Pull invoice data from Gmail PDFs into Sheets and Airtable

Invoices arriving in Gmail are read by AI, logged to a spreadsheet, and flagged for review if something looks off.

How the work actually flows

It branches. Exactly one path is taken; a person is alerted when a step fails.

Pattern: Exclusive Choice (4)

flowchart TD trig>"invoice PDF arrives by email"]:::trig s0["confirm genuine invoice attachment"]:::task s1["extract invoice data with AI"]:::task s2["route by confidence and value"]:::task s3[("save to sheet, Airtable, Drive")]:::store trig --> s0 s0 --> s1 s2 --> s3 gx{"× is invoice low-risk"}:::gate s1 --> gx p00["log automatically"]:::task gx -->|"straightforward invoice"| p00 p10["send to review queue"]:::task gx -->|"flagged invoice"| p10 p11["alert via Slack or Gmail"]:::task p10 --> p11 jn{"○ resume processing"}:::gate p00 --> jn p11 --> jn jn --> s2 out[/"invoice logged, risky ones flagged"/]:::out pay{{"less manual entry, fewer errors"}}:::pay s3 --> out out --> pay esc(("Alerts a person")):::human s2 -. "if it fails" .-> esc esc -.-> out classDef task fill:#e7f6fe,stroke:#34b8f0,color:#2c2a29 classDef svc fill:#f6f8fa,stroke:#7c8795,color:#2c2a29 classDef mi fill:#e7f6fe,stroke:#0079a8,color:#2c2a29,stroke-width:2px classDef human fill:#fff,stroke:#0079a8,color:#0079a8 classDef store fill:#f6f8fa,stroke:#0079a8,color:#2c2a29 classDef trig fill:#00a4eb,stroke:#0079a8,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef trigtime fill:#00a4eb,stroke:#0079a8,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef trigdata fill:#8ad4f5,stroke:#0079a8,color:#06314c,font-weight:bold classDef gate fill:#fff,stroke:#e8a23d,color:#6b4708,font-weight:bold classDef out fill:#1f9d6b,stroke:#167a53,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef pay fill:#06314c,stroke:#021f33,color:#fff
Starts itA stepA personA record or sheetOne path onlyPaths rejoinResultPayoff
Build size
Advanced

A larger build with multiple systems, AI reasoning, and custom rules.

Business functions
Email AutomationMessaging & NotificationsDocument Processing & OCRImage & Media ProcessingSpreadsheet & Database OpsFile & Cloud StorageFinance & Accounting
Connects
GmailGoogle SheetsGoogle DriveAirtableSlack

The problem it solves

Every invoice that lands in your inbox has to be opened, read, and typed into your books by hand, and it's easy for a number to get mistyped or a high-value invoice to slip through without a second look. That manual entry eats into time your finance team could spend on higher-value work.

Who it fits

Accounts payable and finance teams who process a steady volume of vendor invoices by email.

How it works

  1. A new invoice PDF arrives by Gmail
  2. The system checks that it's a genuine invoice attachment
  3. It reads the PDF and pulls out the vendor, invoice number, tax, and total
  4. Straightforward invoices are logged automatically, while low-confidence or high-value invoices are sent to a review queue
  5. The invoice and file are saved to Sheets, Airtable, and a Drive archive, with a Slack or Gmail alert for anything flagged
What you get

Invoices logged with exceptions flagged for you

Invoices that arrive in your inbox get read and logged automatically, with anything unusual flagged for your team to check.

What you get

A logged, categorized invoice record in your spreadsheet and Airtable, with high-risk items flagged for a human to check.

What you need

A Gmail account, Google Sheets, Google Drive, an Airtable account, and Slack for alerts.

We can build this. But should you?

The hard question is not how to build it. It is whether this is the right thing to build first.

That is what a Fractional Chief AI Officer figures out with you, before anyone writes a line of code.

Let's Talk Strategy

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