Automate Receipt Processing for Expense Tracking with Google Drive, VLM Run & Airtable

Description

Transform your expense tracking with automated AI receipt processing that extracts data and organizes it instantly.

What this workflow does

Monitors Google Drive for new receipt uploads (images/PDFs)
Downloads and processes files automatically
Extracts key data using verified VLM Run node (merchant, amount, currency, date)
Saves structured data to Airtable for easy tracking

Setup

Prerequisites: Google Drive account, Airtable account, VLM Run API credentials, n8n instance.

Install the verified VLM Run node by searching for VLM Run in the node list, then click Install. Once installed, you can start using it in your workflows.

Quick Setup:
Configure Google Drive OAuth2, Airtable OAuth2
Create receipt upload folder
Add VLM Run API credentials
Create Airtable table with columns: Customer, Merchant, Amount, Currency, Date
Update folder/table IDs in workflow nodes
Test and activate

How to customize this workflow to your needs

Extend functionality by:
Adding expense categories and approval workflows
Connecting to accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero)
Including Slack notifications for processed receipts
Adding data validation and duplicate detection

This workflow transforms manual receipt processing into an automated system that saves hours while improving accuracy.
> ⚠️ Disclaimer: This workflow requires a self-hosted n8n setup because it uses custom nodes (VLM Run) that are not available on the managed n8n.cloud service.