Email supplier invoices straight into Expenses

MechOS can read the supplier-invoice PDFs sent to your private MechOS address and turn them into Expenses automatically — no typing them in by hand. You still get every invoice in your own inbox, exactly as before; MechOS only needs a copy. And there's no clutter: MechOS only reads invoices from suppliers on your allow-list, and quietly ignores everything else.

Your address is shown at the top of Settings → Email Imports — it looks like invoices+your-workshop@inbox.getmechos.com.au. Copy it from there.

Two ways to do it

• A · Auto-forward rule in your email (recommended). Set it up once and it catches invoices from every supplier on your allow-list. Your inbox copy is never touched. The rest of this guide walks through it for each email provider.
• B · Add the address at your supplier. Tell each supplier's portal to also send invoices to your MechOS address. Simple, but you do it for each supplier one at a time.

Set up an auto-forward rule

Find your email provider below. Not sure which you have? @gmail.com is Gmail; email that came with your website domain is usually Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or cPanel webmail; @outlook.com / @hotmail.com is personal Outlook; @icloud.com is iCloud.

Gmail (personal @gmail.com)

1. Open Gmail at mail.google.com and sign in.
2. In the search box, click the Show search options icon (the sliders/funnel).
3. Enter criteria that match your invoices only — your suppliers' addresses in From, invoice in Subject, or tick Has attachment.
4. Click Search, then Create filter at the bottom.
5. Tick Forward it → Add forwarding address, and enter your MechOS address.
6. Leave Delete it and Skip the Inbox unticked, then click Create filter.

Keeps a copy: with Delete it and Skip the Inbox unticked, Gmail keeps the original in your inbox and sends MechOS a copy only. Scope it using the search fields so your whole mailbox isn't forwarded — combine suppliers with OR.

Google Workspace (Gmail on your business domain)

1. Open mail.google.com and sign in to your business email.
2. Click the Show search options icon (funnel) in the search box.
3. Enter criteria — e.g. from:(supplier@example.com), subject:invoice, or Has attachment.
4. Click Search, then Create filter.
5. Tick Forward it → Add forwarding address and enter your MechOS address.
6. Make sure Delete it, Skip the Inbox, Mark as read and Mute are all unticked, then Create filter.

Keeps a copy: with the delete/archive boxes unticked, the original stays put and MechOS gets a copy. Add more from: clauses (separated by OR) to cover several suppliers.

Outlook.com / Hotmail (personal)

1. Sign in at outlook.office.com and click the Settings (gear) icon.
2. Go to Mail → Rules and click Add new rule. Name it, e.g. Forward invoices to MechOS.
3. Under When the message arrives, add a condition — From a supplier, Subject includes invoice, or Has an attachment.
4. Under Do the following, choose Redirect to and enter your MechOS address. Redirect keeps the supplier as the sender, which MechOS needs to recognise them; Forward sends it from you instead.
5. Do not add Delete, Move, or Mark-as-read — only Redirect. Click Save.

Keeps a copy: choosing only Redirect to (no Delete/Move) sends MechOS a copy while your original stays in your inbox. Conditions must all match, so unrelated mail isn't sent on.

Microsoft 365 (business email)

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web at mail.office.com, click the Settings gear, and choose Mail.
2. Choose Rules → Add new rule. Name it, e.g. Forward supplier invoices to MechOS.
3. Add conditions — From your supplier domains, Subject contains Invoice or PO, or Has attachment (all must match).
4. Under Add an action, choose Redirect to and enter your MechOS address. Redirect keeps the supplier as the sender, which MechOS needs; Forward to and Forward as attachment send it from you instead.
5. Do not tick Delete the message or Move to trash. Click Save.

Keeps a copy: Redirect to with no delete/move ticked leaves your original invoice untouched in your inbox.

cPanel Webmail (Roundcube or Horde)

If your email came with your website hosting, use a filter (not a plain forwarder) so you can target invoices and keep a copy.

1. Log into cPanel webmail (usually a /webmail address).
2. Roundcube: Settings → Filters → +.  Horde: Mail → Filters → New Rule.
3. Set conditions with AND: From contains your supplier, Subject contains invoice, optionally Has Attachment.
4. Roundcube: choose Redirect message to your MechOS address, then add a second action Keep a copy of the message.  Horde: choose Deliver to my INBOX and redirect to your MechOS address.
5. Click Save.

iCloud Mail (icloud.com)

1. Go to icloud.com/mail and sign in.
2. Click the Settings (gear) icon above the mailbox list → Settings → Rules → Add a Rule.
3. Under If a message, choose is from and enter a supplier's address (one rule per supplier), or whose subject contains invoice.
4. Under Then, choose Forward to and enter your MechOS address. Do not pick a move-to-trash or delete action.
5. Click Done.

Keeps a copy: an iCloud Rule with a Forward to action leaves the original in your inbox and sends MechOS a copy. Prefer not to make a rule per supplier? iCloud can forward all mail (Settings → Mail Forwarding) with Delete messages after forwarding unticked — MechOS still only reads allow-listed suppliers.

Add the address at your supplier instead (option B)

Prefer not to touch your own email? Tell each supplier to also send your invoices to MechOS.

1. Log in to your supplier's online account or ordering portal.
2. Find the invoice or billing settings — often under Account, Billing, Invoice preferences, or Notifications.
3. Look for a field like CC invoices to, Additional invoice email, or Second recipient, and enter your MechOS address.
4. No CC field? Email the supplier's accounts team and ask them to add your MechOS address as a second recipient.

If an invoice doesn't show up

• Is the supplier on your allow-list? MechOS only reads invoices from senders you've approved. Add the supplier to the allow-list in Settings → Email Imports; their next invoice will come through.
• Did the forward keep the supplier's original “From”? MechOS identifies invoices by the original sender. Use an auto-forward rule (above) so the supplier's From is preserved — some manual forwards replace it with your own address.
• Business email? Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace admins can block external forwarding — ask your admin to allow it.
• Older invoices that arrived before you set up the rule aren't sent automatically — add those few in Expenses yourself if you need them.
• Still nothing after a few minutes? Forwarding can take a little while to kick in. Give it time, then check again — or use Get help and we'll take a look with you.