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Test Instacart Sage for recipes and grocery lists (it confused stores)
PartialEvidence: Described by posterPosted Last checked
Instacart Sage gave Angelika Modawal recipes and lists, but it partly failed: wrong default store, missing butter and contradictions.
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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 idea into a grocery list at the store I choose. Questions to ask me first: - Which store should the list come from? - What ingredients do you already have? - How many servings, and any dietary needs? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Recipe idea or leftovers to use: [INGREDIENT OR DISH] - Store: [STORE NAME] - Already have: [ITEMS] - Servings and diet: [NUMBER / DIET] Rules: - Use only the store I chose, and tell me if it doesn't carry an item. - Put every recipe ingredient on the list, including basics like butter and salt, and mark the ones I already have. - Don't repeat items or suggest duplicates. - Save the list before you finish. Checkpoint: Show me the recipe and full ingredient list and wait for my OK before adding to the cart. If you get stuck: If you can't switch stores or find an item, say so plainly. Verify before you finish: Check every ingredient in the recipe appears on the list. Output: A recipe and a saved shopping list at my chosen store. Done when: The list is complete, at the right store, and saved.
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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 idea into a grocery list at the store I choose. Questions to ask me first: - Which store should the list come from? - What ingredients do you already have? - How many servings, and any dietary needs? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Recipe idea or leftovers to use: [INGREDIENT OR DISH] - Store: [STORE NAME] - Already have: [ITEMS] - Servings and diet: [NUMBER / DIET] Rules: - Use only the store I chose, and tell me if it doesn't carry an item. - Put every recipe ingredient on the list, including basics like butter and salt, and mark the ones I already have. - Don't repeat items or suggest duplicates. - Save the list before you finish. Checkpoint: Show me the recipe and full ingredient list and wait for my OK before adding to the cart. If you get stuck: If you can't switch stores or find an item, say so plainly. Verify before you finish: Check every ingredient in the recipe appears on the list. Output: A recipe and a saved shopping list at my chosen store. Done when: The list is complete, at the right store, and saved.
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The prompt they actually used
The exact prompt from the source.
Give me an Asian recipe that uses leftover broccoli.
AI tool
Outcome
Angelika Modawal, who writes about product design, tested Sage, the AI assistant in the Instacart app. Using the suggested prompt for an Asian recipe with leftover broccoli, Sage returned a stir-fry recipe with buttons to add it to a meal plan, but the ingredient list defaulted to Costco, which didn't stock many of the items. Asking "Can I see this list from Kroger" confused it; a reworded request worked, and a list from The Fresh Market also worked. Lists weren't saved until Modawal clicked a "No changes needed" button, and past chats disappeared. A keto birthday cake recipe left butter and salt off the ingredient list, and a question about spices for grilled chicken produced redundant add buttons and contradictory answers. Modawal's verdict: the core functions work, but the product clearly hasn't been thoroughly user-tested.
Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.
Known limitations
PartialThe source says it only partly worked, or had a significant problem a person had to deal with.
What went wrong: The recipe and lists worked, but Sage defaulted to the wrong store, got confused switching stores, left ingredients off a list and contradicted itself.
Source
- Posted
- by Angelika Modawal (Substack)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
https://angelikamodawal.substack.com/p/evaluating-sage-instacarts-grocery
Context: Original prompt: one of Sage's suggested prompts in the Instacart app, which Modawal chose. Improved prompt: our fuller version, not tested.
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