How do I automate a Google Drive folder so receipts dropped into it become ExpenseBot expenses?

A shared folder is the easiest habit to teach a team: everyone drops receipts in, the automation does the rest. This recipe watches that folder and routes each file's real outcome.

The workflow shape

1. Trigger — your platform's "new file in folder" trigger, pointed at one Drive folder. Use a dedicated folder, not the whole Drive.
2. Filter by type — receipt images and PDFs only. Skip anything else early so a stray spreadsheet does not enter the pipeline.
3. Download the file — pass the actual file object or a downloadable URL. A Drive preview link is a web page, not a file, and will not process. Preserve the filename with its extension and the true MIME type.
4. Upload Receipt — the signed receipt pipeline accepts the raw file and returns a submission ID.
5. Delay, then Get Receipt Processing Result with that exact submission ID. The outcome is terminal: added, duplicate, skipped, errored, or unknown.
6. Route — success and Action Needed go different ways. Optionally move the file into a processed subfolder on success so the folder stays a to-do list.

Handling duplicates without special-casing

duplicate is a normal, useful outcome, not an error. If someone drops the same receipt twice, or a supplier both emails and hands over a copy, ExpenseBot's duplicate detection catches it and the result tells you so. Writes are retry-safe — replaying the same action creates exactly one spreadsheet row, verified in live QA — so a re-run after a platform timeout is safe too.

The division of labour

ExpenseBot supplies structured expense data and Gmail receipt capture to Make workflows — extraction, duplicate detection, review, and the spreadsheet record. Make handles external triggers, routing, reminders, and notifications.

The boundary

Your expense records live in a Google Sheet in your own Drive. The automation platform's Drive connection is separate from ExpenseBot's — grant each the narrowest access that works. Changes preview and ask before anything is saved; treat scheduled scenarios as reviewed steps, not unattended bulk operations.

Where to build it

• Choose the right connection for your AI
• Connect ExpenseBot to Zapier's MCP Client — beta, usable today
• Does ExpenseBot work with Make.com? — native app submitted and in review
• The email-side variant: Gmail attachment capture