## TL;DR

Divvy could not confidently map the merchant to a category. Set the category manually on the expense, then save a merchant rule so Divvy categorizes that vendor correctly going forward.

## Error

```text
Divvy: expense failed to categorize
```

## Steps

1. Open the uncategorized expense in Divvy and check the merchant name. Expected: the merchant is unfamiliar, ambiguous, or a marketplace with many sellers.
2. Choose the correct category from your chart of accounts. Expected: the expense shows the right category.
3. Save a merchant rule: in Divvy's categorization settings, map that merchant name to the category. Expected: the rule is listed for future transactions.
4. Re-run auto-categorization on recent uncategorized expenses. Expected: matching merchants pick up the new rule.
5. Review uncategorized expenses weekly until the rule set covers your common vendors. Expected: the uncategorized queue trends toward zero.

## When to use

- Divvy expenses sit uncategorized or get the wrong category.
- A specific merchant is repeatedly miscategorized.

## When not to use

- The category is right but the accounting sync fails (check the GL mapping).
- You need a new category that does not exist (ask accounting to add it).

## Tool compatibility

- Divvy (now part of BILL) expense management; merchant rules in settings.

## Variant phrasings

### Unable to auto-categorize expense

Same failure, alternate wording.

### Category could not be determined

The review-queue phrasing of the same gap.

## Why it happens

Auto-categorization matches merchant names and MCC codes against learned patterns. New vendors, ambiguous names, and marketplaces with mixed goods defeat the match, so the expense lands uncategorized.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_HIoUo3FZJiRNn7fBSbyFuA