How to Configure Gene-NutritionIntelligence — No API Keys Required for Most Tools

Overview

Gene-NutritionIntelligence is designed to work immediately after deployment. The three OpenFoodFacts tools require no API key, no configuration, and no sign-up. You can start scanning barcodes and looking up food products right away.

This guide covers:

• Immediate start — Using the gene with no configuration
• Finding barcodes — Where to find product barcodes
• Optional setup — Adding USDA nutrition data
• Testing — Verifying everything works

Start Immediately (No Configuration Needed)

The following tools work immediately after deployment with no API keys or configuration:

Tool	What It Does
barcodeLookup	Look up a product by barcode (most reliable)
productSearch	Search for food products by name
foodLabel	Get detailed food label information

To start using the gene:

1. Deploy Gene-NutritionIntelligence to Feluda
2. Find a product barcode on a food item
3. Run barcodeLookup with your barcode
4. Run productSearch to find foods by name
5. Use the AI prompts for guided nutrition analysis

Finding Product Barcodes

Barcodes are the most reliable way to look up products in OpenFoodFacts. Here's where to find them:

On Packaging:

• Look on the back or bottom of the product
• Usually a 13-digit number (EAN/UPC format)
• Often found near the nutrition facts panel

Common Barcode Formats:

• EAN-13: 13 digits (most common in Europe)
• UPC-A: 12 digits (common in North America)
• Example: 3017620422003 (Nutella 400g)

Without a Barcode:

• Use productSearch to search by product name
• Example: productSearch with query=cereal

Optional: Add USDA Nutrition Data

If you want reliable nutrition data from the official U.S. government database, you can add the USDA FoodData Central API:

Step 1: Sign Up for USDA FoodData Central

1. Go to https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/api-key-signup.html
2. Fill out the registration form
3. You'll receive an API key via email
4. Copy the key for use in Feluda Vault

Step 2: Configure the Secret in Feluda Vault

1. Open the Feluda Desktop Application
2. Navigate to the Vault section
3. Click "Add Secret"
4. Add the following key-value pair:

Secret Name	Value
USDA_API_KEY	Your USDA FoodData Central API key

5. Save the secret

Step 3: Test USDA Tools

Run: tool:foodNutritionUSDA with food=apple

Expected: USDA nutrition data for apple

Test Your Setup

Test Without API Keys (Immediate)

1. barcodeLookup

   • Run: tool:barcodeLookup with barcode=3017620422003
   • Expected: Product data for Nutella

2. productSearch

   • Run: tool:productSearch with query=bread
   • Expected: List of bread products

3. nutritionAdvisor (Prompt)

   • Run: prompt:nutritionAdvisor with food=apple, depth=standard
   • Expected: Guided nutrition analysis

Test With API Keys (Optional)

foodNutritionUSDA

• Run: tool:foodNutritionUSDA with food=apple
• Expected: USDA nutrition data for apple

mealNutrition

• Run: tool:mealNutrition with food=apple
• Expected: USDA meal nutrition data

Troubleshooting

Tool Returns "Error: 'barcode' parameter is required"

This means you need to provide a barcode parameter.

• Example: barcode=3017620422003

Tool Returns HTTP 503 (Service Unavailable)

OpenFoodFacts may be experiencing high traffic.

• Try again later
• Use barcodeLookup instead of productSearch
• The barcode endpoint is more reliable

Tool Returns "Secret Not Configured"

This only applies to USDA tools:

• Check that you've added USDA_API_KEY to Vault
• Verify the secret name matches exactly
• Restart Feluda after adding secrets

Tool Returns "Error: 'food' parameter is required"

This means you need to provide a food name.

• Example: food=apple

Next Steps

1. Deploy Gene-NutritionIntelligence to Feluda
2. Test barcodeLookup with a product you have at home
3. Test productSearch to find foods by name
4. Use the AI prompts for guided analysis
5. (Optional) Add USDA API key for reliable nutrition data

You can start using the gene immediately without any API keys. No configuration is required.