Strider Labs Instacart MCP

MCP server for Instacart - let AI agents order groceries and household items from local stores

@striderlabs/mcp-instacart

MCP server that gives AI agents the ability to search products, manage cart, and place grocery orders on Instacart.

Built by Strider Labs — building the action layer for AI agents.

Features

🔍 Search Products — Find products across Instacart with prices and availability
🛒 Cart Management — Add items, view cart, clear cart
📦 Place Orders — Preview and place orders with delivery time selection
🔐 Session Persistence — Cookies saved locally for seamless re-authentication
🛡️ Order Safety — Requires explicit confirmation before placing orders

Installation

npm install @striderlabs/mcp-instacart

Or install globally:

npm install -g @striderlabs/mcp-instacart

Prerequisites

This package requires Playwright browsers. Install them with:

npx playwright install chromium

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instacart": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@striderlabs/mcp-instacart"]
    }
  }
}

Other MCP Clients

npx @striderlabs/mcp-instacart

Available Tools

Authentication

Tool	Description
`instacart_status`	Check login status and session info
`instacart_login`	Initiate login flow (returns URL for manual login)
`instacart_logout`	Clear saved session and cookies

Shopping

Tool	Description
`instacart_search`	Search for products by name
`instacart_stores`	List available stores for delivery location
`instacart_set_address`	Set delivery address or zip code

Cart

Tool	Description
`instacart_add_to_cart`	Add a product to cart
`instacart_view_cart`	View cart contents and totals
`instacart_clear_cart`	Remove all items from cart

Orders

Tool	Description
`instacart_preview_order`	Preview order before placing
`instacart_place_order`	Place order (requires `confirm=true`)

Usage Examples

Check Session Status

User: Am I logged into Instacart?
Agent: [calls instacart_status]
→ Returns login state, email, saved address

Search for Products

User: Find organic bananas on Instacart
Agent: [calls instacart_search with query="organic bananas"]
→ Returns list of products with prices

Build a Shopping List

User: Add milk, eggs, and bread to my Instacart cart
Agent: 
  [calls instacart_add_to_cart with product="milk"]
  [calls instacart_add_to_cart with product="eggs"]
  [calls instacart_add_to_cart with product="bread"]
→ Items added to cart

View Cart

User: What's in my Instacart cart?
Agent: [calls instacart_view_cart]
→ Returns items, quantities, subtotal, fees, total

Place Order

User: Place my Instacart order
Agent: [calls instacart_place_order with confirm=false]
→ Returns preview asking for confirmation
User: Yes, place it
Agent: [calls instacart_place_order with confirm=true]
→ Order placed, returns confirmation

Authentication Flow

Instacart requires browser-based login. The flow:

Call instacart_login — returns login URL
User opens URL and logs in manually
Cookies are automatically saved to ~/.strider/instacart/
Future sessions use saved cookies

Session cookies persist until they expire or instacart_logout is called.

Configuration

Session data is stored in:

~/.strider/instacart/
├── cookies.json    # Browser cookies
└── session.json    # Session metadata

Order Safety

The instacart_place_order tool has a built-in safety mechanism:

Without confirm=true: Returns a preview, does not place order
With confirm=true: Actually places the order

Agents should ALWAYS show the preview and get explicit user confirmation before calling with confirm=true.

Technical Details

Uses Playwright for browser automation
Runs headless by default
Includes stealth patches to avoid detection
Supports all Instacart stores available in your area

Limitations

Requires manual login (no programmatic auth)
Browser automation may break if Instacart updates their UI
Some anti-bot measures may require solving CAPTCHAs manually
Payment methods must be pre-configured in your Instacart account

Troubleshooting

"Not logged in" errors

Run instacart_login and complete the login flow manually.

Timeout errors

Instacart pages may be slow. The server will retry automatically, but you can also:

Check your internet connection
Try again after a moment

"Could not find element" errors

Instacart may have updated their UI. Please file an issue with details.

CAPTCHA challenges

Some actions may trigger CAPTCHA. You'll need to:

Open Instacart in a regular browser
Complete the CAPTCHA
Try the MCP action again

Development

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/markswendsen-code/mcp-instacart
cd mcp-instacart

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Install Playwright browsers
npx playwright install chromium

# Build
npm run build

# Run locally
node dist/index.js

License

MIT