Asset descriptions can change: books.label_asset description, journaled as asset.described (with the old one), replayed, projected, shown in the journal

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01GWVo7x3UHw5kwCUaWxiejX

crates/ledger-core/src/ledger.rs

@@ -1620,6 +1620,42 @@ impl Ledger {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Change an asset's description (what it is, as the register and its
+    /// label print it). Its accounting doesn't change.
+    ///
+    /// ```text
+    /// GOAL: keep the register's words right when they go stale (a
+    ///       corrected entry, a better name).
+    /// SOURCE: DECISION (Stephen, 2026-10-15).
+    /// SCENARIOS:
+    ///   1. IF the asset is unknown, or the description is blank: SHOULD
+    ///      refuse, changing nothing.
+    /// ```
+    pub fn set_asset_description(
+        &mut self,
+        id: AssetId,
+        description: &str,
+    ) -> Result<(), LedgerError> {
+        self.check_asset_description(id, description)?;
+        self.assets.get_mut(&id).expect("checked").description = description.to_string();
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// The validation behind [`Self::set_asset_description`].
+    pub fn check_asset_description(
+        &self,
+        id: AssetId,
+        description: &str,
+    ) -> Result<(), LedgerError> {
+        if !self.assets.contains_key(&id) {
+            return Err(LedgerError::UnknownAsset(id));
+        }
+        if description.trim().is_empty() {
+            return Err(LedgerError::EmptyAssetDescription);
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// The asset whose current tag is `tag`, ignoring case.
     pub fn asset_by_tag(&self, tag: &str) -> Option<&Asset> {
         let id = self.asset_tags.get(&assets::tag_key(tag))?;

crates/ledger-gui/src/pages/journal.rs

@@ -267,6 +267,15 @@ pub fn describe(b: &Books, line: &JournalLine) -> Option<Event> {
             };
             ev(icon::BARCODE, text, asset_id.map(Route::Asset))
         }
+        "asset.described" => ev(
+            icon::PENCIL_SIMPLE,
+            format!(
+                "Renamed asset {} to {}",
+                s(p, "previous_description"),
+                s(p, "description")
+            ),
+            asset_id.map(Route::Asset),
+        ),
         "asset.acquisition_linked" => {
             let entry = p.get("entry_id").and_then(|v| v.as_u64()).unwrap_or(0);
             Some(Event {

crates/ledger-mcp/src/server.rs

@@ -2561,7 +2561,7 @@ impl BooksServer {
 
     #[tool(
         name = "books.label_asset",
-        description = "Link a fixed asset to the entry that acquired it (acquisition_entry), or set or change its tag (the label on the thing: letters, digits, - _ . /, at most 32; unique ignoring case and never reused by another asset, even after a retag or disposal) and its manufacturer serial number. The asset is its id or current tag. Journaled. Print labels with books.asset_labels."
+        description = "Change a fixed asset's description, link it to the entry that acquired it (acquisition_entry), or set or change its tag (the label on the thing: letters, digits, - _ . /, at most 32; unique ignoring case and never reused by another asset, even after a retag or disposal) and its manufacturer serial number. The asset is its id or current tag. Journaled. Print labels with books.asset_labels."
     )]
     async fn label_asset(
         &self,
@@ -2574,11 +2574,23 @@ impl BooksServer {
         if clear && p.serial.is_some() {
             return Err("pass serial or clear_serial, not both".into());
         }
-        if p.tag.is_none() && p.serial.is_none() && !clear && p.acquisition_entry.is_none() {
+        if p.tag.is_none()
+            && p.serial.is_none()
+            && !clear
+            && p.acquisition_entry.is_none()
+            && p.description.is_none()
+        {
             return Err(
-                "nothing to change: pass tag, serial, clear_serial, or acquisition_entry".into(),
+                "nothing to change: pass tag, serial, clear_serial, description, or acquisition_entry"
+                    .into(),
             );
         }
+        if let Some(d) = &p.description {
+            store
+                .ledger()
+                .check_asset_description(id, d)
+                .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        }
         if let Some(entry) = p.acquisition_entry {
             store
                 .ledger()
@@ -2612,12 +2624,18 @@ impl BooksServer {
                 .set_asset_acquisition(id, entry)
                 .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
         }
+        if let Some(d) = &p.description {
+            store
+                .set_asset_description(id, d)
+                .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        }
         let a = store.ledger().get_asset(id).expect("resolved");
         Ok(Json(LabelAssetOut {
             asset_id: id,
             tag: a.tag.clone(),
             serial: a.serial.clone(),
             acquisition_entry: a.acquired_by,
+            description: a.description.clone(),
         }))
     }
 

