Gmail vs Google Drive. Gmail imports from your inbox (invoice emails and attachments). Google Drive imports PDF files from a Drive folder you choose. Connect both if invoices arrive by email and by shared drive.
What you get
| Result | Where to see it |
|---|---|
| Invoice PDFs and attachments from matching emails | Documents — source shows as Gmail sync |
| Parsed vendors, amounts, and billing periods | Subscriptions and Dashboard KPIs |
| Apps mentioned only in invoice emails | Apps — often within an hour or two of the first sync |
Who can connect
Owners and Admins can connect and disconnect Gmail. Members and Viewers cannot start a new OAuth connection. See Roles and permissions.Connect Gmail
Choose the inbox
Sign in with the Google account whose inbox receives billing email (your own mailbox, a shared billing inbox, or a finance alias — whichever holds the invoices you want imported).
Approve read-only scopes
Approve the requested permissions. ClearSpend uses read-only Gmail scopes to list and download invoice attachments. You can revoke access later from your Google account or from Integrations.
How Gmail sync works
On each sync, ClearSpend:- Searches your inbox for emails that look like billing mail — typically messages with attachments whose subjects mention terms such as invoice, receipt, statement, payment, or bill.
- Skips already-processed messages so the same attachment is not imported twice.
- Downloads attachments (PDFs and other supported formats) and uploads them for parsing.
- Creates document rows that flow into subscription matching and spend totals.
Link multiple inboxes
You can connect more than one Gmail account to the same workspace — useful when invoices are split across personal mailboxes, shared billing inboxes, or different Google accounts. Each connection appears as its own row when you expand the Gmail card on Integrations. Repeat the connect steps for each account that receives SaaS billing email.Connected state
When Gmail is active, the card shows a green status indicator, how many accounts are linked, and the last sync time. Expand the card to see each linked inbox, sync status, and actions for that connection.Gmail vs other upload paths
| Method | Best for |
|---|---|
| Gmail integration (this page) | Ongoing, hands-free import from inboxes you control via OAuth |
| Email forwarding | Forwarding individual messages to your workspace’s @clearspend.cc address without OAuth |
| Google Drive | PDFs stored in a shared Drive folder rather than email |
| Manual upload | One-off files not in your inbox |
Common questions
Why don't I see all my subscriptions yet?
Why don't I see all my subscriptions yet?
Discovery happens in two waves. Integrations like Google Workspace surface apps within minutes. Vendors that only appear in invoice email are added as those messages are parsed — usually within an hour or two of connecting Gmail. If something is still missing after a day, upload an invoice manually to seed it.
Which emails are imported?
Which emails are imported?
ClearSpend focuses on messages with attachments that match billing-related keywords in the subject. Emails without attachments, sent mail, and drafts are skipped.
Is my email data safe?
Is my email data safe?
Yes. Access is read-only, tokens are encrypted, and you can disconnect from Integrations at any time.