list_expense_categories
List all active expense categories for the organization.
What list_expense_categories does
Returns a paginated list of expense categories from the organization, with optional filters (status, date range, customer, search term).
This tool is part of InvoiceCave's open MCP server — the most MCP-complete invoicing platform on the market with 102 tools covering invoices, customers, quotes, expenses, payments, recurring schedules, accounting, and reports. Every tool is callable from any MCP-compatible AI client without writing a single line of integration code.
How an AI uses list_expense_categories
Use this when the AI needs to scan, count, or summarize expense categories — for example, "show me everything overdue this week" or "how many expense categories are open right now?". The AI can chain a list call with a follow-up get_* call to drill into a specific record.
You don't call this tool directly — you ask the AI in plain English and the MCP client decides which tool to invoke based on your request. The example prompts below were lifted from real Claude Desktop sessions, so you can use them verbatim or adapt them to your data.
Parameters
list_expense_categories takes no input parameters — the AI calls it with an empty argument object and InvoiceCave scopes the result to your organization automatically using your API key.
Request example
Under the hood, your AI client sends a JSON-RPC 2.0 tools/call request to InvoiceCave's MCP endpoint at https://www.invoicecave.com/api/mcp/mcp. Here's what a list_expense_categories call looks like:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "list_expense_categories",
"arguments": {}
}
}You won't write this yourself — it's shown so developers can see exactly what the MCP client generates. The arguments object maps 1:1 to the parameters above. Authentication is handled by the Authorization: Bearer header with your API key.
Example AI prompts
Type any of these into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor — InvoiceCave's MCP server will route them to list_expense_categories automatically.
“Show me all my expense categories.”
“How many expense categories do I have right now? Summarize them.”
Use it in 30 seconds
Related tools
More from the Expenses category.
list_expensesList expenses with totals. Filter by status, category, vendor, date range, customer, or billable flag.
get_expenseGet full details of a specific expense.
create_expenseRecord a new expense. Auto-generates an EXP-XXXXXX number. If bankAccountId is provided, deducts the amount from the bank balance.
update_expenseUpdate an existing expense. If amount changes and the expense has a bankAccountId, the bank balance is auto-adjusted.
delete_expenseDelete an expense. If it had a bankAccountId, the deducted amount is added back to the balance.
create_expense_categoryCreate a new expense category.
update_expense_categoryUpdate an expense category. Use isActive=false to soft-deactivate without deleting.
delete_expense_categoryDelete an expense category. Fails if any expenses still use it — reassign or delete those first, or use update_expense_category with isActive=false.
FAQ — list_expense_categories
What is list_expense_categories?▾
list_expense_categories is one of 102 tools in InvoiceCave's MCP server. Returns a paginated list of expense categories from the organization, with optional filters (status, date range, customer, search term). It's invoked automatically when an AI client like Claude or Cursor decides the user's request maps to this action.
Which AI clients can call list_expense_categories?▾
Any MCP-compatible client. We've tested it with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and Codex. The MCP protocol is open, so any AI tool that speaks MCP can call this endpoint with a valid InvoiceCave API key.
Is calling list_expense_categories secure?▾
Yes. Every call is authenticated by the API key you mint in the dashboard, scoped to a single organization, rate-limited per key, and recorded in the audit log with source='mcp'. Sensitive fields (SMTP passwords, encryption keys) are never returned to the AI client.
What parameters does list_expense_categories take?▾
list_expense_categories takes no input parameters. The AI calls it with an empty arguments object and InvoiceCave automatically scopes the result to your organization via your API key.
Does list_expense_categories count against any quota?▾
MCP tool calls are unmetered on the free plan up to a generous monthly limit. Once you connect Stripe and start charging your customers, every call still counts against the same per-key rate limit but doesn't add to your bill.
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