🧾 Extract & categorize receipt data with Google OCR, OpenRouter AI & Telegram

⚡ 3,602 views · 🧾 Invoice Processing

Description

Stop typing expenses by hand. MoneyMate is an n8n workflow that turns receipts into organized financial insights.

Send a photo or a text via Telegram, and MoneyMate pulls out the key details, store info, transaction dates, items, and totals, using Google Vision OCR and AI-powered parsing via OpenRouter.

It categorizes expenses (e.g., Food & Beverages, Transport, Household) and sends a clean, emoji-rich summary back to your Telegram chat. If a total comes back as zero, it nudges you to double-check the input.

Great for freelancers, small business owners, or anyone who wants expense tracking without the hassle. No database needed, so your data stays private and the setup stays simple.

Last updated: September 2026.

Key Features

• Telegram Integration: Input via photo or text, receive summaries instantly.
• Receipt Scanning: Converts receipt images to text using Google Vision API.
• AI Parsing: Categorizes transactions with OpenRouter’s AI analysis.
• Privacy-First: Processes data on-the-fly without storage.
• Smart Error Handling: Catches zero totals with user-friendly prompts.
• Flexible Categories: Supports Income/Expense and custom expense types.

Ideal For

• Budget-conscious individuals managing personal finances.
• Entrepreneurs tracking business expenses.
• Teams needing quick, automated expense reporting.

Pre-Requirements

• n8n Instance: A running n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted).
• Credentials:
  • Telegram: A bot token and webhook setup (obtained via BotFather). For more information, please refer to Telegram bots creation
  • Google Cloud: A service account with Google Vision API enabled and API key. For more informations, please refer to Google cloud Vision
  • OpenRouter: An account with API access for AI language model usage.
• Telegram Bot: A configured Telegram bot to receive inputs and send summaries.

Setup Instructions

• Import Workflow: Copy the MoneyMate workflow JSON and import it into your n8n instance using the “Import Workflow” option.
• Set Up Telegram Bot: Create a bot via BotFather on Telegram to get a token and set up a webhook. For detailed steps, refer to n8n’s Telegram setup guide.
• Configure Credentials:
  • In the Telegram Trigger, Send Error Message, and Send Expense Summary nodes, add Telegram API credentials with your bot token.
  • In the Get Telegram File and Download Image nodes, ensure Telegram API credentials are linked.
  • In the Google Vision OCR node, add Google Cloud credentials with Google Vision API access.
  • In the OpenRouter AI Model node, set up OpenRouter API credentials.
• Test the Workflow: Send a test receipt photo or text (e.g., “Lunch 50,000 IDR”) via Telegram and verify the summary in your chat.
• Activate: Enable the workflow in n8n to run automatically for each input.

Customization Options

• Add Categories: Modify the AI Categorizer node to include new expense types (e.g., Entertainment).
• Change Output Format: Adjust the Format Summary Message node to include more details like taxes or payment methods.
• Switch AI Model: In the OpenRouter AI Model node, select a different OpenRouter model for better parsing.
• Store Data: Add a Google Sheets node after Parse Receipt Data to save expense records.
• Enhance Errors: Include an email notification node after Check Invalid Input for failed inputs.

Why Choose MoneyMate?

Save time, cut manual entry, and see exactly where your money goes. Ready to streamline your finances? Get MoneyMate now!

Quick Answers

Does it store my receipts anywhere?
No. It processes each receipt on the fly and sends back a summary. Nothing is stored.
What can I send it?
A receipt photo or a plain text description, straight through Telegram.
What if my total shows zero?
It will nudge you to double-check the input and try again.

Made by: khmuhtadin Need a custom? contact me on LinkedIn or Web

Additional info

Built with n8n. Need an assessment on your business? Feel free to reach out at https://khmuhtadin.com/consultation/

🔗 Nodes Used

HTTP Request, Telegram, Telegram Trigger, Basic LLM Chain, Structured Output Parser, OpenRouter Chat Model

📥 Import

Download workflow.json and import into n8n: Workflow menu → Import from File

📖 Importing guide · 🔑 Credential setup