More in Groceries & food delivery.
Order Christmas cookie ingredients on Instacart inside ChatGPT
WorkedEvidence: Article or interviewPosted Last checked
ZDNET's Elyse Betters Picaro gave ChatGPT a cookie recipe link and went from Instacart cart to paid delivery in about two minutes.
How to use this
- Tap Copy prompt.
- Open ChatGPT.
- Paste it into the message box.
- Replace anything in [CAPITAL LETTERS IN BRACKETS] with your own details.
- Send it, then read the answer before acting on it.
New to this? What's a prompt?
A prompt is the message you send to the AI tool. Copy the one on this page, put your own details where it asks, and read the answer before you act on it.
Prompt
Improved prompt
Our fuller version of the source's prompt, with fill-in details and rules, or one written to avoid what went wrong. Not tested by the poster.
Our fuller version of the person's prompt. They didn't use this version, and we haven't tested it.
Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish. Goal: Turn a recipe into a grocery delivery order at my local store, and stop for my OK before paying. Questions to ask me first: - Which store should you shop at? - Which recipe, and how many batches? - Exact recipe amounts or standard package sizes? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Recipe link or text: [RECIPE] - Store: [STORE NAME AND TOWN] - Batches: [NUMBER] - Items I already have: [PANTRY ITEMS] - Delivery window and tip: [WINDOW / TIP] Rules: - Use only items from my chosen store. - Skip what I already have. - Ask before swapping any out-of-stock item. - Don't pay or place the order without my OK. Checkpoint: Show me the full cart with prices and the total, and wait for my OK before checkout. If you get stuck: If the store or an item isn't available, tell me and suggest the closest option instead of guessing. Verify before you finish: Check every recipe ingredient is either in the cart or on my already-have list. Output: The cart, the total with fees and tip, and the delivery window. Done when: My order is ready to confirm, and nothing from the recipe is missing.
Customize this prompt
Answer these questions and we'll put your answers into the prompt for you. You can leave any of them empty.
Your prompt
Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish. Goal: Turn a recipe into a grocery delivery order at my local store, and stop for my OK before paying. Questions to ask me first: - Which store should you shop at? - Which recipe, and how many batches? - Exact recipe amounts or standard package sizes? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Recipe link or text: [RECIPE] - Store: [STORE NAME AND TOWN] - Batches: [NUMBER] - Items I already have: [PANTRY ITEMS] - Delivery window and tip: [WINDOW / TIP] Rules: - Use only items from my chosen store. - Skip what I already have. - Ask before swapping any out-of-stock item. - Don't pay or place the order without my OK. Checkpoint: Show me the full cart with prices and the total, and wait for my OK before checkout. If you get stuck: If the store or an item isn't available, tell me and suggest the closest option instead of guessing. Verify before you finish: Check every recipe ingredient is either in the cart or on my already-have list. Output: The cart, the total with fees and tip, and the delivery window. Done when: My order is ready to confirm, and nothing from the recipe is missing.
Scroll to see the whole prompt. Your answers show in green.
5 blanks are still empty: Recipe link or text; Store; Batches; Items I already have; Delivery window and tip. They'll stay in brackets in your prompt, so the chat tool may ask you about them.
What you type stays in this browser tab. We don't send it or save it, and it's gone when you leave the page. If you use a "Try this in" button, your answers go to that tool as part of the prompt.
Try this in:
This prompt has blanks to fill in, like [RECIPE]. We'll copy it instead of filling it in, so you can edit it before you send.
Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.
These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or xAI, and your results may not match the source.
The prompt they actually used
The exact prompt from the source.
Instacart, can you help me shop for Christmas cookie ingredients?
