Yes — if you're on iPhone, you can build a free iOS Automation in the Shortcuts app that watches for incoming receipt texts and automatically forwards them to ExpenseBot. No tapping required once it's set up.
How it works: When a merchant like Clover, Square, or Toast sends you a receipt via SMS, the message typically contains a receipt link (e.g. clover.com/p/..., squareup.com/r/...). Your iOS Automation detects the message, emails it to receipts@expensebot.ai, and ExpenseBot opens the link, screenshots the receipt, and writes it to your spreadsheet automatically.
Requirement: Send the email from the same Gmail address connected to your ExpenseBot account. The automation below does this automatically using the iOS Mail app — just make sure your ExpenseBot email is set up in Mail → Accounts on your iPhone.
Set it up (5 minutes)
Step 1 — Open Shortcuts
Open the Shortcuts app → tap Automation (bottom bar) → tap + (top right) → tap New Automation.
Step 2 — Set the trigger
- Scroll down and tap Message.
- Under "When a message is received containing" → tap the text field and type:
receipt - Leave the sender as Anyone.
- Make sure Run After Confirmation is toggled off (so it runs silently in the background).
- Tap Next.
Tip: If you want to be more specific (to avoid false positives from unrelated texts), use one of these instead of
receipt:
your receipt from— matches Square verbatim formatclover.com/p/— Clover receipt links onlysquareup.com/r/— Square receipt links onlytoasttab.com— Toast receipt links only
Step 3 — Add the action
- Tap Add Action → search for Send Email → tap it.
- To:
receipts@expensebot.ai - Subject:
Fwd: Receipt - Body: tap the body field → tap the blue Shortcut Input chip (the variable from the trigger) — this inserts the SMS text including the receipt URL.
- (Optional) tap Show More → set Account to your ExpenseBot Gmail address if you have multiple email accounts on your iPhone.
- Tap Done.
Step 4 — Disable "Ask Before Running"
Back on the automation summary screen, toggle off Ask Before Running. This lets the automation run in the background without any tap from you.
Tap Done. You're set.
Testing it
To confirm it works: ask a friend to text you something containing the word "receipt" (or manually trigger the automation from the Shortcuts app). You should receive a processed expense in your spreadsheet within a few minutes.
Or, from a Clover or Square merchant, request a text receipt — the automation will fire automatically.
Android
Android doesn't have a direct equivalent to this automation. Android users can still manually forward any receipt text: long-press the SMS → tap Forward → type receipts@expensebot.ai. ExpenseBot will follow the link and capture the receipt the same way.
FAQ
Q: Does this work with Clover, Square, and Toast? A: Yes. All three send SMS receipts with a clickable URL. ExpenseBot opens the link and screenshots the full receipt page automatically.
Q: What if the text message has a link but no other receipt info? A: That's fine — ExpenseBot follows the link and extracts the merchant name, amount, date, and category from the receipt page directly.
Q: Do I need to have the Shortcuts app installed? A: Shortcuts is built into every iPhone running iOS 13 or later — nothing to download. The Automation tab is available in iOS 14.5+.
Q: Does this drain my battery? A: No. The automation is event-driven (fires only on incoming messages matching your keyword) and exits within seconds after sending the email.
Q: What if I use a different email than my ExpenseBot account? A: ExpenseBot matches incoming emails to your account using the sender address. Make sure the Account field in the Send Email action matches the Gmail you connected to ExpenseBot. If they don't match, the receipt won't be attributed to your account.
Q: Can I add multiple keywords? A: Yes — create separate automations with different trigger keywords, or duplicate the automation with the same action but a different trigger phrase.
💬 Need help setting this up? Ask at expensebot.ai/chat — just say "iOS Shortcuts SMS receipt automation" and our AI assistant will walk you through it.