## What
Auto-categorizes transactions with AI (Gemini) for **pro +
AI-consented** users when no automation rule already matched. Ships the
full backend **behind a Pennant flag, off by default**, so it's
mergeable and testable in isolation; the UI is a deliberate follow-up.
## Why / cost
Prod check first: ~20k txns/month, **~52% of pro-user transactions are
uncategorized** after rules. At Gemini Flash-Lite rates the cost is a
**rounding error** — ~$0.13–$0.75/month for all pro users, single-digit
dollars even on full Flash. So the model is chosen for accuracy, not
price; the real constraints are trust, accuracy and privacy.
## How it works
**Two tiers** (every transaction is covered, rules are an optimization
on top):
- **Tier 1 – label** — a queued listener runs *after* the synchronous
rules; if still uncategorized and the user is eligible, the model picks
a **leaf** category (referenced by numeric index, never a UUID, so it
can't hallucinate one). Auto-applied only above the **label bar**
(`0.7`); below → left blank, no nag. Tagged `category_source = ai` +
`ai_confidence`, fully reversible.
- **Tier 2 – learn** — above the higher **rule bar** (`0.85`) *and* a
clean merchant key *and* the model flags the merchant unambiguous → the
merchant is appended to a single **ai-owned** automation rule for that
category (OR'd conditions, not rule-sprawl), so future transactions
match for free and consistently. AI rules sit at the lowest priority;
**user-owned rules are never touched**.
**Self-heal + signal** — when a user overrides an AI category, a
`category_correction` is logged (calibration signal, bucketable by
confidence) and the offending merchant condition is dropped from the ai
rule (deleted if empty). User rules and manual categories are untouched.
**Safety** — config kill switch + pro + active consent + gradual Pennant
rollout. Dedicated `ai` queue so Gemini never blocks bank syncs.
Encrypted (client-side) transactions are never sent.
**Backfill** — `ai:categorize-backfill {user}`, explicit opt-in,
batched, learns rules as it goes.
## Data model
- `transactions`: `category_source`, `ai_confidence`,
`categorized_by_rule_id`
- `automation_rules`: `origin` (`user`/`ai`)
- new `category_corrections` table
## Screenshots
<img width="921" height="384" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f04c2a03-b39e-4a3d-81eb-ecf26eaefb83"
/>
## 🚪 Why?
### Problem
PHPStan was running with a baseline of 56 suppressed errors, meaning
static analysis was not enforcing type safety across a significant
portion of the codebase. These errors were real type mismatches,
redundant null-safety operators, and incorrect PHPDoc annotations that
could mask bugs and make the code harder to reason about.
## 🔑 What?
### Changes
- Add `@property` PHPDoc annotations to `Account`, `BankingConnection`,
`ExchangeRate`, and `Transaction` models so Enum casts and typed columns
are visible to PHPStan
- Add `instanceof User` guards in `ScheduleDripEmailsListener`,
`SyncUserToResendListener`, and `FortifyServiceProvider` to properly
narrow `Authenticatable` to `App\Models\User`
- Remove redundant `?? false` and unnecessary nullsafe `?->value` in
`HandleInertiaRequests`
- Fix `SyncBankingConnectionJob`: use `->name` instead of `?->name` on
an always-loaded `bank` relation
- Remove `is_countable()` guard in `BalanceLookup` (parameter is always
`Collection|array`, both countable)
- Remove `?? []` / `?? default` fallbacks on fully-typed array keys
across `BalanceSyncService`, `BinanceBalanceSyncService`,
`BinanceClient`, `BitpandaBalanceSyncService`, `BitpandaClient`,
`IndexaCapitalClient`, `IndexaCapitalBalanceSyncService`, and
`AuthorizationController`
- Fix `BinanceClient::publicClient()` `retry()` call: use `when:` named
argument and `\Throwable` type hint to match `PendingRequest::retry()`
signature
- Update `IndexaCapitalClient::getPerformance()` `@return` to include
`portfolios` and `net_amounts` keys; simplify sync service to remove
dead null checks
- Replace nullsafe chain with ternary in `BudgetPeriodService`
- Replace `match` statement in `SetupMainUser` with `if/else` to
eliminate always-true comparison
- Clear `phpstan-baseline.neon` entirely (was 56 suppressed errors, now
0)
## ✅ Verification
### Tests
- Existing tests pass: PHPStan level 5 reports 0 errors with empty
baseline
## Summary
Add a labeling system for transactions that differs from categories in
that labels are ephemeral and created on-the-fly when assigned (no
pre-creation required). A transaction can have multiple labels
(many-to-many relationship), and labels can be used for filtering in the
transaction table and as actions in automation rules.
<img width="1372" height="484" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fd342b11-dafb-44ed-b818-578e1ea856e6"
/>
<img width="1373" height="613" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/aa5cfb8b-50b7-4101-a872-54904924f234"
/>
<img width="1035" height="594" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ffa946b2-b01f-496b-8cb8-ab55ab5b79ed"
/>
## Changes
### Backend (Laravel)
- Add `labels` table with user_id, name, color, and soft deletes
- Add `label_transaction` pivot table for transaction-label many-to-many
- Add `automation_rule_labels` pivot table for automation rule-label
many-to-many
- Create Label model with relationships to User, Transaction, and
AutomationRule
- Add LabelController for CRUD operations (returns JSON for on-the-fly
creation)
- Add LabelSyncController for frontend sync
- Add LabelPolicy for authorization
- Update TransactionController to handle bulk label updates
- Update AutomationRuleController to handle label actions
- Add validation for label_ids in transactions and automation rules
### Frontend (React/TypeScript)
- Add Label type and color utilities
- Add labels table to IndexedDB (Dexie version 6)
- Create label-sync service with findOrCreate functionality
- Create LabelCombobox component with multi-select and create-on-type
- Add labels column to transactions table
- Add labels filter to transaction filters
- Add bulk label assignment in bulk actions bar
- Add labels action in create automation rule dialog
- Update rule engine to include labels in evaluation results
## Testing
- 11 feature tests for label CRUD
- 3 tests for label sync
- All 241 feature tests pass
## Screenshots
N/A - UI changes can be reviewed in browser
Víctor Falcón