First Automation Lab build

AI-Powered Invoice Automation: From Drive to Spreadsheet

An n8n workflow that scans invoices from a Google Drive folder, extracts the key fields with OpenAI, and logs them straight into Google Sheets — no manual data entry.

  • n8n
  • Google Drive
  • OpenAI
  • Google Sheets

Demo

Watch it run

A walkthrough of the automation end to end.

How it works

The workflow

Six steps, running end to end in n8n:

  • Manually triggered ("Execute workflow")
  • FindTheFiles — searches a designated Google Drive folder for new invoices
  • Download file — pulls the matched file down
  • Extract_Text — pulls raw text out of the document
  • Information Extractor — an OpenAI model converts that raw text into structured fields
  • Add_To_Google_Sheet — appends the structured row to the output sheet
Infographic showing the AI-powered invoice automation workflow, from Google Drive to structured Google Sheet
The full workflow, Drive to Sheet.
The actual n8n canvas for the AI Based Automated Invoice Processing workflow
The live n8n canvas.

Output

What gets captured

Each invoice is parsed into 10 structured columns in Google Sheets:

  • Invoice Number, Invoice Date
  • Customer Name, Ship To
  • Sub Total, Shipping Charge, Total Amount
  • Order ID, Item Name, Quantity

The screenshot below uses sample invoice data to demonstrate the extraction — not real client documents.

Google Sheet showing invoice data automatically extracted into structured columns
Structured output in Google Sheets.

Roadmap

What's next

Not built yet — ideas for extending this workflow:

  • High-value auto-alerts — Slack or email notification when an invoice exceeds a set value
  • Rule-based task routing — route invoices to specific departments by vendor or amount
  • Advanced custom n8n builds — ERP integrations or multi-stage approval loops

See the Automation Lab for other builds, or get in touch to discuss a similar workflow.