--- name: "purchasing_create_bill" area: "purchasing" title: "Record a supplier bill" price: "$0.01" method: "POST" url: "https://api.conecto.chat/v1/tools/purchasing_create_bill" mcp_server: "https://api.conecto.chat/mcp/purchasing" auth: "Authorization: Bearer " docs_url: "https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_create_bill" --- # Record a supplier bill (`purchasing_create_bill`) Records a bill a supplier sent, from its own lines or from an order, with its PDF; it is posted to the books. Record a bill a supplier sent, with their reference (their invoice number; the same reference from the same supplier is refused twice). Either its own lines (supplier and lines: each to its book account, default the supplier's; a sku line to the inventory account), or from an order (order, quantities: "received" (default) or "ordered"): what is not billed yet, at the order's costs. It is due due_date, default the issue date plus the supplier's terms. Attach its PDF from the file store with file_id; reading the PDF is your work. A carrier's or the customs office's bill marks the import VAT it passes on with import_vat on its line. When the account keeps books, it is posted to them. Price: $0.01 a call. A call that fails costs nothing. ## Use it when A supplier's invoice arrived and should be paid later. - For a cost already paid, use [books_record_expense](https://conecto.chat/tools/books/books_record_expense.md). - For a bill that comes every month, like rent, use [purchasing_save_repeating_bill](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_save_repeating_bill.md). ## Say this to your agent > Nordstahl's bill NS-2026-1188 for the pans we received came in. The PDF is in our files. ## Inputs | Name | Type | Required | Description | Allowed values | Default | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | `supplier` | integer or string | no | A supplier_id, or the supplier's name. 1 to 200 characters, at least 1. | | | | `order` | string | no | The order_id, or the order's number like "PO-0007". 1 to 40 characters. | | | | `quantities` | string | no | | `"received"`, `"ordered"` | `"received"` | | `lines` | array of objects | no | 1 to 200 items. | | | | `lines[].sku` | string | no | An Inventory item's SKU: received stock comes into Inventory. Its name is the default description. Up to 64 characters. | | | | `lines[].description` | string | no | What is bought. Lines after the first print smaller, underneath. Up to 2,000 characters. | | | | `lines[].quantity` | number or string | no | Default 1. Up to 6 decimals. Up to 24 characters. | | | | `lines[].unit_cost` | number or string | yes, in each item of `lines` | The cost of one before tax; negative for a credit line (a discount). Up to 24 characters. | | | | `lines[].tax_rate` | number or string | no | Tax percent on the line, e.g. 19. Default 0. Up to 24 characters. | | | | `lines[].account` | string | no | The book account the line goes to, e.g. "6600". Default: the supplier's. A sku line goes to the inventory account. Up to 20 characters. | | | | `lines[].tracking` | object | no | With books: tracking options, e.g. {"Department": "Warehouse"}. | | | | `lines[].import_vat` | boolean | no | The line is import VAT from the customs notice, passed on by the carrier or billed by the customs office: unit_cost is the VAT itself, reclaimed whole (Germany's box 62, the UK's box 4), never a cost. No sku, account, tax_rate or tracking. | | | | `currency` | string | no | ISO 4217, e.g. "EUR". Default: the supplier's. Matches ^[A-Za-z]{3}$. | | | | `reference` | string | no | Up to 60 characters. | | | | `issue_date` | string | no | YYYY-MM-DD (matches ^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$) | | | | `due_date` | string | no | YYYY-MM-DD (matches ^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$) | | | | `account` | string | no | With order: the book account for its lines without a SKU. Default: the supplier's. Up to 20 characters. | | | | `file_id` | string | no | A file_id from the file store. Exactly 36 characters. | | | | `notes` | string | no | Up to 5,000 characters. | | | | `tax_treatment` | string | no | reverse_charge: the supplier's invoice has no VAT because the business owes it (services from abroad, a reverse-charge trade at home); eu_goods: goods bought from another EU country. The lines' tax_rate is the rate owed; the VAT is owed and reclaimed at once. | `""`, `"reverse_charge"`, `"eu_goods"` | | ## Example Written for Hansen & Voss, a restaurant-equipment wholesaler in Hamburg with 60 staff. MCP: call `purchasing_create_bill` on the MCP server `https://api.conecto.chat/mcp/purchasing` with these arguments: ```json { "order": "PO-0001", "reference": "NS-2026-1188", "issue_date": "2026-10-13", "file_id": "1f3a5c7e-9b2d-4e6f-8a0c-2e4a6c8e0b1d" } ``` REST: ```bash curl https://api.conecto.chat/v1/tools/purchasing_create_bill \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $CONECTO_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"order": "PO-0001", "reference": "NS-2026-1188", "issue_date": "2026-10-13", "file_id": "1f3a5c7e-9b2d-4e6f-8a0c-2e4a6c8e0b1d"}' ``` ## Response ```json { "call_id": "5f0c8a2e-3b7d-4c1e-9a64-2d8e1f7b0c93", "tool": "purchasing_create_bill", "status": "succeeded", "replayed": false, "cost_usd": "$0.01", "balance_usd": "$19.75", "result": { "bill": { "bill_id": "821831f3-e199-42a4-93eb-4b2e7c34cf31", "supplier": { "supplier_id": 4101, "name": "Nordstahl Küchentechnik GmbH" }, "reference": "NS-2026-1188", "status": "open", "overdue": false, "days_overdue": 0, "currency": "EUR", "issue_date": "2026-10-13", "due_date": "2026-11-12", "total": "462.50", "amount_paid": "0.00", "balance": "462.50", "order": "PO-0001", "lines": [ { "description": "GN 1/1 pan, steel, 65 mm", "sku": "GN-PAN-11", "account": null, "quantity": "25", "unit_cost": "18.5", "tax_rate": "0", "amount": "462.50", "tax": "0.00", "order_line": 1 } ], "subtotal": "462.50", "tax": "0.00", "tax_treatment": null, "order_id": "43026061-3202-48a5-b581-90dda62227e2", "payments": [], "file": { "file_id": "1f3a5c7e-9b2d-4e6f-8a0c-2e4a6c8e0b1d", "name": "NS-2026-1188.pdf", "content_type": "application/pdf", "size": "1.1 KB", "size_bytes": 1147, "sha256": "24cfafaca922f96f27862a78624077499c6933a1caf04ba986e83cc228a836c3", "created_at": "2026-10-14T08:00:00+00:00", "download_url": "https://cncto.co/d/1f3a5c7e-9b2d-4e6f-8a0c-2e4a6c8e0b1d?t=eyJmIjoiZThhYTFhOTAtZDQzZC00NDdjLWI4MmQtNDhkZDUzYmQ4ZmEzIiwiZXhwIjoxNzkyNDgxMDUyfQ:1xIhjA:buyPNiWn1dK4UphQubok1doMH1fxa3iQnyiH6nP8KXc", "link_expires_in_hours": 24 }, "notes": null, "books_entry": 1, "void_reason": null, "history": [ { "at": "2026-10-14T08:00:00+00:00", "event": "recorded", "detail": "Pip", "by": "key 4101 (Pip)" } ] } } } ``` `result`: bill: its bill_id, supplier, reference, status, currency, lines, totals, issue and due dates, balance and PDF; with tax_treatment, the VAT the business owes itself (self_assessed_tax). ## Errors | Code | Status | When | Fix | |---|---|---|---| | `not_found` | 404 | No purchase order has that order_id or number. | Find it with purchasing_list_orders. | | `not_found` | 404 | No supplier of the business has that supplier_id or name. | Call purchasing_list_suppliers, or add the supplier with purchasing_save_supplier. | | `not_found` | 404 | A line's SKU is not an Inventory item, or the location does not exist. | Add the item with inventory_save_items, or leave the SKU out. | | `archived` | 409 | The supplier, item, location or account is archived. | Bring the supplier back with purchasing_save_supplier archived: false, or use another one. | | `invalid_input` | 400 | A date or currency is not valid. | Send dates like 2026-11-02 and currencies like EUR. | | `unbalanced` | 400 | The debits and credits do not add up to the same amount. | Make the lines balance. | | `before_start` | 409 | The date is before the books start. | Use a later date. | | `period_locked` | 409 | The books are locked for that date. | Use a later date, or unlock with books_lock. | | `no_rate` | 409 | There is no exchange rate for the currency on that day. | Pass rate, or set a standing rate with books_setup rates. | | `rates_loading` | 503 | The day's exchange rates are still loading. | Try again in a few minutes, or pass rate. | | `invalid_input` | 400 | eu_goods for a supplier not known to be in another EU country. | Set the supplier's country, or their VAT ID as tax_id, with purchasing_save_supplier. | | `invalid_input` | 400 | An import_vat line has a sku, account, tax_rate or tracking, or sits on a bill with a tax_treatment. | Give the import VAT as a line of its own, on the carrier's or the customs office's bill. | | `duplicate` | 409 | A bill from that supplier with that reference is recorded already. | Use the bill the message names. | | `not_sent` | 409 | The order is still a draft. | Bills come from orders that were sent. | | `order_closed` | 409 | The order is closed. | Draft a new order. | | `order_cancelled` | 409 | The order is cancelled. | Draft a new order. | | `nothing_to_bill` | 409 | Everything on the order is billed already. | Bill what was ordered with quantities: "ordered". | | `no_account` | 409 | A line has no expense or asset account. | Give the line an account, or set the supplier's default account. | The refusals every tool can give (401 key, 402 balance, 429 limits) are on the errors page: https://conecto.chat/docs/errors.md ## Related - [purchasing_save_supplier](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_save_supplier.md): Adds a supplier or changes one: contact, email for orders, address, currency, payment terms and the book account their bills go to. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_list_suppliers](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_list_suppliers.md): Suppliers by name, each with what is owed to them on open bills and how many orders are open. