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Let Your Agent Connect Itself: Agent-First MCP Onboarding for Ration

How autonomous MCP clients self-register via auth.md, configure Ration in Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, or Goose, and start managing a real kitchen — then you claim ownership whenever you want.

By Billy Downing

Most MCP integrations assume a human signs up first. You create an account, paste a server URL, complete browser OAuth, pick a household — and only then can your AI assistant touch your data.

That order made sense when every connection was human-initiated. It does not fit autonomous agents that can read documentation, call APIs, and configure themselves.

Ration inverts the flow: your agent can self-register, add Ration to its Model Context Protocol (MCP) configuration, and start managing a real kitchen — pantry, recipes, meal plan, shopping list — before you ever create an account. When you are ready, you claim ownership with email OTP. Everything the agent built stays put.

This is agent-first MCP onboarding: discovery via auth.md, full kitchen access on day one, claim when you want. The connect landing covers both paths.

What agent-first means for Ration

Agent-first does not replace the web app or OAuth sign-in for humans who already have an account. It adds a parallel entry point designed for autonomous MCP clients.

Tier 0 — Agent alone. The agent discovers Ration, calls a registration endpoint, receives an API key and MCP endpoint, configures its client, and operates the full kitchen loop: Cargo (pantry), Galley (recipes), Manifest (meal plan), Supply (shopping list).

Tier 1 — Human claims. You open the claim URL, verify your email with a one-time code, accept Terms of Service, and become the verified owner. If you already have a Ration account, the agent's kitchen merges into yours.

Important detail that often gets misunderstood: Tier 0 keys have full MCP write scopes from the start. Claiming transfers ownership — it does not unlock features or widen permissions. The same scopes apply before and after claim:

  • mcp:read
  • mcp:inventory:write
  • mcp:galley:write
  • mcp:manifest:write
  • mcp:supply:write
  • mcp:preferences:write

The kitchen an agent creates uses the same data model as a human signup. There is no shadow copy or separate "AI integration" database. See how the MCP server is built for the architecture behind that choice.

How agent-first MCP onboarding works

Three steps. No human in the loop until you choose to claim.

Step 1 — Agent discovers Ration

Autonomous clients should not scrape marketing pages. Ration publishes machine-readable discovery surfaces aligned with the WorkOS auth.md pattern:

  • GET /auth.md — registration URI, claim URI, scopes, time limits, recovery paths
  • Link: rel="agent-auth" header on app responses → /auth.md
  • /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server — merged agent_auth block (register_uri, claim_uri, identity_types_supported)
  • /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json — MCP transport and capabilities
  • DNS-AID — _mcp._agents.ration.mayutic.com points to the MCP host

An agent that reads auth.md or mcp.md has everything it needs to register without human guidance.

Step 2 — Agent self-registers

http
POST https://ration.mayutic.com/api/agent/auth
Content-Type: application/json

{ "type": "anonymous", "client_hint": "cursor" }

The response is returned once — store it securely:

json
{
  "api_key": "rtn_live_…",
  "claim_token": "…",
  "claim_url": "https://ration.mayutic.com/connect/claim?token=…",
  "organization_id": "…",
  "mcp_endpoint": "https://mcp.ration.mayutic.com/mcp",
  "scopes": [
    "mcp:read",
    "mcp:inventory:write",
    "mcp:galley:write",
    "mcp:manifest:write",
    "mcp:supply:write",
    "mcp:preferences:write"
  ],
  "docs": {
    "auth_md": "https://ration.mayutic.com/auth.md",
    "connect": "https://ration.mayutic.com/connect"
  }
}

Rate limit: 5 registrations per minute per IP. No Better Auth session or browser sign-in required.

Step 3 — Agent adds Ration to MCP configuration

Point the MCP client at https://mcp.ration.mayutic.com/mcp with the returned API key as a Bearer header. This pattern works across clients that support remote MCP servers or the mcp-remote bridge:

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ration": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.ration.mayutic.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${RATION_AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RATION_AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer rtn_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

After connecting, call get_context to confirm the kitchen is live. The response includes onboarding state, authorized scopes, and suggested next actions (including claim_kitchen while unclaimed).

The prompt to give your agent

Copy this into Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, Goose, or any agent that can fetch URLs and edit MCP config:

text
Read https://ration.mayutic.com/auth.md and follow the Tier 0 anonymous registration flow.

1. POST to the register URI with { "type": "anonymous", "client_hint": "<your-client-name>" }.
2. Save the api_key, claim_url, and mcp_endpoint from the response — they are returned once.
3. Add the MCP server to your configuration using the api_key as a Bearer Authorization header.
4. Call get_context to confirm connection.
5. Add a few sample pantry items so I can see the kitchen is working.
6. Share the claim_url with me when done.

This is the fastest path from zero to a populated kitchen. You review the results, then claim when you want full ownership.

MCP client setup: Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Goose, and more

Agent-first onboarding uses API key auth (from self-registration), not browser OAuth. OAuth remains the recommended path if you already have a Ration account — see Your Kitchen Has an API Now.

Cursor

Cursor supports remote MCP servers. After registration, your agent can add the server URL and Bearer header to Cursor's MCP settings, or you can paste the mcp-remote JSON above into your config manually.

One-click OAuth (human path): ration.mayutic.com/connect

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ration": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.ration.mayutic.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${RATION_AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RATION_AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer rtn_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. Ask: "Call get_context on Ration and list my pantry."

