# KitchenOwl — Self-Hosted Grocery List and Recipe Manager

> A cross-platform grocery list and recipe management app with a Flutter mobile client and self-hosted backend for household meal planning.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# KitchenOwl — Self-Hosted Grocery List and Recipe Manager

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d --name kitchenowl 
  -p 8080:8080 
  -v kitchenowl-data:/data 
  tombursch/kitchenowl:latest
# Access at http://localhost:8080
```

## Introduction
KitchenOwl is a self-hosted grocery list and recipe management application designed for households and families. It combines a collaborative shopping list with a recipe database, allowing users to plan meals, automatically generate shopping lists from recipes, and track expenses — all from a native mobile app or web interface.

## What KitchenOwl Does
- Manages collaborative grocery lists that sync in real-time across devices
- Stores and organizes recipes with ingredients, instructions, and images
- Generates shopping lists automatically from selected recipes and meal plans
- Tracks grocery expenses with optional budget categories
- Provides a meal planner for scheduling recipes across the week

## Architecture Overview
The backend is built with Python (Flask) and stores data in SQLite, running as a lightweight Docker container. The primary client is a Flutter mobile app available for iOS and Android, providing a native experience with offline support. A progressive web app (PWA) serves as the web interface. Communication between clients and server uses a REST API with WebSocket support for real-time list updates.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy with a single Docker container; no external database required
- Data persists in a local SQLite database within a Docker volume
- Configure the server URL in the mobile app to point to your instance
- Set up a reverse proxy with HTTPS for secure remote access
- Supports user accounts with household-based sharing

## Key Features
- Real-time collaborative shopping lists shared across household members
- Recipe import from URLs with automatic ingredient extraction
- Meal planning calendar with drag-and-drop recipe scheduling
- Expense tracking with per-item cost logging
- Native iOS and Android apps with offline support and sync

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **AnyList** — proprietary app with subscription; KitchenOwl is free and self-hosted
- **Mealie** — focuses on recipes; KitchenOwl adds grocery lists and expense tracking
- **Grocy** — broader household ERP; KitchenOwl is simpler and focused on groceries and meals
- **Tandoor Recipes** — recipe-focused; KitchenOwl integrates shopping and meal planning

## FAQ
**Q: Do I need the mobile app or can I use it in a browser?**
A: Both. KitchenOwl provides native iOS and Android apps and also works as a progressive web app in any modern browser.

**Q: Can multiple people share a grocery list?**
A: Yes. Users in the same household see the same shopping list with real-time sync. Items checked off by one person update instantly for others.

**Q: Does it support importing recipes from websites?**
A: Yes. You can paste a recipe URL and KitchenOwl will attempt to extract the title, ingredients, and instructions automatically.

**Q: What happens if I lose internet access while shopping?**
A: The mobile app works offline and syncs changes when connectivity is restored.

## Sources
- https://github.com/TomBursch/kitchenowl
- https://kitchenowl.org

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-60edfa6e
Author: AI Open Source