Phase 2: Categorize
Assign recorded transactions to the correct accounts in the chart of accounts.
Purpose
The Categorize phase assigns each recorded transaction to the appropriate account (revenue, expense, asset, liability, equity), ensuring consistent classification for accurate financial reporting.
Usage
/bookkeeping:categorize <project>Prerequisites
The transaction log from the Record phase must exist at .metapowers/bookkeeping/<project>/01-record.md.
What It Does
- Reads the transaction log from the Record phase
- Matches transactions to accounts in the chart of accounts
- Applies categorization rules based on transaction patterns
- Flags ambiguous transactions for manual review
- Writes the categorized ledger to
.metapowers/bookkeeping/<project>/02-categorize.md
Output
Creates .metapowers/bookkeeping/<project>/02-categorize.md containing:
- Each transaction with its assigned account
- Category distribution summary
- Flagged items requiring manual classification
Next Phase
After categorizing, proceed to Reconcile to match records against bank statements.