Process Scanned Invoices: Google Drive, OCR, OpenAI to Sheets

This workflow automates the processing of scanned invoices from a Google Drive folder. It triggers every minute to detect new PDF or image files, downloads them, and intelligently handles file types: direct text extraction for standard PDFs, OCR via OCR.Space for images or problematic PDFs like CamScanner outputs.

Extracted text is then fed into OpenAI to parse key details such as company name, total amount, currency, invoice date, and number. The structured data is appended to a Google Sheet, including links to original files for easy reference. Finally, a formatted email notification with an HTML table summary is sent via Mailgun.

Benefits include massive time savings on manual data entry, error reduction through AI accuracy, and scalability for high-volume invoice handling. Ideal for accounting teams, freelancers, or businesses in finance, procurement, or any sector dealing with vendor invoices. Handles diverse formats reliably with smart fallbacks, ensuring robust automation even for challenging scans.

Use cases: AP departments automating invoice logging, small businesses streamlining bookkeeping, or consultants processing client billing docs efficiently.