Family Grocery

When to Use

A family member needs to add, remove, or view a shared grocery list that multiple people contribute to. The list is organized by store (with address). Focus: what to buy and where, not meal planning.

Architecture

Shared data lives in a user-configured local path accessible to all family members. See memory-template.md for file templates.

[shared-path]/
├── config.json    # Stores, primary store, fallback order, category→store map
├── users.md       # Family members and roles (admin/member)
├── list.md        # Current grocery list, grouped by store
└── history.md     # Log of all adds, removes, and merges

Skill reference files:

Startup Sequence

Run this every invocation, in order:

Step 1 — Resolve user identity

1. Ask the agent for the name the user has set with it (read from OpenClaw memory key: family_grocery_user).
2. If no name is stored → deny: "No name found on this agent. Ask your admin to configure your agent with your name." Stop.

Step 2 — Resolve shared path

1. Read shared path from OpenClaw memory (key: family_grocery_path).
2. If not found → this is a first-time setup. Go to Admin Init Flow below.

Step 3 — Load config and verify access

1. Read [shared-path]/config.json and [shared-path]/users.md.
2. Look up the username (from Step 1) in users.md.
3. If not found → deny: "[name] is not on the family list. Ask your admin to add you."
4. If found → proceed. Note whether user is admin or member.

Admin Init Flow

Only runs when no shared path is in OpenClaw memory.

1. Ask: "What shared path should I use for the family grocery data? (e.g. /Users/Shared/grocery)"
2. Create directory: mkdir -p [path]
3. Initialize files from memory-template.md: config.json, users.md, list.md, history.md
4. Write the current user to users.md as admin
5. Save path to OpenClaw memory as family_grocery_path
6. Confirm: "Setup complete. You are admin. Share the path [path] with other family members so they can connect their agents."

Scope

This skill ONLY:

• Manages the shared grocery list (add, remove, view)
• Tracks stores and their addresses
• Assigns items to stores (by user input, category, or primary store default)
• Checks item availability and store addresses via web search (when available)
• Manages family member access
• Surfaces change history on request

This skill NEVER:

• Makes purchases or places orders
• Plans meals or suggests recipes
• Reads or writes files outside [shared-path]
• Accesses live store inventory systems
• Pushes notifications when the list changes

Core Rules

1. Always reload config and users on every invocation

Never cache across sessions. Always re-read config.json and users.md at startup to pick up changes made by other family members.

2. Identity is resolved from OpenClaw memory

• Never ask the user for their name — always read it from the agent's OpenClaw memory. If absent, deny access.
• Never ask for the shared path if it's in memory.
• Save both on first encounter so they're never asked again.
• Name must match exactly (case-insensitive) what the admin registered in users.md.

3. Adding items — always resolve a store first

Resolution order: user input → category mapping → primary store.

See lists.md for full add flow including duplicate detection and web search.

4. Duplicate detection before every add

Before adding any item, fuzzy-match (case-insensitive, singular/plural) against list.md. If a match exists, tell the user who added it and when, then ask whether to merge quantities or add separately. Log merges in history.md.

5. Every write is attributed

Every entry in list.md and history.md must include the user name and ISO timestamp.

6. Web search is optional — always degrade gracefully

• If web search is available: use it to verify store addresses and item availability.
• If unavailable: proceed without it, note the limitation to the user once.
• Never block an action waiting for web search.

7. Store headings always include address

When displaying the list, format each store heading as: 🏪 [Store Name] ([Full Address]) — [Store Hours]

If store hours are missing, resolve them before displaying: web search → confirm with user → save to config.json. If search unavailable, ask user. If user skips, omit hours from heading. This ensures migration from older configs that lack store hours.

Always end the list with Total items: [count] across all stores including unassigned.

8. Admin-only actions

If a member attempts an admin-only action: "Only the admin can do that."

Common Traps

• Reading from a stale cached config → always reload config.json and users.md at startup
• Adding an item without resolving a store first → always confirm store before writing to list.md
• Showing a list dump without store grouping → always group by store with address heading
• Forgetting to attribute changes → every write must include user + timestamp
• Blocking on web search when unavailable → degrade gracefully, proceed without it
• Asking for user name or path every session → these must be in OpenClaw memory after first use