crates/ledger-mcp/src/types.rs

@@ -1537,6 +1537,9 @@ pub struct LabelAssetParams {
     pub serial: Option<String>,
     /// True to clear the serial number.
     pub clear_serial: Option<bool>,
+    /// A new description (what it is, as the register and label print it).
+    /// Omit to keep it.
+    pub description: Option<String>,
     /// Link the posted entry that put it on the books (purchase or
     /// contribution; it must debit the asset's cost account and not be
     /// reversed). Use after correcting that entry, to link the replacement.
@@ -1554,6 +1557,8 @@ pub struct LabelAssetOut {
     pub serial: Option<String>,
     /// The entry that acquired it, if linked.
     pub acquisition_entry: Option<u64>,
+    /// Its description now.
+    pub description: String,
 }
 
 /// Parameters for `books.asset_labels`.

crates/ledger-store/src/store.rs

@@ -725,6 +725,28 @@ impl Store {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    /// Change an asset's description (see `Ledger::set_asset_description`).
+    /// Journaled as `asset.described`, with the description it had.
+    pub fn set_asset_description(
+        &mut self,
+        id: AssetId,
+        description: &str,
+    ) -> Result<(), StoreError> {
+        self.ledger.check_asset_description(id, description)?;
+        let previous = self
+            .ledger
+            .get_asset(id)
+            .map(|a| a.description.clone())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        let line = self.append_journal(
+            "asset.described",
+            json!({"asset_id": id, "description": description, "previous_description": previous}),
+        )?;
+        self.ledger.set_asset_description(id, description)?;
+        apply_line_to_sqlite(&self.conn, &line)?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// Link an asset to the entry that put it on the books (see
     /// `Ledger::set_asset_acquisition`). Journaled as
     /// `asset.acquisition_linked`.
@@ -3430,6 +3452,9 @@ pub(crate) fn replay_line_into_ledger(
         "asset.tagged" => {
             ledger.set_asset_tag(get_u64(p, "asset_id")?, get_str(p, "tag")?)?;
         }
+        "asset.described" => {
+            ledger.set_asset_description(get_u64(p, "asset_id")?, get_str(p, "description")?)?;
+        }
         "asset.acquisition_linked" => {
             ledger.set_asset_acquisition(get_u64(p, "asset_id")?, get_u64(p, "entry_id")?)?;
         }
@@ -3904,6 +3929,12 @@ fn apply_line_rows(conn: &Connection, line: &JournalLine) -> Result<(), StoreErr
                 params![id, tag],
             )?;
         }
+        "asset.described" => {
+            conn.execute(
+                "UPDATE assets SET description = ? WHERE id = ?",
+                params![get_str(p, "description")?, get_u64(p, "asset_id")? as i64],
+            )?;
+        }
         "asset.acquisition_linked" => {
             conn.execute(
                 "UPDATE assets SET acquisition_entry = ? WHERE id = ?",

crates/ledger-store/tests/asset_tags.rs

@@ -499,3 +499,28 @@ fn verify_compares_amounts_by_value() {
         Store::open(&dir).unwrap().verify().unwrap();
     }
 }
+
+/// A description change is journaled with the old one, replays on reopen
+/// and from the journal alone, and verifies; a blank one is refused and
+/// journals nothing.
+#[test]
+fn a_description_change_replays_and_verifies() {
+    let (dir, mut s, _, x, _) = fixture("described");
+    let before = journal(&dir).len();
+    assert!(s.set_asset_description(x, "  ").is_err());
+    assert_eq!(journal(&dir).len(), before, "a refusal journals nothing");
+    s.set_asset_description(x, "Laptop, contributed jointly")
+        .unwrap();
+    let (kind, p) = journal(&dir).pop().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(kind, "asset.described");
+    assert_eq!(p["description"], "Laptop, contributed jointly");
+    s.verify().unwrap();
+    drop(s);
+    std::fs::remove_file(dir.join(DB_FILE)).unwrap();
+    let s = Store::open(&dir).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        s.ledger().get_asset(x).unwrap().description,
+        "Laptop, contributed jointly"
+    );
+    s.verify().unwrap();
+}