ChatGPT desktop

ChatGPT supports remote MCP with OAuth discovery for human-initiated connections. For agent-provisioned kitchens, use the same API key + Bearer header pattern as Claude. Add the MCP server URL and authorization header in ChatGPT's MCP settings after your agent completes Tier 0 registration.

Human OAuth path: add https://mcp.ration.mayutic.com/mcp and complete browser sign-in when prompted.

Goose

Goose supports MCP extensions with remote server configuration. After agent registration, configure a remote MCP server pointing at https://mcp.ration.mayutic.com/mcp with an Authorization: Bearer rtn_live_… header. Exact YAML shape depends on your Goose version — the transport URL and Bearer token are the portable parts.

If Goose supports mcp-remote via command invocation, the Claude Desktop JSON block above applies unchanged.

Zed and other OAuth-capable clients

Zed, Warp, and similar clients work well with OAuth when you already have an account. For agent-first onboarding, fall back to the API key + mcp-remote pattern until the agent completes registration.

What your agent can do before you sign up

Full write access means the agent can run the complete kitchen loop without waiting for you:

Populate the pantry. After a grocery run, the agent calls add_cargo_item for each item — or parses receipt text locally and runs preview_inventory_import → apply_inventory_import. Ration merges duplicates automatically.

Find cookable meals. match_meals cross-references pantry against saved recipes. Strict mode returns only fully cookable meals; delta mode lists what's missing.

Plan the week. bulk_add_meal_plan_entries schedules dinners; sync_supply_from_selected_meals rebuilds the shopping list from the plan.

Rescue expiring food. get_expiring_items surfaces what needs attention; the agent can suggest meals and add missing ingredients to Supply.

The compound workflow — before you ever open the app:

text
1. Agent registers and connects MCP
2. Agent logs this week's groceries into Cargo
3. Agent matches meals and plans Tuesday dinner
4. Agent shares claim_url with you
5. You claim → everything is already there

While unclaimed, get_context returns onboarding.claimUrl and nudges toward claim on capacity limits. Why structured pantry data matters: without it, "what can I cook tonight?" stays a guess.

Claiming your kitchen

When you are ready for ownership:

  1. Open the claim URL your agent saved (or reissue one — see below)
  2. Enter your email address
  3. Enter the 6-digit OTP from your inbox
  4. Accept Terms of Service

New email: the stub account becomes yours with a verified email. Scopes unchanged.

Existing Ration account: the agent's kitchen merges into your personal org — cargo, recipes, supply lists, meal plan entries, and ledger history move over. The agent API key is re-pointed to your account.

Claim page: ration.mayutic.com/connect/claim

Recovery if you lose the claim URL

  • Have the API key? Paste it on the claim page or call POST /api/agent/auth/claim/reissue with Authorization: Bearer rtn_live_… to get a fresh claim URL.
  • Active kitchens stay claimable: each API or MCP authentication slides the claim token expiry forward by 180 days.
  • Lost both key and URL? Contact support — there is no automated recovery without one of them.

Agent-first vs OAuth-first

Agent-firstOAuth-first
Who acts firstAutonomous agentHuman with account
Auth methodAPI key from POST /api/agent/authBrowser OAuth + household picker
Best forTry-before-claim, agent-led setupExisting account, multi-household consent
MCP scopes at startFull write (mcp:* write set)Scoped per OAuth grant
Human signup requiredNo (until claim)Yes

Both paths operate the same MCP tools against the same data. Pick agent-first when you want the agent to do the setup work; pick OAuth when you already know which household to connect.

Limits and honesty

Pre-claim write rate limit: 10 writes per minute per org and per key (15/min after claim). Enough for conversational use; tighter to reduce abuse on unclaimed kitchens.

Free tier capacity: 35 pantry items, 15 recipes, 3 supply lists — same as human free accounts. Hitting limits returns capacity_exceeded with a claim nudge.

Orphan purge: unclaimed kitchens with no API activity for 180 days are deleted (D1, Vectorize, R2). Claimed kitchens are never purged.

Not available via MCP: AI credit features — receipt scanning, meal generation, weekly auto-planning — remain dashboard-only. MCP is for structured CRUD, not triggering billed AI jobs. Semantic search and meal matching work fully.

FAQ

Can my agent create a Ration account without me signing up?

Yes. POST /api/agent/auth with { "type": "anonymous" } provisions a full kitchen and returns an API key plus claim URL. No browser or email required at Tier 0.

How do I claim an agent-created kitchen?

Open the claim URL, enter your email, verify the OTP, and accept ToS at ration.mayutic.com/connect/claim.

Does claiming unlock more MCP permissions?

No. Scopes are identical before and after claim. Claiming transfers ownership to a verified human — it is not a tier upgrade.

What MCP clients support agent-first onboarding?

Any client that supports remote MCP with a Bearer Authorization header: Cursor, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT desktop, Goose, and others via mcp-remote. OAuth-only clients can use the human path in Your Kitchen Has an API Now.

What happens if I never claim?

The agent keeps operating until the kitchen goes idle for 180 days, then unclaimed data is purged. Each API use resets the 180-day claim window.

Can I merge an agent kitchen into my existing account?

Yes. Complete claim with the email address already on your Ration account. Cargo, Galley, Manifest, and Supply data migrate automatically.

Get started

Let your agent connect itself: paste the prompt above into your MCP client.

Claim when ready: ration.mayutic.com/connect/claim

Human OAuth path: ration.mayutic.com/connect

Machine-readable spec: ration.mayutic.com/auth.md

Start free — no credit card required.

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