Use case
Accounts payable automation with Lucius
Definition
Accounts payable automation is the process of capturing vendor bills, matching and approving them, and paying and reconciling them — with software handling data entry and matching instead of manual keying.
Map your current workflow
Tell us how this process runs today and we'll show how Lucius keeps contracts, cash, and the ledger connected.
The problem
- Vendor bills arrive by email and PDF, then get manually keyed into accounting — slow and error-prone.
- Approvals happen over email and chat with no clear trail, and duplicate or fraudulent bills slip through.
- Payments and bills are reconciled separately, so AP aging and cash forecasting are unreliable.
How Lucius solves it
- Lucius parses vendor bills from Gmail and forwarded email, extracting vendor, amount, and line items automatically.
- AI matches bills to vendors and accounts and proposes the posting; humans approve or override with a full trail.
- Payments are matched back to bills during reconciliation, so AP aging and cash forecasting stay accurate on the ledger.
Workflow
- 1
Capture bills
Invoices are parsed from Gmail or forwarded to a Lucius alias.
- 2
Extract and match
Vendor, amount, and line items are extracted and matched to accounts.
- 3
Approve
AI proposes the posting; humans approve or override with an audit trail.
- 4
Pay and record
Bills are scheduled for payment and recorded on the stateful ledger.
- 5
Reconcile
Outgoing payments are matched back to bills, closing the AP loop.
Example data flow
| From | To | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Email invoice | Parsed bill | Lucius extracts vendor, amount, and line items from the document. |
| Bill | Approved posting | AI matches and proposes; a human approves and it posts to the ledger. |
| Payment | Bill match | Outgoing payments reconcile to the originating bills. |
Frequently asked questions
How does Lucius automate accounts payable?
Lucius parses bills from Gmail and forwarded email, extracts the details, matches to vendors and accounts with AI, and posts on human approval — then reconciles payments back to bills.
Does Lucius capture invoices from email?
Yes. Invoices are parsed from a connected Gmail inbox or forwarded to a Lucius alias. See the Gmail integration for detail.
Is there an approval trail for AP?
Yes. Every bill approval is recorded with an append-only audit trail, and postings link to the source document.
Does Lucius reconcile AP payments?
Yes. Outgoing payments are matched back to the originating bills during reconciliation, keeping AP aging accurate.
Map your current workflow
Tell us how this process runs today and we'll show how Lucius keeps contracts, cash, and the ledger connected.
Map your workflowOr explore the stateful ledger — Lucius's financial system of record.