Step 3: Pantry Check

Read available ingredients from a file.

Goal

Generate recipes using only ingredients listed in your pantry file.

Setup

Create pantry.txt:

Eggs (12)
Milk (1 gallon)
Bread (1 loaf)
Butter (1 lb)
Chicken breast (2 lbs)
Rice (2 lbs)
Broccoli (1 bunch)
Onions (3)
Garlic (1 head)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

The Workflow

Update recipe.yaml:

# yaml-language-server: $schema=../../schemas/workflow.schema.json
name: pantry-check
description: Generate meals using available pantry ingredients

inputs:
  - name: pantry_file
    type: string
    default: "pantry.txt"
    description: Path to pantry inventory file

  - name: diet
    type: string
    description: Dietary preference

steps:
  - id: read_pantry
    name: Read Pantry Inventory
    file.read: "{{.inputs.pantry_file}}"

  - id: meals
    name: Generate Meals
    type: parallel
    max_concurrency: 3
    steps:
      - id: breakfast
        name: Generate Breakfast
        type: llm
        model: fast
        prompt: |
          Available ingredients:
          {{.steps.read_pantry.content}}

          Generate a {{.inputs.diet}} breakfast using only these ingredients.
          Include the recipe name, ingredients with quantities, and cooking steps.

      - id: lunch
        name: Generate Lunch
        type: llm
        model: fast
        prompt: |
          Available ingredients:
          {{.steps.read_pantry.content}}

          Generate a {{.inputs.diet}} lunch using only these ingredients.
          Include the recipe name, ingredients with quantities, and cooking steps.

      - id: dinner
        name: Generate Dinner
        type: llm
        model: fast
        prompt: |
          Available ingredients:
          {{.steps.read_pantry.content}}

          Generate a {{.inputs.diet}} dinner using only these ingredients.
          Include the recipe name, ingredients with quantities, and cooking steps.

outputs:
  - name: breakfast
    type: string
    value: "{{.steps.meals.breakfast.response}}"
    description: Breakfast recipe
    format: markdown

  - name: lunch
    type: string
    value: "{{.steps.meals.lunch.response}}"
    description: Lunch recipe
    format: markdown

  - name: dinner
    type: string
    value: "{{.steps.meals.dinner.response}}"
    description: Dinner recipe
    format: markdown

Run It

conductor run recipe.yaml

Recipes will only use ingredients from your pantry file.

What You Learned

• Actions - Use file.read: shorthand for file operations
• File content - Access with {{.steps.id.content}}
• Dynamic prompts - Inject file contents into LLM prompts

Next

Step 4: Weekly Plan - Generate a full week of meals with variety checking.