We Built Something Cool: AI Assistants Can Now Talk to Your Cozi Lists

Here’s the thing about family organization tools: They’re supposed to make life easier. But when your shopping list lives in one app, your AI assistant lives somewhere else, and you’re manually copying things between them… that’s not easier. That’s just more work.

So we built a bridge. And today, we’re open-sourcing it for everyone.

What We Just Released (The Short Version)

We just published two open-source projects that let AI assistants like Claude interact directly with your Cozi shopping and todo lists:

Cozi MCP Server - An AI assistant plugin for Cozi Family Organizer
Cozi API Client - The underlying NPM package that makes it work

What this means for you: You can now ask Claude (or any AI assistant that supports MCP) to add items to your Cozi shopping list, create new lists, check what’s already on there, or mark things complete—all through natural conversation.

No more copying and pasting. No more switching between apps. Just tell your AI assistant what you need, and it happens.

Why This Matters (Especially for Families)

If you’re using Cozi (and millions of families are), you know it’s already a lifesaver for keeping everyone on the same page. But here’s what we kept hearing from families:

💭 “I’m planning meals with Claude, but then I have to manually add everything to my Cozi shopping list.”

💭 “I use AI to organize my week, but my family can’t see any of it unless I copy it over to Cozi.”

💭 “I want my smart assistant to actually help with family stuff, not just answer trivia questions.”

The problem wasn’t Cozi. The problem wasn’t AI assistants. The problem was that they couldn’t talk to each other.

Now they can. ✨

How It Actually Works

Don’t worry—this isn’t complicated. Here’s the family-friendly version:

The Magic Behind the Scenes

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is like a universal translator for AI assistants. It lets Claude (and other AI tools) connect to different services and actually do things, not just talk about them.

Our MCP server acts as a bridge between Claude and Cozi:

You tell Claude: “Add milk, eggs, and bread to my Cozi shopping list”
Claude uses our MCP server to connect to Cozi
The items appear in your Cozi app immediately
Everyone in your family sees them (because Cozi syncs across all devices)

That’s it. No manual copying. No extra apps. Just works.

What You Can Do With It

Here are some real ways families are already using this:

🛒 Meal Planning Made Effortless

“I’m planning dinners for the week. Here’s what I’m thinking: tacos Tuesday, pasta Wednesday, stir-fry Thursday. What ingredients do I need?”

Claude figures out the ingredients, checks what you might already have, and adds everything to your Cozi shopping list. Done.

✅ Turn Conversations into Action

“The kids need permission slips signed by Friday, we’re out of snacks, and I promised to pick up dog food. Add all that to my todo list.”

Claude creates the tasks in Cozi where your whole family can see them. No more mental gymnastics trying to remember everything.

📋 Weekend Prep in Seconds

“Show me what’s on our shopping list. Oh, and add batteries—we always forget batteries.”

Claude pulls up your current list, shows you what’s there, and adds that last-minute item you just remembered.

When family organization is visible in Cozi AND accessible through AI, it’s not all on one person anymore. Anyone can ask, anyone can add, everyone stays in the loop.

For the Tech-Curious Parents

If you’re the family’s “tech person” (we see you!), here’s what you need to know:

Features

✅ List Management: Create, read, delete Cozi shopping and todo lists
✅ Item Operations: Add, edit, complete, or remove items
✅ Real-time Sync: Changes appear instantly in Cozi
✅ Natural Language: Just talk normally—Claude handles the details
✅ Secure: Your Cozi credentials stay in your environment variables

Quick Setup

# Install globally via npm
npm install -g @brandcast_app/cozi-mcp-server

# Or run temporarily with npx
npx @brandcast_app/cozi-mcp-server

Then add it to your Claude Desktop config and you’re good to go.

Full documentation: GitHub - Cozi MCP Server

The Open Source Part (And Why It Matters)

We could have kept this to ourselves. Built it into FamilyCast and called it a proprietary feature.

But that’s not the world we want to build.

Here’s our philosophy: Family technology should be open, accessible, and built together. When we solve a problem, we want everyone to benefit—not just our customers.

So we’re releasing both projects as open source under the MIT License:

🔓 Free forever
📖 Fully documented
🤝 Community-driven
🛠️ Anyone can contribute, modify, or improve

If you’re a developer, we’d love your contributions. If you’re a family just trying to stay organized, you get to benefit from everyone’s improvements.

That’s the power of open source.

