AI Bookkeeper

An AI bookkeeper you send receipts to.

Text it a photo of a receipt or forward an invoice, and it reads it, categorizes it and matches it to the bank line in QuickBooks or Xero. It chases what customers owe after your yes, and tells you plainly when a question is one for your accountant.

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Marta · WhatsApp

Marta · 6:48 PM

today's receipts: the fish order, the gas bill and something from the hardware store

Cicada · 6:49 PM

Got all three. Fish supplier $412.80 to Cost of goods, matched to yesterday's card line in QuickBooks. Gas bill $236.15 to Utilities, matched to the direct debit on the 3rd. The hardware store one is $64.20 and has no bank line yet, so it's probably still pending.

Marta · 6:52 PM

the hardware one was personal, sorry

Cicada · 6:52 PM

Noted. When it clears I'll record it as owner's draw, not an expense, and I'll check with you before filing anything else from that store as a business cost. October so far is in the sheet.

Osteria Luca · October receipts

Sheet · 61 rows · amount, category, match, status

Open

WhatsApp · one-to-one · photos in, matches and questions back

The short answer

What is an AI bookkeeper?

An AI bookkeeper is an agent that does the routine work of keeping the books: reads receipts and invoices, puts each one in the right category, matches it to the transaction in your bank feed, and keeps a list of what is still missing. Cicada's takes receipts as photos or PDFs in iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack or email, works in QuickBooks or Xero (read-only, or making changes after your OK), chases unpaid invoices only when you say so, and runs a month-end checklist on a schedule. It is not an accountant, and it says so when a question needs one.

What it does

What your AI bookkeeper does.

Reads every receipt

Text a photo, forward a PDF or send ten at once. It reads the vendor, date, amount and tax, and keeps a copy in the month's folder in Google Drive.

Puts it in the right category

Uses your chart of accounts and how you've categorized that vendor before. When it isn't sure, it asks you once and remembers the answer.

Matches the bank lines

Matches each receipt to its transaction in QuickBooks or Xero and lists the lines with no receipt and the receipts with no line. Set the app to Ask first and every change waits for your OK.

Chases unpaid invoices

Reads what's overdue in QuickBooks, Xero or Stripe, drafts a polite reminder for each customer and sends it from your inbox after your yes. Checks again on the day you choose.

Runs the month-end checklist

On the last working day it texts you what's left: unmatched lines, missing receipts, uncategorized spend and overdue invoices, in one sheet you can hand to your accountant.

Answers questions about spend

"What did we spend on produce in September?" gets a figure from your books, with the transactions behind it.

Who it's for

Who hires an AI bookkeeper.

Restaurant owners

Receipts from the pass, not the shoebox

Supplier invoices photographed as they arrive and matched before the week is out.

Founders

Clean books before a finance hire

Expenses categorized and matched every week, so month end is a review and not a weekend.

Freelancers and consultants

Every invoice paid, every expense kept

Overdue invoices chased after your yes, receipts filed by month for tax time.

Shop owners

Payouts that add up

Stripe and Shopify payouts matched to the deposits in your books, with the fees and refunds shown.

Office managers

Card receipts from the whole team

Receipts collected in one Slack channel, matched to the card statement, the missing ones listed by person.

Bookkeepers

A second pair of hands

Takes the receipt sorting and the matching so you can do the review and the advice.

Setup

Set up in three steps.

Say what the job is
Describe the role in a sentence when you sign up, or tell the agent in the chat. It writes its own brief, which you can read and change any time.
Connect the apps it needs
One click for most apps. Each one can be Full, Ask first or Read-only, for every agent in the workspace.
Link your phone, or don't
Scan a code and it's in your iMessage or WhatsApp. Or keep it in the app, Slack and email. Hand it the first job in the same message.

Works withQuickBooksXeroStripeShopifyGoogle DriveGoogle SheetsGmailWhatsAppiMessageSlackand 1,000+ more

Control

Nothing goes out without your yes.

Nothing goes out without your yes

Anything that can't be undone, and any message to another person, waits for your OK. Approve with a 👍 in the chat, or set a role to full autonomy once you trust it.

