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Finance/First-party starter playbook

Invoice approval routing

Route incoming invoices for approval.

// what it does
  1. 01Parse the invoice. Extract the vendor, invoice number, amount, line items, and due date from the incoming email and attachment in Gmail.
  2. 02Match the PO. If a purchase order is referenced, look it up (in the knowledge base or a connected Google Drive file) and compare vendor, amounts, and quantities, noting any discrepancies. If no PO is available, say so and continue.
  3. 03Route by amount. Based on the approval thresholds, open a human approval request to the correct approver — they approve or reject in-app or by email — and post a heads-up to them in Slack.
  4. 04File it. Once approved, save the invoice with its PO match and approval record to Google Drive for accounts payable.
// guardrails in the draft

Never mark an invoice approved or trigger payment without the designated approver's explicit approval.

If the invoice doesn't match its PO (amount, vendor, or missing PO), hold it and flag the discrepancy — do not route it as clean.

Route strictly by the approval thresholds; never route a high-value invoice to a lower-authority approver.

Watch for duplicate invoice numbers and possible fraud (changed bank details, unknown vendor) and escalate rather than proceeding.

Before you publish this playbook

Playbook updated

Prepare the approval policy and source records

Use this playbook when accounts payable needs an invoice checked, routed to the right person, and filed with its approval context. Before connecting Gmail, Slack, and Google Drive, identify the incoming mailbox, the folder or knowledge source containing purchase orders, and the destination for approved records. Write down the amount thresholds and the designated approver for each band. A missing threshold should be a setup issue you resolve, not a choice left to the agent.

The playbook routes approvals; it is not authorization to pay a vendor. Configure the permitted actions and review gates to match that boundary. Give the reviewer the invoice number, vendor, amount, purchase-order match, and any discrepancy. A Slack heads-up should help the reviewer find the decision, not stand in for the explicit approval required by the instructions.

Test discrepancies before ordinary volume

Start with an invoice whose purchase order matches, then test an amount mismatch, a missing purchase order, and an invoice number that already exists. Include a changed bank detail or unknown vendor so the owner can inspect the escalation. Confirm the draft holds a discrepancy instead of presenting it as a clean match. Use controlled folders and sample messages while evaluating writes.

A useful result is a routed decision with enough context to review, followed by a filed record only after approval. Inspect the run trace and destination folder together. If a step fails, check what was already saved before repeating the run. Track whether reviewers still have to reconstruct the purchase-order comparison manually; that is a concrete sign that the instructions or supplied context need more work.

// more agentic workflows to start from
FinanceInvoice and receipt ledger

File new billing documents and maintain a duplicate-safe expense ledger.

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Preview the daily executive brief playbookData & OpsMeeting action tracker

Turn meeting decisions into reviewed tasks and a lasting decision log.

Preview the meeting action tracker playbook

Make invoice approval routing yours.

Request access and we'll start with a private draft. You keep control of the tools, permissions, tests, and publication decision.