Why your AI shows a preview before saving

When a change touches many transactions at once, or brings data in, your AI shows you what would happen first. Nothing is saved until you say yes. This page explains how that works and where it applies. For the bigger picture, see how Pennyweight works.

How it works

1. You ask for a change. Your AI sends it to Pennyweight as a preview. A preview saves nothing.
2. Pennyweight returns what would change, plus a one-time confirmation code.
3. You review the preview and tell your AI to go ahead.
4. Your AI sends the same request again with the code, and Pennyweight saves it.

The code is tied to the main request, such as the edit and the search that picks the transactions, so your AI can't use it to save a different change. If that part changes, Pennyweight refuses the save and your AI has to preview again. A code expires after 15 minutes and works once. If it has expired or was already used, ask your AI to run the preview again. See limits and timeouts.

What gets a preview

• Bulk edits. Applying the same edit to many transactions at once. The preview shows how many transactions match, a sample of up to 20, and any rows where the edit would overturn a recent category decision. See bulk recategorize.
• Applying your rules to existing transactions. The preview shows how many transactions would change and a sample of up to 20 with the category each would get. Transactions whose category you set by hand are skipped, and the preview counts them. See apply your rules to transactions you already have.
• Imports. Adding transactions through an import. The preview shows which rows are new and which look like duplicates. Reading an import preview walks through it, and import errors covers an expired or used code during an import.
• Restoring a backup. The preview counts what the restore would write. A large restore runs in several steps with the same code, so this code lasts 60 minutes instead of 15, and each completed step restarts that clock. See back up and restore.
• Reports and feature requests to the Pennyweight team. The preview shows the text after card and account numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and dollar amounts are removed. Names are not removed automatically, so read it before you agree. See report a problem or request a feature.

Undoing an import also previews first: you see how many transactions would be removed and a sample. It has no confirmation code: your AI asks you to confirm, then removes the batch. Removed transactions can be restored for 30 days. See undo an import.

What you'll see

Your AI replies with a summary of the preview: how many transactions would change, and a few example rows with dates or amounts. It then asks whether to go ahead. If you say yes, it confirms what was saved. If you change your mind, nothing was written and there is nothing to undo.

Good to know

• Rules on new transactions don't ask. Your rules categorize new transactions as they're saved: imported rows, bank transactions and ones your AI adds without a category. An import preview tells your AI how many rows your rules would categorize.
• Creating a rule can save without a preview. If you create a rule and apply it to past transactions in the same request, it saves straight away, unless it would overturn recent category decisions.
• Single edits usually save directly. Changing one transaction's category saves without a preview. If the change would reverse a recent category decision, you get a confirmation step with the same 15-minute, one-time code. See why your AI asks "are you sure?".
• Your AI does the asking. Pennyweight hands the preview and the code to your AI, and your AI decides when to show it to you. An AI can run the preview and the save back to back. If you want to see every preview, say so.