utility

Restock List

A local-first restock list that tracks regular items as in stock, low, or out and collects only what needs buying now.

Local processing

About your filesFiles and content selected in this tool are processed in your browser and are not uploaded to a Browser Kitty backend.

Operation demo See the basic workflow in a short video.

About this tool

Restock List is a shopping list for regular household items such as milk or detergent. Instead of tracking exact quantities, each regular item uses only three states: in stock, low, or out. Items marked low or out automatically appear in the current shopping list, so you do not need to rebuild the same list from scratch every time.

You can also add one-off items. While typing, the app suggests entries from a lightweight dictionary embedded in the HTML and from your existing regular items. Stores and categories can be reused from previous entries, and the shopping view groups what you need into a compact list for use while shopping.

Checking off a purchased regular item returns it to in-stock and keeps only the purchase history locally. A compressed URL share contains only the current shopping list, while JSON backup carries regular items, history, and settings, keeping sharing and full backup as separate workflows.

Good for

Reduce forgotten purchases for regular items such as milk, eggs, detergent, or tissues
Track what needs restocking without maintaining exact inventory quantities
Send only the current shopping list to family without creating an account
Review needed items grouped by store such as a supermarket or drugstore

What it can do

Key capabilities available in this tool.

Track regular items with only three states: in stock, low, or out
Automatically collect low and out-of-stock regular items into the current shopping list
Quickly add one-off items with built-in and saved-item suggestions
Group the shopping list by store and category while checking items off
Return purchased regular items to in-stock and keep purchase history locally
Share only the current list through a compressed URL and back up full data as JSON

How to use

Open the tool and use the starter sample to understand the workflow, then clear only the sample data when you are ready to begin.
Register items you buy regularly and mark each one as in stock, low, or out based on what you have at home.
Confirm that low and out-of-stock items appear automatically in the current list, then add one-off items with the suggestion field when needed.
Shop from the compact list grouped by store or category and check off purchases. Regular items automatically return to in-stock.
Create a share link when you only want to send the current list. Export a JSON backup when you need to preserve regular items, purchase history, and settings as well.

Supported

Regular items use three states: in stock, low, and out. Exact quantity entry is not required.
One-off and regular items can appear in the same shopping list and can be grouped by store and category.
Suggestions come from a lightweight dictionary embedded in the HTML plus regular items you have already registered.
On supporting browsers, share links gzip the compact list with CompressionStream and store Base64URL data in the URL fragment. A compact uncompressed format is used as fallback when gzip is unavailable.
Regular items, purchase history, and settings can be backed up and restored as JSON. Current major desktop and mobile browsers are the primary target.

Limitations and notes

This is not an exact inventory system. You decide what low means for each item.
A share link is a snapshot of the current shopping list, not real-time synchronization between devices.
Shared URLs contain recoverable item names, stores, and categories. Compression is not encryption, so do not share information you do not want included in the URL.
The built-in suggestion dictionary is a lightweight input aid rather than a comprehensive product catalog.
Data is stored in localStorage per browser profile and origin. Export a JSON backup if browser site data may be cleared.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to enter exact inventory quantities?

No. Restock List manages regular items with only in-stock, low, and out states. It is designed to track whether restocking is needed rather than maintain a detailed inventory count.

Does opening a share link overwrite the recipient's shopping data?

No. Opening the link only presents the shared list. Existing data is changed only after the recipient explicitly chooses to add the shared items to the current list.

What is included in a share link?

Only item names, stores, and categories from the current shopping list. States of regular items not currently on the list, purchase history, and settings are not included.

Is shopping data sent to a server?

No. Regular-item management, history, suggestions, backup, and share-link generation are processed in the browser. The app itself performs no runtime network communication, and shared data is placed after # in the URL fragment.

Offline version and source code

The app works as a single HTML file, and regular-item management, the current shopping list, purchase history, and JSON backup work without runtime network communication. For sending share links to another device, use a publicly reachable HTTP/HTTPS deployment that the recipient can open.

View source on GitHub