actual_category_groups_get

List all category groups in Actual Budget. Category groups organize related categories together (e.g.,

SERVERActual SOURCEactual-mcp-server

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/actual/actual-category-groups-get.md

WHAT IT DOES

What actual_category_groups_get does on Actual

AI agents call actual_category_groups_get to retrieve information from Actual without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

RISK

Why actual_category_groups_get is rated Low

This tool queries and returns category group data from Actual Budget without modifying, deleting, or executing any operations. It is a straightforward read operation that retrieves organizational metadata about budget categories.

From the tool's definition Tool name includes 'get' and description states 'List all category groups' — a retrieval operation with no side effects.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs actual_category_groups_get safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Actual, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For actual_category_groups_get, this is the rule to start with:

actual_category_groups_get Allowed

actual_category_groups_get is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "actual_category_groups_get": {}
  }
}

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Actual, apply this rule, and every actual_category_groups_get call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about actual_category_groups_get

What does the actual_category_groups_get tool do? +

List all category groups in Actual Budget. Category groups organize related categories together (e.g.,. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Actual MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on actual_category_groups_get? +

Register the Actual MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for actual_category_groups_get: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Actual. Nothing to install.

What risk level is actual_category_groups_get? +

actual_category_groups_get is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit actual_category_groups_get? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the actual_category_groups_get rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.

How do I block actual_category_groups_get completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for actual_category_groups_get. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.

What MCP server provides actual_category_groups_get? +

actual_category_groups_get is provided by the Actual MCP server (actual-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

KEEP EXPLORING

More on Actual, and thousands of servers like it.

This server

All 64 Actual tools →

Across the catalogue

get_cocktail_by_category on Cocktails RAG MCP Server →get_torrent_detail on M-Team MCP Server →aiva_get_affiliate on AIVA MCP Server →get-chuck-categories on Jokes MCP Server → The MCP Attack Database →

Guides

Roll out MCP under one policy →Data exfiltration →MCP token cost →