Run the pickup queue by chat — a counter guide

This is for the people behind the counter. It shows you how to run the day's pickup orders by talking to the shop's assistant on your phone — the same way you'd text a coworker. No buttons, no menus. You say what you want in plain words, the assistant reads the order back to you, and you say yes.

You can do everything here from your phone once the assistant is set up on it.

First, the one important safety rule

The assistant reaches the shop through one secret connector link — the one we gave the owner, ending in a path like /api/mcp/<your-secret-key>. Think of that link like the key to the front door: there's one key, it isn't tied to any one person, and whoever has it can run the shop's orders. So:

• Don't paste the link into texts, photos, or group chats. Treat it like the cash drawer code.
• Use it on a phone you trust — yours or the shop phone, signed in to the shop's assistant, not a borrowed device.
• If you ever think the link got out (lost phone, screenshot shared by mistake), tell the owner right away. They can switch off the old link instantly and hand out a new one. Nothing breaks and nothing is lost — every order is still there.

That's the whole catch with this early version: one shared key, no separate logins yet. As long as the phone running it is a trusted shop phone, you're good.

How it feels to use

Every change works the same friendly way:

1. You say what you want ("Accept the Johnson order").
2. The assistant finds the order and reads it back: the order number, the customer's name, and exactly what it's about to do.
3. It asks "Adjust or cancel?"
4. You say yes (or "cancel" if it grabbed the wrong one).

So you always get a second look before anything actually changes. If it ever reads back the wrong order, just say cancel — nothing happens until you confirm. (Heads up: the assistant can see order numbers, names, pickup times, and totals, but never customer phone numbers — those stay private.)

A quick tip: start your message with the shop's name so the assistant knows which shop to use, e.g. "Using Special-T Meat, what orders are waiting?"

Seeing the queue

Start your shift by asking what's on deck. Just say:

• "What orders are waiting?"
• "Show me today's pickup orders."
• "How many orders are ready?"

You'll get a tidy list — each order's number (like BTC-04827193), the customer's name, the pickup day and time window, the status, and the total. You can also narrow it:

• "Show me the orders that are ready for pickup."
• "Find the order for Johnson." (searches by name or order number)

The list only shows live orders — things still moving through the day. Orders that are already picked up or were declined drop off the list, so what you see is what still needs attention.

The life of an order

A pickup order moves forward in steps, and you nudge it along one step at a time:

Pending Review → Accepted → In Progress → Ready → (paid) → Picked Up

A couple of things worth knowing, because they're how the shop only promises what it can actually deliver:

• A new order starts as Pending Review — it's a request, not a done deal. Nothing is promised to the customer until the Head Butcher accepts it.
• You move it forward one step at a time, in order. The assistant won't let you skip ahead, and that's on purpose — it keeps the board honest. If you ask for a step it's not up to yet, the assistant tells you the real next step instead of guessing.

Accepting a new order

When a fresh request comes in, accept it to start the clock:

• "Accept the Johnson order."

The assistant will say something like "Accept BTC-04827193 for Pat Johnson, pickup Sat 10am–12pm — adjust or cancel?" Say yes and it's Accepted.

Moving it along while you prep

As you cut, wrap, and get it ready:

• "Mark BTC-04827193 in progress."
• "Mark BTC-04827193 ready." (do this once it's wrapped and on the shelf waiting)

At pickup — the part that matters most

When the customer walks up to collect a Ready order, there are two steps, in this order:

1. Take payment, then mark it paid.

Payment happens in person at the counter — cash or card on your normal register, just like always. The assistant does not take money; there's no online payment and no card on file. It only records that you collected payment. Once they've paid, say:

• "Mark BTC-04827193 paid."

2. Then mark it picked up.

• "Mark BTC-04827193 picked up."

The order has to be marked paid before you can mark it Picked Up — the assistant will stop you and remind you if you try it the other way around. That guardrail is there so an order never leaves the counter unpaid.

That's it — the order is complete and drops off the active list.

When something's off — leave it for the owner

A few things are not counter jobs. Hand these to the owner rather than try them yourself:

• Turning an order down (declining). Declining is final — it permanently closes the request and frees up that pickup slot — so it's the owner's call, not a counter fix.
• Proposing a change to an order — a different weight, quantity, or price. That sends the customer a message to approve or decline on their own, and it's only possible while the order is still Pending Review. Leave it for the owner.
• Changing prices, marking products in/out of stock or in/out of season, or adding/removing products from the catalog. All owner decisions.

The assistant can do some of these if asked, so be a little careful how you phrase things — if you only mean to move an order along, say exactly that. When a customer needs a real change, or an order can't be filled, the simplest move is: flag it to the owner. They've got the tools and the context for it.

If something doesn't work

• "The assistant isn't doing anything." Make sure the shop connector is turned on for that chat, and start your message with the shop's name (e.g. "Using Special-T Meat, …").
• It read back the wrong order. Say cancel — nothing changed. Then try again, maybe using the order number (like BTC-04827193) instead of the name.
• It says it can't reach the shop. Wait a moment and try once more. If it keeps happening, tell the owner — it's not something you can fix from the counter.
• You lost the phone or shared the link by accident. Tell the owner now so they can swap the key. Don't wait.

The short version

• One secret link = the key to the shop. Keep it on a trusted phone, never share it, tell the owner if it leaks (they can rotate it; nothing is lost).
• Talk in plain words. The assistant reads every change back and asks "Adjust or cancel?" — say yes, or say cancel.
• Through the day: accept new requests, then mark them in progress → ready.
• At pickup: take payment → "mark it paid" → "mark it picked up." In that order. Paid always comes first.
• Declines, price/weight changes, customer messages, catalog edits: not counter jobs — leave them for the owner.