Sync KitchenKit to TRMNL

Your pantry, always in sight.

KitchenKit tracks what groceries need using and what's running low.

A TRMNL ePaper display puts the info where the whole house sees it, so you can focus on the food, not your phone.

KitchenKit on a TRMNL display, with columns for expiring groceries, flagged items, and a shopping list.

Before you begin

Two things you need.

Setup guide

Five steps, five minutes.

Get logged in to your TRMNL account, and have your iPhone or iPad handy.

  1. 1

    Install the KitchenKit TRMNL Recipe

    Open the KitchenKit TRMNL Recipe and click Install.

    Recipes are TRMNL’s shareable custom plugins. It will appear under Private Plugin after installing.

    KitchenKit TRMNL Recipe
  2. 2

    Copy Your Webhook URL

    Copy the field labeled Your TRMNL Webhook URL.

  3. 3

    Add the Apple Shortcut

    Tap the button below on your iPhone or iPad, add the Shortcut, and paste your TRMNL Webhook URL during setup when prompted.

    Add Shortcut
  4. 4

    Run the Shortcut

    Run the Shortcut and approve the permission requests, saying “always allow.” It needs permission to read KitchenKit’s app data and contact the TRMNL web address.

  5. 5

    Keep it Updated

    The Shortcut sends a single snapshot of data each time it runs. Run it by hand whenever you like, or let a personal automation run it automatically in the background to keep things fresh.

    In the Shortcuts app:
    1. Open the Automation tab
    2. Tap +, then Time of Day
    3. Pick a time, such as 7:00 AM
    4. Select Run Immediately
    5. Choose Sync KitchenKit to TRMNL Shortcut

Good to know

The Shortcut and screen run on separate clocks.

Running the Shortcut updates the data TRMNL has. The ePaper screen still refreshes on its own playlist schedule. If the website shows new items but the device does not yet, it will catch up on its next refresh cycle.

Learn how TRMNL refresh rates work
  1. NowShortcut sends fresh data
  2. Next device cycleTRMNL refreshes the screen

What the Shortcut sends

Syncing the most important data within TRMNL’s webhook limits.

Every snapshot contains four things.

UpdatedThe time of the snapshot
ExpiringUp to 12 items
FlaggedUp to 24 items
ShoppingUp to 24 items

Long item names are trimmed to 36 characters. The snapshot is sized for TRMNL’s 2 KB webhook limit. A TRMNL+ subscription allows 5 KB.

For advanced users

Payload reference

The Shortcut sends JSON in the following form. Array order determines display priority.

{
  "merge_variables": {
    "updated": "2026-07-19T12:00:00Z",
    "expiring": [
      {"name": "Milk", "days": 2},
      {"name": "Spinach", "days": 4}
    ],
    "flagged": ["Leftover rice", "Chicken thighs"],
    "shopping": ["Eggs", "Coffee"]
  }
}

updated is an ISO 8601 timestamp. days is the item’s relative expiration in whole days when the snapshot is sent.