reverse_entryWritesUndo a posted entry the right way
Something got posted wrong — the wrong account, a typo in the amount, a transaction categorized before you noticed it should have been split — and you need it undone without leaving a mess.
BalanceMCP never edits or deletes a posted entry, on purpose — that's what makes the ledger trustworthy as a record. So "undo" here doesn't mean erasing anything; it means posting a second entry that mirrors the first one exactly, with every line flipped. The original stays visible, the reversal stays visible, and anyone looking at the history can see both the mistake and the correction, which is exactly what an auditor or a future version of you would want.
If the entry you're reversing came from a categorized bank transaction, reversing it does something extra useful: that transaction goes back into the inbox as unposted, ready to be categorized again — correctly, this time. The response tells you exactly which transaction ids came back, so you know what to re-categorize next. If the entry was a manual one from post_journal_entry with no bank transaction behind it, the response says so plainly instead.
One boundary worth knowing: a reversal cannot itself be reversed. If you reverse something and then realize the reversal was also wrong, the fix is to re-categorize the released transaction (or post a new manual entry) rather than trying to reverse the reversal — that would just be a third entry pointing back at the first two, and the tool doesn't offer that path.
As always, this previews first. You get to see exactly what the mirror-image entry would look like — same date by default, same memo unless you override it — before anything actually posts.
What this does not do
- A reversal cannot itself be reversed. Correct a bad reversal by re-categorizing the released transaction, not by reversing again.
- Reversing does not delete the original entry — both the mistake and the correction remain permanently visible in the ledger.
Arguments
| Name | Type | Required | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
entryId | uuid | Required | — |
date | string | Optional | Date for the reversal. Defaults to the original entry's date. |
memo | string | Optional | — |
confirm | boolean | Required | — |
Generated from the tool definition, so it cannot describe arguments the tool does not accept. Unrecognised arguments are rejected rather than ignored.
Common questions
- Does reversing an entry delete it?
- No. Nothing in BalanceMCP deletes a posted entry. Reversing posts a new entry that's the mirror image of the original; both stay in the ledger permanently.
- What happens to the bank transaction after I reverse an entry?
- If the entry came from categorizing a bank transaction, that transaction returns to the inbox as unposted. You then categorize it again — hopefully correctly this time.
- Can I reverse a reversal?
- No, by design. If a reversal itself needs correcting, re-categorize the released transaction (or post a fresh manual entry) instead of trying to reverse it a second time.