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Turn “what can I make tonight?” into an expiry-first plan with Claude
WorkedEvidence: Described by posterPosted Last checked
Alyssa Pratt’s vague dinner ask only works after Claude reads live Notion expiry data and household food bans.
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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: Suggest tonight’s dinner from live pantry expiry data and household bans, then add it to the meal agenda. Questions to ask me first: - Where is the live pantry database? - What foods are banned tonight? - Should I write the pick onto this week’s agenda? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Pantry source: [NOTION DB] - Bans: [MUSHROOMS / SHRIMP / BRUSSELS] - Agenda: [YES] Rules: - Query real stock and expiry before suggesting. - Prefer items expiring soonest. - No banned foods. Checkpoint: Show the top expiring ingredients you are using before the full recipe. If you get stuck: If the pantry DB is empty, say so instead of inventing stock. Verify before you finish: Suggestion only uses in-stock items and respects bans. Output: Tonight’s meal plus agenda update note. Done when: I can cook from food that would otherwise spoil.
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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: Suggest tonight’s dinner from live pantry expiry data and household bans, then add it to the meal agenda. Questions to ask me first: - Where is the live pantry database? - What foods are banned tonight? - Should I write the pick onto this week’s agenda? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Pantry source: [NOTION DB] - Bans: [MUSHROOMS / SHRIMP / BRUSSELS] - Agenda: [YES] Rules: - Query real stock and expiry before suggesting. - Prefer items expiring soonest. - No banned foods. Checkpoint: Show the top expiring ingredients you are using before the full recipe. If you get stuck: If the pantry DB is empty, say so instead of inventing stock. Verify before you finish: Suggestion only uses in-stock items and respects bans. Output: Tonight’s meal plus agenda update note. Done when: I can cook from food that would otherwise spoil.
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The prompt they actually used
The exact prompt from the source.
What can I make tonight?
AI tool
Outcome
Alyssa Pratt’s Pantry & Plate agent refuses to guess when asked what to cook. A vague “What can I make tonight?” only works after Claude reads Notion pantry rows with real expiry dates, household bans, and the week’s agenda—e.g., pointing to Italian sausage expiring in four days and San Marzano tomatoes already stocked, then filing sausage pasta onto the meal agenda. The upgrade is wiring the ask to live inventory so expiry-first plans replace a generic recipe dump.
Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.
Source
- Posted
- by Alyssa Pratt
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
Context: Improved prompt demonstrates the inventory-aware pattern described in the Pantry & Plate post; not a separate timed test.
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