> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.codex.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# categories

> Returns the list of token categories, optionally filtered by kind (canonical or narrative) and lifecycle status. Defaults to active categories.

Returns the list of token categories: curated groupings such as DeFi, L1s, stablecoins, AI, and memes. Use the `status` argument to scope the list; only `ACTIVE` categories are returned by default.

Use this query to populate category pickers and navigation, then fetch a single category with [`category`](/api-reference/queries/category) or list its tokens with [`categoryTokens`](/api-reference/queries/categorytokens). To filter or exclude categories directly on token discovery queries, use the `categories` filter ([`TokenCategoryFilter`](/api-reference/input-objects/tokencategoryfilter)) on [`filterTokens`](/api-reference/queries/filtertokens).

<div data-generated>
  ## GraphQL

  ```
  type Query {
    categories(
      type: CategoryType
      status: CategoryStatus
    ): [Category!]!
  }

  enum CategoryType {
    CANONICAL
    NARRATIVE
  }

  enum CategoryStatus {
    DRAFT
    ACTIVE
    ARCHIVED
  }

  type Category {
    id: String!
    name: String!
    shortName: String
    slug: String!
    description: String
    type: CategoryType!
    status: CategoryStatus!
    parentId: String
    memberCount: Int
  }
  ```
</div>

### Example

<a href="/explore" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Test this query in the Explorer →</a>

```graphql theme={null}
{
  categories(status: ACTIVE) {
    id
    name
    shortName
    description
    status
    parentId
  }
}
```

### Usage Guidelines

* This is a lightweight call. Fetch once and cache client-side; category membership changes slowly.
* `shortName` is optional and does not fall back to `name`. Use it for compact surfaces (pills, badges) and fall back to `name` yourself when it is null.


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