diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0416904..6cbf513 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 MCP server for [Family Wall](https://www.familywall.com) -- read and manage your family's circles, lists, and tasks directly from Claude.
 
-## Features (v0.4.11)
+## Features (v0.4.12)
 
 ### Read
 
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ MCP server for [Family Wall](https://www.familywall.com) -- read and manage your
 - `get_members` -- list members of a circle (or all circles)
 - `get_lists` -- list all task lists (optionally filtered by circle)
 - `get_tasks` -- list tasks in a specific list (includes `category_id` field)
-- `get_categories` -- list categories for a list (locale-filtered; `custom` flag marks user-created ones)
+- `get_categories` -- list categories for a list (locale-filtered; custom categories always included; `custom` flag marks user-created ones)
 - `get_activities` -- list recent wall activities (author resolved to display name)
 
 ### Write (with confirmation prompt)
diff --git a/SPEC.md b/SPEC.md
index 2c88e67..5a77912 100644
--- a/SPEC.md
+++ b/SPEC.md
@@ -150,6 +150,9 @@ a01.r.r.updatedCreated[]              → taskcategorysync (Kategorien/Abteilung
   .locale                             → Sprache des Namens (z.B. "de", "en", "ru", "fr", "es",
                                         "it", "nl", "pt", "sv", "ko", "ja")
                                         Jede Sprache = eigener Eintrag mit eigenem metaId/systemCategoryId
+                                        **Wichtig:** Custom-Kategorien (rights.canDelete='true') haben
+                                        kein locale-Feld gesetzt — sie werden sprachunabhängig
+                                        zurückgegeben und dürfen nie über locale gefiltert werden.
   .hiddenByTaskList                   → Liste von Listen-IDs, in denen die Kat. versteckt ist
 a02.r.r.updatedCreated[]              → tasksync (Tasks)
   .metaId                             → eindeutige Task-ID
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 0c6ceba..50a29a7 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "mcp-familywall"
-version = "0.4.11"
+version = "0.4.12"
 description = "MCP server for Family Wall — read your family's lists and tasks via Claude"
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.12"
diff --git a/src/mcp_familywall/__init__.py b/src/mcp_familywall/__init__.py
index 3d26edf..9b084a6 100644
--- a/src/mcp_familywall/__init__.py
+++ b/src/mcp_familywall/__init__.py
@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = "0.4.1"
+__version__ = "0.4.12"
diff --git a/src/mcp_familywall/server.py b/src/mcp_familywall/server.py
index 3aec20f..55b7407 100644
--- a/src/mcp_familywall/server.py
+++ b/src/mcp_familywall/server.py
@@ -391,12 +391,17 @@ def get_categories(list_id: str, locale: str = "de") -> str:
     # Filter by locale (exact match) and taskListType (when known).
     # sortingIndexByTaskList is NOT used for filtering: all categories are
     # assigned to all lists regardless of type, making it an unreliable signal.
+    #
+    # Custom categories (rights.canDelete=true) bypass both filters: they have
+    # no locale or taskListType set by the API and must always be returned.
     matched: list[tuple[int, dict[str, Any]]] = []
     for cat in raw_cats:
-        if cat.get("locale") != locale:
-            continue
-        if list_type is not None and cat.get("taskListType") != list_type:
-            continue
+        is_custom = cat.get("rights", {}).get("canDelete") == "true"
+        if not is_custom:
+            if cat.get("locale") != locale:
+                continue
+            if list_type is not None and cat.get("taskListType") != list_type:
+                continue
         sort_val = int(cat.get("initialSortingIndex") or 0)
         matched.append((sort_val, cat))