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month. - [purchasing_save_supplier_items](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_save_supplier_items.md): Says which Inventory items a supplier sells: their code, cost, pack size, minimum order, lead time and a fixed reorder quantity. $0.005 per item saved. - [purchasing_list_supplier_items](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_list_supplier_items.md): What suppliers sell: codes, costs, packs, minimums, lead times and the preferred supplier, for one supplier or one SKU. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month. - [purchasing_draft_reorders](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_draft_reorders.md): Drafts one purchase order per supplier for every item at or below its reorder point, counting what is already on order. $0.01 per draft order. - [purchasing_create_order](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_create_order.md): Drafts a purchase order to a supplier: lines (with Inventory SKUs if you like), currency, delivery date and stock location. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_update_order](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_update_order.md): Changes a draft order, or records it as sent without emailing it. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_send_order](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_send_order.md): Emails an order to the supplier with a link to its PDF; a draft takes the next number first. $0.10 a call. - [purchasing_receive](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_receive.md): Records what arrived on a sent order; lines with a SKU come into Inventory at the ordered cost. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_close_order](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_close_order.md): Closes a sent order (stop waiting for the rest) or cancels one that received nothing. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_list_orders](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_list_orders.md): Purchase orders, newest first, by status, supplier or date; or one order in full. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month. - [purchasing_update_bill](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_update_bill.md): Adds a recorded bill's PDF if it has none, or changes its notes or due date; amounts and the PDF it has never change. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_pay_bill](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_pay_bill.md): Records money paid on a bill, or money back from the supplier; it is posted to the books. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_pay_bills](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_pay_bills.md): Pays several bills at once from one bank account, like Xero's batch payments, with the SEPA file to upload to the bank. $0.01 per bill paid. - [purchasing_set_planned_date](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_set_planned_date.md): Plans the day the business will pay a bill, so the cash flow forecast takes the money out then rather than on the due date. Free. - [purchasing_record_prepayment](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_record_prepayment.md): Records a deposit the business paid a supplier before their bill, like Xero's prepayments; it waits as a credit with them. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_use_credit](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_use_credit.md): Puts a credit with a supplier on their bill, like Xero's allocate credit, or records it coming back. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_list_credits](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_list_credits.md): Lists credits with suppliers, deposits and overpayments, with what is left on each. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month. - [purchasing_save_repeating_bill](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_save_repeating_bill.md): Records a supplier's bill again every so many weeks, months or years, with [Month] and [Year] filled in, like Xero's repeating bills. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_list_repeating_bills](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_list_repeating_bills.md): Lists the repeating bills: whose each is, how often, the next dates, and what each recorded. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month. - [purchasing_delete_repeating_bill](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_delete_repeating_bill.md): Stops a repeating bill for good; the bills it recorded stay. Free. - [purchasing_void_bill](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_void_bill.md): Voids a bill entered by mistake; the books reverse it and its order can be billed again. $0.01 a call. - [purchasing_list_bills](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_list_bills.md): Supplier bills by due date, filtered by status, supplier, order or dates; or one bill in full. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month. - [purchasing_report](https://conecto.chat/tools/purchasing/purchasing_report.md): Aged payables (what is owed to each supplier by how late) or spend (what each supplier billed and was paid). Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month.