Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.chainbook.app/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Categories help you organize transactions for accounting, tax reporting, and financial analysis. This guide covers everything from basic categorization to advanced auto-categorization.

​
Why Categorize?

Categorized transactions enable:
  • Better reports - See spending by category
  • Tax preparation - Group deductible expenses
  • Financial analysis - Understand where money goes
  • Cleaner exports - Professional CSV exports for accountants

​
Setting Up Categories

​
Default Categories

New accounts include default categories:
CategorySuggested Use
IncomeReceived payments
ExpensesOutgoing payments
TradingExchange activity
TransferInternal movements

​
Creating Custom Categories

1

Go to Categories

Navigate to Settings → Categories.
2

Click Add Category

Click the Add Category button.
3

Name your category

Enter a descriptive name:
  • “Client Revenue”
  • “Operating Expenses”
  • “DeFi Yield”
Be specific enough to be useful, but not so specific that you have dozens of rarely-used categories.
4

Choose a color (optional)

Select a color for visual distinction in charts.
5

Save

Click Create to add the category.
For Personal Use: 
├── Income
│   ├── Salary
│   ├── Freelance
│   └── Investments
├── Expenses
│   ├── Bills
│   ├── Shopping
│   └── Entertainment
├── Savings
└── Transfer
For Business Use: 
├── Revenue
│   ├── Product Sales
│   ├── Services
│   └── Other Income
├── Expenses
│   ├── Payroll
│   ├── Software & Tools
│   ├── Marketing
│   └── Operations
├── Capital
│   ├── Equipment
│   └── Investments
└── Internal Transfer

​
Manual Categorization

​
Single Transaction

1

Open Transactions

Click Transactions in the sidebar.
2

Find the transaction

Use filters or scroll to find the transaction you want to categorize.
3

Click the transaction

Click to open the transaction details or inline edit.
4

Select a category

Click the category dropdown and choose from your categories.
The category is saved immediately.

​
Bulk Categorization

Categorize multiple transactions at once:
1

Filter transactions

Use filters to show only the transactions you want to categorize:
  • Filter by contact (all from same sender)
  • Filter by date range
  • Filter by uncategorized
2

Select multiple transactions

Check the boxes next to transactions you want to categorize.
3

Apply category

Click Bulk Actions → Set Category and choose your category.
All selected transactions are updated.
Use bulk categorization after filtering by contact—transactions from the same address often share a category.

​
Auto-Categorization

Let Chainbook automatically categorize transactions based on patterns.

​
How It Works

  1. Learning: Auto-categorization analyzes your existing categorized transactions
  2. Patterns: It identifies patterns (e.g., “transactions from address X are usually Revenue”)
  3. Applying: New matching transactions are automatically categorized
  4. Reviewing: Auto-assigned categories are marked for your review

​
Enabling Auto-Categorization

1

Go to Settings

Navigate to Settings.
2

Find Auto-Categorization

Locate the Auto-Categorize toggle.
3

Enable it

Turn on the toggle.
Auto-categorization works best after you’ve manually categorized 50+ transactions to establish patterns.

​
Training Auto-Categorization

Improve accuracy by:
  1. Categorizing consistently - Same type of transaction = same category
  2. Using contacts - Transactions from contacts are easier to pattern-match
  3. Reviewing suggestions - Correcting mistakes improves future suggestions
  4. Categorizing diverse examples - Show the AI different transaction types

​
Reviewing Auto-Assigned Categories

Auto-assigned categories show an “auto” indicator:
  1. Go to Transactions
  2. Look for the auto-assignment indicator
  3. Review each suggestion
  4. Confirm or change as needed
Always review auto-categorized transactions before relying on them for reports.

​
Disabling Auto-Categorization

To turn off:
  1. Go to Settings
  2. Toggle off Auto-Categorize
Disabling removes existing auto-assignments. Manually assigned categories remain.

​
Category Workflows

​
New Transaction Workflow

When new transactions sync:
  1. Check notifications - See new transaction alerts
  2. Review in Transactions - Sort by date, newest first
  3. Categorize - Assign categories to new transactions
  4. Verify auto-assignments - Review any auto-categorized transactions

​
Weekly Review Workflow

Maintain clean data with a weekly review:
  1. Filter uncategorized - Find transactions without categories
  2. Review each - Assign appropriate categories
  3. Check auto-assignments - Verify AI suggestions
  4. Add contacts - Label any new addresses

​
Month-End Workflow

Prepare for reporting:
  1. Review all transactions - Filter by current month
  2. Ensure all categorized - No uncategorized transactions
  3. Verify accuracy - Check category assignments make sense
  4. Export - Download categorized data for accounting

​
Using Categories in Reports

​
Dashboard Charts

The “Chart by Categories” shows:
  • Pie chart of transaction distribution
  • Category totals for selected period
  • Uncategorized percentage
Use it to:
  • Verify categorization completeness
  • Spot large expense categories
  • Track category trends over time

​
Filtered Views

Filter transactions by category:
  1. Go to Transactions
  2. Click the Category filter
  3. Select a specific category
  4. View all transactions in that category

​
Exports

Categories appear in CSV exports:
DateAmountFromToCategory
2024-01-15+1000Client AMy WalletRevenue
2024-01-14-50My WalletVendorExpenses
Use categorized exports for:
  • Accounting software import
  • Tax preparation
  • Financial analysis

​
Troubleshooting

Improve accuracy:
  • Manually categorize at least 50 transactions first
  • Be consistent with categories
  • Use contacts to identify transaction partners
  • Review and correct auto-assignments
Consolidate by:
  • Merging similar categories
  • Using broader category names
  • Keeping 10-20 categories maximum
  • Using descriptions for specifics instead
Use bulk categorization:
  1. Filter to find transactions
  2. Select all matching transactions
  3. Apply the new category
Ensure:
  • Transactions have categories assigned
  • You’re exporting the correct columns
  • CSV viewer is displaying all columns

​
Best Practices

Be Consistent

Always use the same category for the same type of transaction.

Keep It Simple

10-20 categories is usually enough. Too many creates confusion.

Review Regularly

Weekly categorization keeps data clean and current.

Use Descriptions

Add transaction descriptions for details that don’t fit in categories.