# list_categories

List all recipe categories.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `list_categories`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/list-categories

## Facts

- Tool: `list_categories`
- Server: Mealie MCP Server (`nikopol666/mealie-mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/nikopol666/mealie-mcp
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

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

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

## Why list_categories is rated Low

This tool retrieves/queries recipe category data with no ability to create, modify, delete, or execute operations. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an agent could only enumerate categories, which poses no security or operational risk. It cleanly fits the Read category.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool name is 'list_categories' and description states 'List all recipe categories' — this is a retrieval operation that queries existing data without modification or side effects."

## Use case

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

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

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

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_categories": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Mealie MCP Server (242)

- `bulk_delete_recipes` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/bulk-delete-recipes.md
- `delete_admin_backup` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-admin-backup.md
- `delete_admin_group` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-admin-group.md
- `delete_admin_household` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-admin-household.md
- `delete_admin_user` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-admin-user.md
- `delete_category` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-category.md
- `delete_comment` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-comment.md
- `delete_cookbook` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-cookbook.md
- `delete_food` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-food.md
- `delete_group_label` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-group-label.md
- `delete_group_report` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-group-report.md
- `delete_household_notification` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-household-notification.md
- `delete_household_webhook` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-household-webhook.md
- `delete_meal_plan_entry` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-meal-plan-entry.md
- `delete_meal_plan_rule` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-meal-plan-rule.md
- `delete_recipe` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-recipe.md
- `delete_recipe_action` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-recipe-action.md
- `delete_recipe_image` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-recipe-image.md
- `delete_recipe_timeline_event` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-recipe-timeline-event.md
- `delete_recipe_tool` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-recipe-tool.md
- `delete_shared_recipe_record` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-shared-recipe-record.md
- `delete_shopping_item` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-shopping-item.md
- `delete_shopping_items` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-shopping-items.md
- `delete_shopping_list` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-shopping-list.md
- `delete_tag` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-tag.md
- `delete_unit` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-unit.md
- `delete_user_api_token` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-user-api-token.md
- `delete_user_favorite` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/delete-user-favorite.md
- `purge_recipe_exports` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/purge-recipe-exports.md
- `remove_recipe_from_shopping_list` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-mealie-mcp/remove-recipe-from-shopping-list.md
- …and 212 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/nikopol666-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=nikopol666-mealie-mcp · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/nikopol666-mealie-mcp