Read-only is a real lock

Make any app read-only and the agent can look but never change a thing. It applies to every agent in the workspace, from their next run.

Every step on the record

Each run shows what it read, what it did and what it sent, step by step, in the Activity tab. Corrections you make stick.

What it won't do.

Won't pretend

If it couldn't confirm something, it leaves it out and says so. A number without a source doesn't go in a message.

Won't go around you

It never messages anyone on your behalf unless you asked, never spends money, and never makes a judgement call about money on its own.

Won't stand in for your accountant

It keeps the books tidy and tells you what it found. Tax advice, filings and signing off the year go to your accountant, and it says so when a question is one of those.

Compared

Three ways to keep the books

Task	Doing it yourself	A receipt-scanning app	An AI bookkeeper
Capturing a receipt	A shoebox until month end	Snap it in their app	Text or email the photo you already have
Categorizing	You, line by line	Suggested from the vendor	From your chart of accounts and your past choices; asks when unsure
Matching to the bank	Two windows open, line by line	Synced; you match in the accounting app	Matched in QuickBooks or Xero, with the gaps listed
Chasing unpaid invoices	Awkward emails you put off	Not covered	A draft per customer, sent from your inbox after your yes
Month end	A long weekend	Not covered	A checklist on the last working day, in one sheet
Questions about spend	Run a report and filter it	Not covered	Ask in a text; the figure comes back with its transactions
Where it happens	Your laptop	Their app	WhatsApp, iMessage, Slack or email

Try it

Things to ask your AI bookkeeper.

01
"here are this week's receipts, match them and tell me what's missing"
You get: Each receipt read and categorized, matched to its bank line, and a short list of lines with no receipt.
02
"Which invoices are more than 30 days overdue? Draft a reminder for each."
You get: The overdue list from QuickBooks with amounts and days late, and a short reminder per customer for your yes.
03
"How much did we spend on software in Q3 compared to Q2?"
You get: Both totals from your books, the change, and the five vendors behind most of it.
04
"Every month on the last working day, send me the month-end checklist."
You get: A recurring message on the minute: unmatched lines, missing receipts, uncategorized spend and overdue invoices, with the sheet.
05
"put the Acme refund in the right place and show me before you save it"
You get: The category it suggests and why, then the change in QuickBooks after your OK.

Questions

Frequently asked questions.

Where do I send receipts?

Text a photo in iMessage or WhatsApp, drop it in Slack, or forward the email. PDFs and several photos at once are fine. It answers in the same thread, and in a group chat it stays quiet until someone names it.

Is it an accountant?

No. It categorizes, matches and keeps the list of what's missing, and tells you what it found. Tax advice, filings and signing off the year are for your accountant, and it will say when a question is one of those.

Can it change things in QuickBooks or Xero?

Only as far as you allow. Read-only and it reads and reports; Ask first and every change waits for your OK in the chat; Full once you trust it. Every change it makes is listed in the Activity tab.

What won't it do?

It won't email a customer unless you asked and said yes to the draft, won't pay a bill or move money, and won't put a figure in a message it couldn't confirm in your books.

How does it learn my categories?

It reads your chart of accounts and how each vendor has been categorized before. When you correct it, the rule goes into its memory, which you can read and edit in the Brain tab.

Does it work with Stripe and Shopify?

Yes. It reads payouts, charges and refunds from Stripe and Shopify and matches them to the deposits in your books, so the fees and refunds are visible.

Can my accountant see what it did?

Each month's sheet and checklist is a link you can forward. The detail behind every change, step by step, is in the Activity tab.

Can my team send it receipts?

Yes. Everyone in your workspace gets their own agent, and the accounting app is connected once for the team. Add your agent to a Slack channel or group chat for receipts and people name it when they post one.

What does it cost?

Every workspace starts with 300 free credits. You add a card at sign-up and nothing is charged until you run low; then it's $25 for 200 credits, with no subscription. A quick reply is about 5 credits and a typical run under 20; plans start at $99 a month.

Often hired together

One teammate. The output of a team.

Works nights, remembers every decision, answers in the thread. Start free with 300 credits.