Scanning and AI

Kalta is built around scanning. There are two kinds: scanning a box QR label to jump into a box, and scanning a product barcode to add an item. There’s also an optional AI feature that can identify a product from a photo when neither works.

The Scan tab

Inside any warehouse, the Scan tab opens the camera. It recognizes two types of codes automatically:

  • QR codes on box labels — jumps you straight into the box detail screen.
  • Product barcodes (EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E) — starts a “new item” flow in the current box (or asks which box if you’re at the warehouse level).
[Screenshot: Scanner UI with both code types recognized]

You don’t have to pick which type to scan — Kalta figures it out from the content.

Adding items inside a specific box

If you already know which box you’re filling, open that box first. From box detail, tap Add items.

You have three options:

  1. Scan barcode — opens the scanner in “this box” mode.
  2. Manual entry — fill in fields by hand, no barcode needed.
  3. Suggest with AI — if enabled (see below), take a photo and let Claude Vision identify the product.

In “this box” scanner mode, you can keep scanning — Kalta adds each scanned item to the box without exiting, so you can go through a shopping bag and scan each item in a row.

Open Food Facts: the barcode database

When you scan a product barcode, Kalta looks it up in Open Food Facts, a public crowdsourced database of food products worldwide.

  • What’s sent: only the barcode number.
  • What comes back: product name, category, brand, sometimes a photo and nutrition info.
  • Coverage: excellent for European packaged food (~85%+ hit rate), weaker for American brands, much weaker for non-food items and private-label store brands.

If the product is found, Kalta pre-fills the item fields. All you add is quantity, expiration date, and optional notes.

If the product is not found, Kalta shows “Unknown product” and asks you to fill in fields manually.

When barcode lookup fails: custom products

For any barcode that doesn’t resolve, fill in the fields yourself the first time. Kalta saves what you entered as a custom product tied to your account.

Next time you scan the same barcode, your custom entry loads automatically. You effectively teach Kalta about your local store brands.

AI-assisted product recognition (Claude Vision)

The AI feature is optional and off by default. When enabled, it lets you:

  • Take a photo of a product (box, can, bottle, medicine packaging, battery pack — anything).
  • Kalta sends the photo to Anthropic’s Claude Vision API.
  • The AI extracts product name, category, and an estimated typical shelf life.

Why BYOK (bring your own key)

Kalta doesn’t host this feature on a shared backend. Instead:

  • You create a free Anthropic account at https://console.anthropic.com.
  • You generate your own API key from the Anthropic console.
  • You paste the key into Kalta Settings → AI.
  • You pay Anthropic directly for the tiny per-scan cost.

This keeps the app privacy-respecting (Kalta never sees your photos) and lets you control cost and usage.

Cost per scan

At current Claude Haiku 4.5 pricing, a typical product photo costs ~$0.001–0.005 per scan. One dollar in API credit buys you hundreds of scans.

How the key is stored

Your API key is stored only in the iOS Keychain on your device (via expo-secure-store). It never syncs to Kalta’s backend or any other device. If you uninstall the app or switch iPhones, you’ll need to add the key again.

Setup walkthrough

  1. Open https://console.anthropic.com → Sign up or log in.
  2. Add $5–10 of credit to your account (pay-as-you-go). You can set a monthly cap from your Anthropic dashboard.
  3. Click API Keys → Create Key. Copy the key (it’s only shown once).
  4. In Kalta → Settings → AI → paste the key → Save.
[Screenshot: Kalta AI settings screen with "Paste API key" field]
  1. Test it: go to an unknown product, tap Suggest with AI, take a photo. You should see the fields pre-filled within a few seconds.

Disabling it later

Remove the key from Settings → AI at any time. The feature immediately stops working; no call to Anthropic is made without a key.

Tips

  • Light the product well when scanning — the camera needs to see the barcode bars clearly. Harsh shadows or curved surfaces (tubes, bottles) trip up the reader.
  • Hold the phone ~15 cm from the barcode. Too close and it can’t focus; too far and the bars are too thin.
  • If AI suggestions are off, you can still edit the fields manually before saving. The AI is a starting point, not a source of truth.
  • Custom products beat AI for things you buy repeatedly. After you’ve manually entered a brand-of-X once, you’ll never need to enter it again.

Privacy

  • Barcode scans: only the number goes to Open Food Facts (no identifier for you).
  • AI scans: only happen with your own Anthropic key. Photos go directly from your device to Anthropic. Kalta is not involved after the key is saved.
  • Photos saved to items: stored in our Supabase backend (Ireland, EU) as part of your inventory data. Only you and warehouse members see them.

For the full details, see the Privacy Policy.

What’s next