ExpenseBot

update_expense

Destructive

Update a single existing expense row's category, tag, merchant, or business purpose (e.g. 'recategorize expense X to Meals' or 'tag it Client – Acme'). Identify it only by the exact expenseId returned by search_expenses (the full Receipt ID from Column Q). Never use a date, displayed number, or sheet row number as expenseId. Two-phase operation: calls with confirm omitted or false return a preview of the current→proposed change and make no change. After user confirmation, a call with confirm:true applies the proposed change. If the expense is not found, search once for a current exact expenseId; never retry the same stale ID. If a business-purpose update exceeds the Notes capacity, stop and send the user to https://www.expensebot.ai/review-expenses?source=mcp instead of retrying. Only category/tag/merchant/businessPurpose are editable — amounts, dates, and notes are not editable via the assistant. Does not create or delete rows.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`fields`	Yes	Partial update object. Include one or more of these optional keys; omit every field that should remain unchanged.
`confirm`	No	Omit or false = preview only (no write). Must be exactly true to apply the change.
`expenseId`	Yes	Exact full Receipt ID from Column Q, returned as expenseId by search_expenses.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`data`	Yes
`message`	Yes
`success`	Yes
`finalAnswer`	No
`responseGuidance`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedSep 9, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "properties": {
+    "data": {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "properties": {
+        "applied": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "diff": {
+          "items": {
+            "additionalProperties": true,
+            "properties": {
+              "column": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "columnLetter": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "field": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "from": {},
+              "to": {}
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "field",
+              "from",
+              "to"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "type": "array"
+        },
+        "dryRun": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "expenseId": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "preview": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "reviewExpenseUrl": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "unmapped": {
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "type": "array"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "applied",
+        "expenseId",
+        "diff",
+        "unmapped"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "finalAnswer": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "responseGuidance": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "success": {
+      "type": "boolean"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "success",
+    "message",
+    "data"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedAug 25, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -{
-  "additionalProperties": true,
-  "description": "Standard ExpenseBot tool result envelope. `message` is the human-readable summary the AI cites; `data` is the structured payload (totals, breakdowns, ids, etc.). On failure, `success` is false and `error` carries a code/message/hint triple.",
-  "properties": {
-    "data": {
-      "additionalProperties": true,
-      "description": "Structured payload. Shape varies per tool — common keys: total, breakdown, comparison, sampleMeta, ids, expenseId, reportId, signupUrl, results.",
-      "type": "object"
-    },
-    "error": {
-      "additionalProperties": true,
-      "description": "Present only when success === false.",
-      "properties": {
-        "code": {
-          "type": "string"
-        },
-        "hint": {
-          "type": "string"
-        },
-        "message": {
-          "type": "string"
-        }
-      },
-      "type": "object"
-    },
-    "message": {
-      "description": "Human-readable result text. Always present on success; prefer rendering this verbatim before any further reasoning.",
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "sampleMeta": {
-      "additionalProperties": true,
-      "description": "Set when the underlying dataset was truncated. isTruncated=true means the agent saw a sample of `sampleCount` of `totalCount` rows; aggregate totals are still accurate.",
-      "properties": {
-        "isTruncated": {
-          "type": "boolean"
-        },
-        "sampleCount": {
-          "type": "integer"
-        },
-        "totalCount": {
-          "type": "integer"
-        }
-      },
-      "type": "object"
-    },
-    "success": {
-      "description": "False on tool errors; check before reading `data`.",
-      "type": "boolean"
-    }
-  },
-  "type": "object"
-}New value: +null

First observedAug 10, 2026

TDQS

A4.8/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations declare destructiveHint=true and readOnlyHint=false, and the description goes well beyond them: the preview-then-confirm write protocol, the exact set of non-editable fields (amounts, dates, notes), the Notes-capacity failure path, and the anti-retry rule. An agent knows precisely what gets mutated and when.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose and examples are front-loaded in the first sentence, followed by identification rules, then the confirm workflow. It is dense and long, but nearly every sentence carries an operational rule; only the inline examples ('recategorize expense X to Meals') are marginally expendable.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists, so return previews need not be described. Combined with annotations, the nested 'fields' object, and the confirm flag, the description covers identification, mutation scope, failure handling, and safety. Nothing an agent needs in order to call this correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description adds real meaning: expenseId must be the exact full Receipt ID from Column Q and must NOT be a date, displayed number, or sheet row number. The editable key set for 'fields' is also clarified in prose. Minor gap: no format/example guidance for the string values themselves.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states a specific verb and resource ('Update a single existing expense row') and enumerates exactly what is editable (category, tag, merchant, business purpose). It also explicitly disclaims adjacent operations ('Does not create or delete rows'), which separates it from siblings like add_cash_expense, search_expenses, and correct_expenses.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It names the alternative for finding the row ('the exact expenseId returned by search_expenses'), gives a fallback when the ID is stale ('search once ... never retry the same stale ID'), and routes overflow cases to a specific URL. The two-phase preview/confirm workflow defines the conditions for each call.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All ExpenseBot tools Inspect

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