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Extract Invoice Data from Google Drive to Sheets using PDF.co AI Parser

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Created by: Robert Breen || rbreen

Robert Breen

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Last update a day ago

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This workflow looks inside a Google Drive folder, parses each PDF invoice with PDF.co’s AI Invoice Parser, and appends vendor, amount, dates, and a link to the file into a Google Sheet.


⚙️ Setup Instructions

1) Connect Google Drive (OAuth2)

  1. In n8n → Credentials → New → Google Drive (OAuth2)
  2. Sign in to the Google account that owns your invoice PDFs and allow access.
  3. In the Get Parent Folder ID node, set your search to the folder name (e.g., n8n Invoices).
  4. In Get Invoice ID’s, ensure Filter → folderId uses the ID from the previous node (already wired in this template).

Tip: The workflow builds a Drive link like
https://drive.google.com/file/d/<FILE_ID>
Make sure those files are at least viewable via link (e.g., Anyone with the link – Viewer) so PDF.co can fetch them.


2) Connect PDF.co (AI Invoice Parser)

  1. Create a PDF.co account and copy your API Key.
  2. In n8n → Credentials → New → PDF.co API, paste your key and Save.
  3. In the AI Invoice Parser node, keep URL mapped to the Drive link coming from Convert to URL. The node is already set to use your PDF.co credentials.

What it does: Sends each Drive file URL to PDF.co’s AI Invoice Parser and returns structured JSON (vendor, totals, dates, line items, etc.). The next Set Fields node maps those fields to simple columns for Sheets.


3) Connect Google Sheets (OAuth2)

  1. In n8n → Credentials → New → Google Sheets (OAuth2)
  2. Log in with your Google account and grant access.
  3. In the Store Data in Google Sheets node, select your Spreadsheet and Sheet (this template is set to:
    • Spreadsheet: Invoice Template (1a6QBIQkr7RsZtUZBi87NwhwgTbnr5hQl4J_ZOkr3F1U)
    • Tab: Due (gid: 1002294955)
  4. The node is configured to Append or Update by Url so repeats won’t duplicate.

Expected columns on the Due tab:

  • Url (Drive link we generated)
  • Vendor
  • Invoice Date
  • Total
  • Due Date

▶️ How to Run

  1. Put your PDF invoices in the “n8n Invoices” folder (or the folder name you used).
  2. Click Execute Workflow in n8n.
  3. Watch items flow:
    • Get Parent Folder ID → finds folder
    • Get Invoice ID’s → lists files in that folder
    • Convert to URL → turns each file ID into a shareable link
    • AI Invoice Parser → extracts JSON from each PDF
    • Set Fields → maps fields for Sheets
    • Store Data in Google Sheets → appends/updates the Due sheet

🧩 Troubleshooting

  • PDF.co can’t fetch the file: Ensure your Drive file link is accessible (e.g., Anyone with the link – Viewer), or use a URL that PDF.co can reach.
  • No rows added: Confirm the Google Sheets credential is selected and the Sheet tab (gid) matches your target.
  • Wrong folder: Update the search string in Get Parent Folder ID to match your Drive folder name.

📬 Contact

Need help customizing this (e.g., auto-sharing Drive links, enriching the Sheet, or pushing to Slack/Email)?