AI tool
Outcome
Elyse Betters Picaro of ZDNET lives rurally with few store options, so Picaro tried the Instacart app inside ChatGPT to shop for Danish butter cookie ingredients at a local Price Chopper. ChatGPT first suggested common baking items, then Picaro gave it a link to a favorite bookmarked recipe. It parsed the recipe and asked whether to match exact amounts or use standard sizes, such as 1 lb of butter; Picaro chose standard sizes. The cart filled automatically, and checkout happened in the chat through Instant Checkout, powered by Stripe, including the tip and delivery window. The whole process, from recipe to checkout, took about two minutes in one conversation, and Picaro paid and scheduled delivery.
Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.
Source
- Posted
- by Elyse Betters Picaro (ZDNET via Yahoo Tech)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/chatgpt/articles/just-ordered-instacart-delivery-chatgpt-172100751.html
Context: Original prompt: Picaro's opening request, quoted in the article; the recipe link and size choices came in follow-ups. Improved prompt: our fuller version, not tested. Instacart in ChatGPT depends on which stores serve your area.
More in Groceries & food delivery
Compare six AI agents building a takeout lunch cart for a vegan boss
WIRED had six agents build a lunch cart; ChatGPT Dots won at $30.57, but Gemini Spark failed with one spring roll.
PartialChatGPT Dots +5Evidence: Described by posterView CaseCut a $400 monthly grocery bill to about $300 with ChatGPT and Gemini tips
Elton Jones asked ChatGPT and Gemini how to spend less on groceries without eating less, and the next bill fell from $400 to $300.56.
WorkedChatGPT +1Evidence: Described by posterView CaseKeep a retiree's weekly groceries under $60–$80 with ChatGPT
Walt P, a retiree, gives ChatGPT a weekly grocery budget of $60 to $80 and gets meals, a list and a rough cost for each meal.
WorkedChatGPTEvidence: Article or interviewBeginner-friendlyView CaseCatch grocery tracker mistakes and repeat buys with ChatGPT
ChatGPT helped Joyce Zahariadis, who shops for a family of five, find wrong entries, non-food items in the grocery total and repeat buys.
WorkedChatGPTEvidence: Described by posterBeginner-friendlyView CaseTurn a weekly meal plan into an Instacart grocery cart with Claude
A mom set up a Claude Project with family recipes and house rules, and now it fills the weekly Publix cart through Instacart.
WorkedClaudeEvidence: Described by posterBeginner-friendlyView CaseFill a Walmart cart with anti-inflammatory groceries with Claude in Chrome
Claude in Chrome built a 34-item, $218.70 diet-friendly Walmart cart but couldn't pass Walmart's bot checks without a person.
PartialClaude in ChromeEvidence: Screenshots or logsView Case
Similar cases
Build a grocery cart and check out inside ChatGPT with the Instacart app
ChatGPT with the Instacart app built a grocery cart quickly and opened a checkout window in the chat, TechRadar's reviewer says.
WorkedChatGPT (Instacart app)Evidence: Article or interviewBeginner-friendlyView CaseFill a Walmart delivery cart from past purchases with ChatGPT Atlas
ChatGPT Atlas filled a Walmart same-day cart from a reviewer's past purchases in about 10 minutes, leaving them to pay.
WorkedChatGPT Atlas agent modeEvidence: Article or interviewPoster says:About 10 minutes
View CasePlan a meal and order the groceries with ChatGPT agent
ChatGPT agent shopped Instacart for a Japanese breakfast but added things they had; it worked, the reviewer says, with friction.
WorkedChatGPT agentEvidence: Described by posterView CaseCut a family grocery bill by planning meals from fridge photos with ChatGPT
A Tom's Guide writer photographed the fridge, freezer and pantry, got five meals from ChatGPT and cut the weekly bill to about $200–$250.
WorkedChatGPTEvidence: Article or interviewBeginner-friendlyView CaseFill a Walmart pickup cart with 26 meal-plan groceries using ChatGPT computer control, stopping before checkout
ChatGPT filled a 26-item Walmart cart from its meal plan but got one quantity wrong; the parent reviewed it: partial.
PartialChatGPTEvidence: Described by posterView Case

