# delete_category

Delete a specific category.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `delete_category`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-category

## Facts

- Tool: `delete_category`
- Server: Mealie MCP Server (`graysoncadams/mealie-mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/GraysonCAdams/mealie-mcp
- Risk category: Destructive (Critical risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Hidden

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "delete_category",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why delete_category is rated Critical

This tool irreversibly removes a category from the Mealie instance. Deletion operations that cannot be reversed fall under the Destructive category. The severity is medium rather than high because the blast radius is confined to recipe/meal organization metadata rather than financial data or system-critical infrastructure. However, accidental deletion of a heavily-used category could impact meal planning workflows.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool name 'delete_category' combined with description 'Delete a specific category' explicitly performs a deletion operation that cannot be undone."

## Use case

AI agents call delete_category to permanently remove resources in Mealie MCP Server, typically in cleanup and lifecycle workflows. It does its job in a single call, and there is no undo.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Hidden**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Mealie MCP Server:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "hide": [
    "delete_category"
  ]
}
```

## Other tools on Mealie MCP Server (92)

- `delete_comment` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-comment.md
- `delete_cookbook` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-cookbook.md
- `delete_food` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-food.md
- `delete_label` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-label.md
- `delete_mealplan` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-mealplan.md
- `delete_recipe` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-recipe.md
- `delete_shopping_list` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-shopping-list.md
- `delete_shopping_list_item` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-shopping-list-item.md
- `delete_shopping_list_items_bulk` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-shopping-list-items-bulk.md
- `delete_tag` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-tag.md
- `delete_tool` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-tool.md
- `delete_unit` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/delete-unit.md
- `remove_recipe_from_shopping_list` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/remove-recipe-from-shopping-list.md
- `parse_ingredient` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/parse-ingredient.md
- `parse_ingredients` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/parse-ingredients.md
- `get_all_mealplans` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-all-mealplans.md
- `get_categories` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-categories.md
- `get_category` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-category.md
- `get_category_by_slug` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-category-by-slug.md
- `get_cookbook` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-cookbook.md
- `get_cookbooks` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-cookbooks.md
- `get_current_user` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-current-user.md
- `get_empty_categories` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-empty-categories.md
- `get_empty_tags` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-empty-tags.md
- `get_food` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-food.md
- `get_foods` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-foods.md
- `get_household_statistics` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-household-statistics.md
- `get_label` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-label.md
- `get_labels` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-labels.md
- `get_mealplan` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp/get-mealplan.md
- …and 62 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=graysoncadams-mealie-mcp · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/graysoncadams-mealie-mcp