canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/themealdb.com/themealdb

# TheMealDB API

An open, crowd-sourced database of meals and recipes from around the world. The API exposes 8 endpoints.

## For AI agents

Programmatically search meals, lookup full meal details by id. Covers 8 operations.

## Scope

Does not handle payments, communications, or crm - use for developer tools only.

## Capabilities

- Search meals
- Lookup full meal details by ID
- Get a random meal
- List all meal categories
- Monitor TheMealDB API operational status and events

## Use cases

### Developer Tools Operations

Use the TheMealDB API to perform developer tools operations programmatically. The API provides 8 endpoints covering core functionality including search meals, lookup full meal details by id, get a random meal.

Example prompt: Call GET /search.php to search meals

### Automated Premium Management

Automate premium operations by combining multiple TheMealDB API endpoints. Agents can lookup full meal details by id and then get a random meal in a single workflow.

Example prompt: Call GET /lookup.php to lookup full meal details by id, then verify the result

### AI Agent Integration via Jentic

AI agents discover and call TheMealDB API endpoints through Jentic without managing credentials directly. An agent searches for the required operation by intent, receives the matching endpoint schema, and executes the call with Jentic-managed authentication. This eliminates the need to read API documentation or handle none tokens manually.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'search meals', load the operation schema, and execute with Jentic-managed credentials

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | `/search.php` | Search meals |
| GET | `/lookup.php` | Lookup full meal details by ID |
| GET | `/random.php` | Get a random meal |
| GET | `/randomselection.php` | Get 10 random meals (Premium only) |
| GET | `/categories.php` | List all meal categories |
| GET | `/latest.php` | Get latest meals (Premium only) |
| GET | `/list.php` | List categories, areas, or ingredients |
| GET | `/filter.php` | Filter meals |

## Key resources

- **Premium** — Premium-only endpoints requiring a paid API key

## AI readiness

This API is usable in Jentic One now. Its AI-readiness score against Jentic's framework shows where it stands today and where improvements would make it even easier for agents to use.

- **Score:** 61 / 100
- **Maturity:** AI-Aware
- **Dimensions:**
  - Foundational Compliance: 93 / 100
  - Developer Experience & Jentic Compatibility: 56 / 100
  - AI-Readiness & Agent Experience: 42 / 100
  - Agent Usability: 94 / 100
  - Security: 100 / 100
  - AI Discoverability: 39 / 100
- **View full report:** https://jentic.com/apis/themealdb.com/themealdb/scorecard
- **How the score is calculated:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/overview/
- **More about the dimensions:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/specification/#dimensional-model-overview

### Score it yourself

Every API in the directory is allowlisted, so you can re-score it with no key required.

- **Score your own API:** https://jentic.com/scorecard.md
- **Scoring CLI agent skill:** https://github.com/jentic/jentic-api-scorecard/blob/main/skills/jentic-api-scorecard/SKILL.md

```sh
npx @jentic/api-scorecard-cli score <openapi-url>
```

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring TheMealDB by hand means reading its key into the base path (the key sits in the URL as `/api/json/v1/{apiKey}`), splitting free from premium routes, and handling your own retries. Through Jentic you install once, import TheMealDB from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** TheMealDB is read-only lookup and search, so scope it by operations: limit the agent to the calls it needs, such as searching meals or looking up a meal by id, and leave out routes you do not want it touching. Every operation you credit it with stays inside that allowed set.
- **Credential handling:** Your TheMealDB key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'find a chicken recipe' or 'get a random meal', and Jentic returns the matching TheMealDB operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Github** — Alternative developer tools API
- **Gitlab** — Alternative developer tools API

## FAQ

### What authentication does the TheMealDB API use?

The TheMealDB API uses no authentication. Through Jentic, these credentials are stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance and injected at execution time, so raw secrets never enter the agent context.

### Can I search meals with the TheMealDB API?

Yes. Use the GET /search.php endpoint. The API returns structured JSON responses that agents can parse and act on directly.

### What are the rate limits for the TheMealDB API?

Rate limits are not specified in the OpenAPI spec. Check the vendor documentation for current limits. Through Jentic, rate limiting is handled automatically with retry logic built into the execution layer.

### How do I search meals through Jentic?

Install the Jentic SDK with pip install jentic, authenticate through Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer, then search for 'search meals'. Jentic returns the matching TheMealDB API operation with its input schema. Load the schema and execute the call - credentials are injected automatically.

### How many endpoints does the TheMealDB API have?

The TheMealDB API exposes 8 endpoints covering premium operations.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the TheMealDB API?

Yes. TheMealDB is read-only lookup and search, so with your self-hosted Jentic One instance you scope the agent by operation and grant only the calls it needs, such as searching meals with GET /search.php or looking up a meal by ID with GET /lookup.php. Your own rules decide which operations and credentials the agent may use, so you can leave out routes like the premium /randomselection.php or /latest.php endpoints that you do not want it touching. Every operation you credit the agent with stays inside that allowed set, and the stored API key is injected only for the calls you permit.