# Potluck Portion Calculator MCP. AI Agent Connect

> Potluck Portion Calculator handles the math for your next gathering. It calculates how many portions each dish needs to cover your guest list while respecting dietary restrictions like vegan or gluten-free needs. Your AI client uses this to ensure everyone gets fed without wasting food or leaving guests out.

## Overview
- **Category:** utility
- **Price:** Free
- **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qoynKxfIJAcovJ1yCmmAzWokcMeiTcLdjkz7TDjg/ai-agent-connect
- **Tags:** potluck, portion-control, dietary-restrictions, event-planning, food-management

## Description

Planning a potluck or a large group meal usually involves a lot of guesswork. You end up with way too much pasta and not enough salad, or you realize too late that the gluten-free guests have nothing to eat. This MCP removes that friction by turning your AI client into a precise catering coordinator. You provide the guest count and the list of dishes, and the AI handles the distribution logic. It can split portions evenly across all items or prioritize specific dishes for guests with dietary constraints. Instead of manually checking every ingredient against every allergy, you just ask your agent to find the right matches. It's a practical way to manage food variety and quantity through a simple chat interface.

## Tools

### calculate_even_distribution
This tool determines the exact number of portions to assign to each dish to meet your total guest count.

### filter_by_dietary_needs
Use this to pull a specific list of dishes that meet certain dietary requirements from your current menu.

### get_dish_summary
This tool provides a quick overview of your total food capacity and the variety of dishes you have planned.

### optimize_distribution_with_constraints
This tool calculates a portion plan that reserves specific dishes for guests with dietary needs.

## Prompt Examples

**Prompt:** 
```
I have 20 portions to distribute among 3 dishes: Salad, Pasta, and Fruit. How many portions per dish?
```

**Response:** 
```
Each dish should receive 6 portions, with a remainder of 2 portions.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Find all vegan dishes from this list: [{"id": "1", "name": "Vegan Salad", "dietaryTags": ["vegan"]}, {"id": "2", "name": "Beef Stew", "dietaryTags": ["meat"]}].
```

**Response:** 
```
The compatible dish is Vegan Salad.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Give me a summary of these dishes: [{"id": "1", "name": "Tacos", "dietaryTags": ["gluten-free"]}, {"id": "2", "name": "Cake", "dietaryTags": ["sweet"]}].
```

**Response:** 
```
There are 2 dishes with 2 unique dietary tags. The capacity estimate is 2 portions.
```

## Capabilities

### Portion Math
The AI calculates how many servings each dish needs to satisfy the total number of guests.

### Dietary Filtering
Your agent identifies which menu items are safe for guests with specific restrictions.

### Constraint Optimization
The AI allocates specific dishes to ensure dietary needs are met without over-allocating food.

### Menu Summarization
Your agent provides a high-level view of total food capacity and dish variety.

## Use Cases

### Office Potlucks
Use the AI to ensure there is enough food for the whole team while accounting for allergies.

### Community Dinners
Manage large-scale food distribution for neighborhood or church gatherings.

### Dietary Management
Quickly identify which dishes are vegan or gluten-free from a long list of options.

### Catering Prep
Calculate how many servings of each item to prepare based on a target portion count.

## Benefits

- Prevents food waste by calculating exact portion requirements.
- Ensures dietary safety by matching dishes to specific guest needs.
- Reduces manual planning time by automating portion distribution math.
- Provides a clear overview of food variety and capacity.

## How It Works

You connect the MCP to your AI client and start chatting about your menu.

1. Connect the MCP to your preferred client like Claude or Cursor.
2. Provide your list of dishes and their dietary tags to your agent.
3. Tell the agent your total guest count or target portion number.
4. Ask the agent to calculate portions or filter for dietary needs.
5. Receive a precise distribution plan or a filtered list of safe foods.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How does this MCP help with dietary restrictions?**
The MCP includes tools to filter dishes by dietary tags and optimize portion distribution so that specific dishes are reserved for guests with needs like vegan or gluten-free requirements.

**Can I use this with Claude or Cursor?**
Yes. You can connect this MCP to any MCP-compatible client, including Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf.

**Does it calculate how much food to bring?**
Yes. The calculate_even_distribution tool determines how many portions should be allocated to each dish to meet your target number.

**What if I have a very long list of dishes?**
The get_dish_summary tool provides a high-level overview of your total capacity and variety, making it easy to manage large menus.

**Do I need to host this myself?**
No. Vinkius hosts and manages the MCP for you. You just connect your client and start using the tools.

**How does the tool handle leftovers?**
The tool calculates a remainder, which represents the leftover portions that could not be distributed as whole numbers across the dishes.

**Can I ensure vegan guests get enough food?**
Yes, you can use `optimize_distribution_with_constraints` to reserve specific dishes for dietary tags like vegan or gluten-free.

**What happens if I provide no dishes?**
The tool will return an error if the list of dishes provided is empty.