Connect Gmail
Connect a Gmail or Google Workspace inbox with read-only OAuth, then pull in past invoices with a retroactive scan.
Connect Gmail
Admin+Connecting Gmail lets Inbox Ledger read invoices and receipts as they land in your inbox. The connection is read-only. Inbox Ledger reads message metadata and downloads PDF attachments, and it never sends, modifies, or deletes your email.
What you'll need
The admin or owner role in your organization, and a Google account with Gmail (personal Gmail or Google Workspace).
Connect your inbox
Open Sources
In the dashboard sidebar, open Sources and click Add Source.
Choose Gmail
Pick Gmail from the source types. You go to Google's consent screen.
Approve read-only access
Google asks you to grant read-only access to your Gmail. Review it and click Allow.
Return to Inbox Ledger
Google sends you back to the Sources page. Your inbox now appears in the list with a connected status.
What happens after you connect
Connecting does not scan your old mail. Inbox Ledger marks the moment you connected as the starting point and watches for new mail from then on. Auto-sync runs every 60 minutes in the background, so invoices that arrive after you connect show up without any action from you.
To bring in invoices that arrived before you connected, run a retroactive scan.
Open Retroactive Scan
In the sidebar, open Retroactive Scan, then click Find Past Invoices.
Pick a period and your inbox
Choose Today, This month, Last month, or Last quarter, tick your Gmail inbox, and click Scan Selected.
Scanning works by email delivery date. An invoice dated last year is found only if the email carrying it arrived inside the window you picked.
Confirm it worked
Open Documents. Within a few minutes you should see invoices appear with the vendor and total filled in. If the list stays empty, the inbox may have had no invoices in that window, or auto-sync has not run yet.
Troubleshooting
- Connection expired. Open Sources, click Reconnect on the inbox to re-authorize with Google.
- Auto-sync turned off. Each inbox has an Auto-sync (every 60 min) toggle. After several failed syncs in a row, Inbox Ledger pauses it automatically and shows an "Auto-sync disabled" badge. Reconnect the inbox, then switch the toggle back on.
- Still stuck. See Email not syncing.
Reference
Scope we request
| Scope | Why |
|---|---|
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly | Read message metadata and download PDF attachments. |
This single scope is the only access Inbox Ledger asks for.
We do not request the email or profile scopes.
The connected Gmail address is read from the Gmail API after you authorize.
How sync stays incremental
After the connection is established, Inbox Ledger uses Gmail's History API. It asks Google "what changed since the last check?" instead of rescanning the whole inbox, which keeps each 60-minute sync fast and cheap.
Related
Sources overview
Compare all five source types.
Email not syncing
Diagnose stuck or delayed syncs.
Organization settings
Manage connected accounts and roles.
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