it to the public internet, Tailscale is the easiest option. Install it on your Mac Mini and any device you want access from — it creates a private WireGuard network between them.

Backups

The app's data lives entirely in PostgreSQL. A simple daily dump is enough:

# Add to crontab: crontab -e
0 2 * * * pg_dump pantry_host > ~/backups/pantry_host_$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).sql

Store those dumps on a Time Machine volume or external drive and you're covered.

---

Power User

For developers and AI-first workflows, Pantry Host can be set up and managed entirely through a coding agent.

Claude Code

Clone the repo, open it in Claude Code, and let it handle the rest. Claude reads CLAUDE.md for full project context — it knows the schema, the GraphQL API, the monorepo layout, and how to run everything.

git clone https://github.com/jpdevries/pantry-host.git
cd pantry-host
claude

From there you can import recipes from URLs, generate new ones from your pantry, manage ingredients, and build features conversationally.

Claude in Chrome

No server? No problem. Open my.pantryhost.app in Chrome with the Claude in Chrome extension and Claude becomes the backend. It can read your pantry, fetch recipe URLs, parse ingredients, and fill in forms — all without a server.

Example prompts:

Import this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-bolognese-sauce-recipe

Import this Bluesky recipe: at://did:plc:7ojp52ncy5ay6ldsj3db6joj/exchange.recipe.recipe/01KKVFB0KTWVFXG493PZQG6T83

What can I make with what's in my pantry?

Add 2 lbs chicken thighs, 1 bunch cilantro, and a lime to my pantry

Build me a weekly dinner menu using only what I have on hand

I have guests coming who are gluten-free. Which of my recipes work?

Messaging Apps (OpenClaw)

Connect OpenClaw to text your pantry from WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or any supported channel. Ask "How many eggs do we have?" and get an answer from your kitchen data.

See INTEGRATIONS.md for the full setup guide.

---

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
DATABASE_URL	Yes	PostgreSQL connection string
AI_PROVIDER	No	AI provider for recipe generation (default: anthropic)
AI_API_KEY	No	API key for the configured AI provider
GRAPHQL_PORT	No	GraphQL server port (default: 4001)