List all category groups and categories with budgeted amounts and balances.
AI agents call ynab_get_categories to retrieve information from YNAB MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves budget category information for display purposes only. It performs a read-only query of financial metadata (category names, budgeted amounts, balances) without creating, modifying, deleting, or moving any data. The verb 'List' confirms passive data retrieval.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'ynab_get_categories' and description 'List all category groups and categories with budgeted amounts and balances' indicate a query/retrieval operation with no data modification.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
List all category groups and categories with budgeted amounts and balances. It is categorised as a Read tool in the YNAB MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the YNAB MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for ynab_get_categories: 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 YNAB MCP Server. Nothing to install.
ynab_get_categories is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the ynab_get_categories 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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for ynab_get_categories. 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.
ynab_get_categories is provided by the YNAB MCP Server MCP server (wgdevelopment/ynab-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
ynab_get_categories is one line of YNAB MCP Server's registry record.
The record carries the whole server: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, every tool classified, recommended policy — re-checked continuously.
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