General Ledger
The general ledger is the complete, chronological record of every posted journal entry across every account in a book, and pulling it for one account shows every posting to that account with a running balance.
In short
Where a report gives you a total, the general ledger gives you the path to it — every posting to one account, in date order, with a running balance after each one. It's the tool for "wait, why is this number what it is," not for a first look at your finances.
Also called: GL, the ledger
Every other report in BalanceMCP shows a total. The general ledger shows the path to that total. Pull it for one account and a date range, and it returns every single posting to that account in order, with a running balance after each — plus the opening balance carried in from before the range started, so the running total ties out from the very first row.
This is the tool for the question that starts with "wait, why is..." — why is Materials higher than expected this quarter, why did a specific account jump in March. Instead of re-deriving the answer from a pile of transactions, the general ledger hands back the actual sequence of postings that produced the number.
It only reflects what has actually posted — nothing still sitting unposted in the inbox appears here, even if it would eventually land in this account once categorized. And it needs a specific account and date range every time; there's no "show me everything, every account" mode in one call, which is what a trial balance or a full export is for instead.
The account you asked for is echoed back with its code and name in the response, specifically so you can confirm you looked at the account you meant — a wrong id here is an easy mistake to make quietly, since the tool that reads it wants a ledger account id, not a bank account id.
What people get wrong
- Confusing the general ledger (every posting, one account) with a trial balance (every account, one balance each) — they answer different questions.
- Passing a bank account id where a ledger account id is expected — the general ledger reads the chart-of-accounts account, not the bank connection behind it.
- Expecting unposted transactions to show up here — only what has actually posted to the account appears.
Common questions
- How is the general ledger different from a trial balance?
- A trial balance lists every account's current balance, once each. The general ledger shows every individual posting to one specific account, in order, with a running balance — the detail behind that one line on the trial balance.
- Does the general ledger include uncategorized transactions?
- No — only what has actually posted to the account. A transaction still sitting unposted in the inbox is invisible here until it's categorized.
Machine-readable: /api/knowledge/concept:general-ledger