Invoice & Challan Reader
Photograph a vendor invoice or delivery challan at the gate; the reader matches it to the open purchase order and drafts the goods receipt with every difference flagged.
It removes the typing at the store, not the store keeper. You still count what came off the lorry and post the receipt yourself.
📷 Screenshot spot — an Invoice & Challan Reader result: the Document panel (vendor, GSTIN, invoice number, date, PO number printed), the Receipt against table with Check flags such as "Part delivery" and "Unit MT vs Bag", and the Draft GRN card
Save as static/img/screenshots/ai-invoice-reader.png and replace this box with 
What it reads
- The invoice or challan you upload — a photo or PDF (PDF, JPG, PNG, WEBP), up to 20 MB. It is read once and not stored.
- Your vendor list.
- The project's issued purchase orders (up to 10 of them, checked line by line) and what has already been received against each line.
- Goods receipts already made against the matched order, to catch the same invoice twice.
- The project's stores.
What you get
- Document — Vendor on document, GSTIN, Invoice / challan no., Date, PO number printed.
- Receipt against the PO — Document line, Qty, Unit, Order line, Outstanding, To receive, Check.
- Key figures: Lines read, Open orders checked, Lines matched to the order, Lines not matched, Differences flagged.
- One draft, Draft goods receipt, titled "Draft GRN against" and the PO number.
How it matches
| Step | Rule |
|---|---|
| Vendor | By GSTIN first, exactly. Otherwise by name, at least 60% alike. The document is never trusted as an ID. |
| Order | The PO whose number is printed on the document; otherwise the issued PO whose open lines the document matches best. |
| Lines | One document line to one order line, by description, at least 50% alike. |
What it flags
| Finding | What the draft does | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| More on the document than is outstanding | Receives only the outstanding; the extra "needs an amended order or goes back on the lorry" | High |
| Over by 0.5% or less | Receives the outstanding as rounding | Info |
| Less than outstanding | Receives it as a part delivery; the balance stays open | Low |
| Line not on this order | Leaves it out | Medium |
| Quantity unreadable | Leaves it out — enter it from the lorry count | Medium |
| Unit differs from the order line | Receives it; check the conversion first | Low |
| Billed rate differs from the PO rate by more than 1% | Receives it; raise it with the vendor | Medium |
| Invoice number already on a GRN for this order | No second draft | High |
| No open order matches | No draft | High |
| Vendor not in your company | Matched on lines alone, if at all | Medium |
| No store on the project | No draft — open a site store first | High |
The rate check runs only when you can see PO rates; a store keeper without rate access gets the quantity checks only.
Run it
- In the sidebar, open Workspaces › Procurement and click Invoice & Challan Reader under AI agents.
- Choose the Project.
- Drop the photo or PDF into Document.
- Optionally set Document type (optional) to invoice or delivery note. Leave Receive into store (optional) empty — the project's site store is used.
- Click Run agent and read every flag.
- Confirm the Draft goods receipt card, open the draft GRN, check it against the delivery, then post it on the goods receipt screen.
Safeguards
- It drafts; it never posts. Stock, the PO's received quantity and the indent counters move only when a person posts the receipt.
- A receipt never exceeds what is outstanding on the order.
- Your photo is read once for the run and never stored.
- Only people who can create goods receipts can run it or confirm its draft.
One document per run, photographed flat and in good light with every line in the frame. A clear PO number on the challan makes the match certain.
Tips
- Run it at the gate, before unloading, so differences are settled with the driver present.
- A "Not on this order" line usually belongs to another PO — run the reader again choosing that project, or receive it by hand.
- If the reader cannot read the document, try a sharper photo or the PDF the vendor emailed.
Related
- Goods receipts — check and post the draft GRN.
- Purchase orders — amend an order before receiving the extra.
- Stores — open a site store for the project.
- Procurement Agent — the agent that drafts the orders.