Frequently asked questions

Smidg keeps your recipes, meal plans and grocery lists in one place, shares the best ones with friends, and works with AI apps like ChatGPT and Claude.

Adding recipes

How do I add a recipe?: Go to Library and paste a link into the box at the top: a recipe website, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest all work. You can also paste the recipe text itself, or use Import photos to snap a cookbook page or a recipe card. Smidg reads it and shows you the recipe to check and edit before you save it.
Can I type one in myself?: Yes. Use Add Recipe in your Library and fill in the title, ingredients and steps.
Who can see my recipes?: Only you, until you choose Make public on a recipe. Public recipes show up in Discover and on your profile. Your notes and your star ratings always stay private.

Discovering recipes

Where do I find new recipes?: Discover shows public recipes from everyone, or only from People I follow. Search by dish, ingredient or tag, and sort by best rated or most liked.
What's the difference between Bookmark and Fork?: Bookmark saves someone else's recipe to your Library as it is, so you can plan it and keep your own notes on it. Fork makes your own copy that you can change, for example swapping ingredients; the original author is still credited.

Meal plans

How do I plan my week?: Open Meal Plan, switch on the meals you plan (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and add dishes from your Library to each day. You can also add a recipe to a day straight from the recipe's page. Auto-fill Meal Plan fills the empty spots for you from your recipes.
What does "Block off" do?: Use Block off… on a meal you won't cook: leftovers, eating out, a meal kit (HelloFresh, Home Chef and others) or anything else with a short note. Blocked meals add nothing to your grocery list, and Auto-fill leaves them alone.
Can I plan for more people?: Yes. Set your household size in Settings, and change the servings for any single day in the meal plan. The grocery list scales the amounts to match.

Grocery lists

How do I make a grocery list?: Plan your week, then choose Generate Grocery List. Smidg adds up the ingredients from every planned dish and groups them by store section. Tick items off as you shop, and use Add Item for anything extra.
I changed my plan. Do I start over?: No. Choose Regenerate to rebuild the list from the new plan. It starts the list fresh, so if you've added items by hand, Smidg asks first.

Friends

How do I find and follow people?: Go to Friends and search by @username or name, then choose Follow. Their public recipes then appear under People I follow in Discover. You can also open anyone's profile from a recipe they shared.

AI apps (ChatGPT, Claude)

What can an AI app do with Smidg?: Once connected, you can ask things like "What's for dinner tonight?", "Show me my 4-star chicken recipes", "Plan next week with easy dinners" or "Walk me through this recipe one step at a time". It can read your recipes, meal plan and grocery list, and, if you allow it, save recipes and fill in your plan. It can never change or delete recipes you already have.
How do I connect one?: In your AI app, add a custom connector (it may be called an app, integration or MCP server) with this address:https://smidg.app/api/mcpSign in to Smidg when asked, and choose Read only or Read and add. You can see and disconnect your apps any time in Settings under Connected apps.
Is it included in my plan?: Connecting AI apps is part of the Paid plan. Paid plans are coming soon; during the beta, ask the admin for access.

Your account

How do I join?: Smidg is in an invite-only beta. You need an invite code to sign up.
Are there limits on the free plan?: Some features, like imports, Auto-fill and forks, have monthly or lifetime limits. Settings shows what you've used and when it resets.
Something's wrong or missing. Who do I tell?: Use Feedback at the bottom of any page once you're signed in. You can add a screenshot, and it comes straight to us.