An Important Note About “Unofficial”

Let’s be transparent: This is an unofficial integration. Cozi doesn’t provide a public API, so we reverse-engineered one (legally and ethically, from public information).

What this means:

✅ It works great right now
⚠️ Cozi’s internal systems could change without notice
⚠️ We can’t guarantee it’ll work forever (though we’ll do our best to maintain it)
⚠️ Use it knowing it’s a community tool, not officially endorsed by Cozi

We’re hoping Cozi sees the value here and eventually provides an official API. Until then, we’re committed to maintaining this for families who need it.

Why We Built This (The FamilyCast Story)

At FamilyCast, we believe family information should be visible, accessible, and actually helpful.

We started with digital family command centers—displays that show everyone’s calendar, chore charts, meal plans, and important info in one central place.

But we kept hearing the same thing: “This is great, but I’m already using Cozi/Google Calendar/other tools. Can it work with those?”

The answer is yes. And we’re building those bridges, one integration at a time.

Our Cozi MCP server is the first of many open-source tools we’re releasing to connect the family tech ecosystem. Because no single app does everything, but when they work together, magic happens.

What’s Next

This is just the beginning. Here’s what we’re working on:

🔜 More Integrations: Google Calendar, shared photo libraries, school portals 🔜 Advanced AI Features: Meal planning assistance, schedule optimization, smart reminders 🔜 Visual Family Dashboards: All your family info on one display (hint: this is what FamilyCast does!) 🔜 Community Contributions: Your ideas, your features, built together

Want early access to FamilyCast? We’re launching our beta soon—a family command center that brings everything together. Cozi lists, calendars, chore charts, photos, and more, all on one beautiful display.

Join the FamilyCast Beta Waitlist →

Try It Out (5-Minute Setup)

For Developers:

Install the MCP server: npm install -g @brandcast_app/cozi-mcp-server
Add it to Claude Desktop config with your Cozi credentials
Start chatting: “Show me my Cozi shopping list”

For Families:

If you have a tech-savvy family member, share this post with them!
If you’re already using Claude for family planning, this is a game-changer
If you’re new to AI assistants, this is a great (and practical) place to start

Full instructions: Cozi MCP Server GitHub

Our Commitment to Family Tech

Building family organization tools isn’t just our business—it’s our mission.

We believe:

💚 Family tech should reduce stress, not add to it
🏠 Your data is yours (we’ll never sell or misuse it)
🤝 Open source makes everyone’s tools better
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family organization shouldn’t fall on one person (usually Mom—we see you!)
⭐ Technology should bring families together, not pull them apart

This MCP server is a small piece of that mission. But every small piece matters.

Let’s Build This Together

Here’s how you can help:

If you’re a developer:

⭐ Star the repos on GitHub
🐛 Report bugs or suggest features
🤝 Contribute code, documentation, or ideas
📢 Share with other developers building family tech

If you’re a family:

💬 Tell us what family tech you wish existed
🧪 Test our beta products and give honest feedback
📣 Share what’s working (or not working) in your family organization

If you’re just curious:

👀 Watch what we’re building at FamilyCast
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter for family tech tips and updates

Resources & Links

Open Source Projects:

FamilyCast:

Learn More:

🤖 What is the Model Context Protocol?
📱 Cozi Family Organizer

The Bottom Line

Family life is complex. Schedules change, kids forget things, someone’s always asking “What’s for dinner?” And trying to keep everything organized across multiple apps? That’s just adding complexity to complexity.

We’re building the bridges. Between AI and family tools. Between devices and family members. Between chaos and calm.

This Cozi MCP server is one bridge. FamilyCast is another. And we’re just getting started.

Because every family deserves technology that actually helps. Not technology that adds more work. Not technology that costs a fortune. Not technology that only works for tech experts.

Just simple, open, helpful tools that bring your family together.

What Do You Think?

We’d genuinely love to hear from you:

💬 Are you using Cozi? How could AI assistants make it even better? 🤔 What family tech problems drive you crazy? We’re always looking for the next bridge to build. 💡 Have ideas for our MCP server? Drop a GitHub issue or comment below!

Let’s connect: We’re not some faceless tech company. We’re parents, techies, and humans trying to make family life a little bit easier. Say hi! 👋

Ready to bring AI into your family organization? Get the Cozi MCP Server →

Want a family command center that does it all? Join the FamilyCast Beta →

P.S. — If you build something cool with our MCP server, we want to see it! Tag us or open a discussion on GitHub. We love seeing what the community creates. 💚