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Overview

Gmail Integration is the core feature of Money Tracker. By connecting your Gmail account, the app automatically monitors your inbox for transaction-related emails and extracts financial information using AI.

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How It Works

1

OAuth Connection

You authorize Money Tracker to read your Gmail messages using secure Google OAuth 2.0
2

Watch Setup

Money Tracker creates a Gmail Watch that sends real-time notifications when new emails arrive
3

Real-Time Processing

When a new email arrives in your INBOX, Money Tracker:
  • Receives a webhook notification from Google
  • Fetches the email content
  • Analyzes it with AI
  • Extracts transaction details if found
4

Transaction Creation

Valid transactions are automatically added to your transaction list

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Connecting Your Gmail Account

1

Navigate to Settings

Click on “Settings” in the sidebar or from the dashboard
2

Connect Gmail

Click the “Connect Gmail” button in the Email Notifications section
3

Google Authorization

You’ll be redirected to Google’s authorization page:
  • Sign in to your Google account
  • Review the permissions Money Tracker is requesting
  • Click “Allow” to grant access
4

Return to Money Tracker

After authorization, you’ll be redirected back to Money Tracker with a success message
5

Import Historical Emails (Optional)

A modal will appear asking if you want to import past emails. You can:
  • Import the last 7 days of emails
  • Skip and only process new emails going forward

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Managing Connected Accounts

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Multiple Gmail Accounts

You can connect multiple Gmail accounts to Money Tracker. Each account:
  • Has its own watch configuration
  • Processes emails independently
  • Can be managed separately
To add another account, click “Add Another Account” in Settings.

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Account Status

Each connected account shows one of three statuses:

Connected

Account is active and processing emails

Needs Reconnect

OAuth token expired or revoked - reconnection required

Disconnected

Account was manually disconnected

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Reconnecting an Account

If an account shows “Needs Reconnect”:
  1. Click the “Reconnect” button next to the account
  2. Complete the Google authorization flow again
  3. The account status will update to “Connected”
Accounts need reconnection if:
  • The OAuth token expired
  • You revoked access in your Google account settings
  • The refresh token was invalidated by Google

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Disconnecting an Account

Disconnecting stops automatic email processing for that account
  1. Click the “Disconnect” (X) button next to the account
  2. Confirm the disconnection
  3. The account will be marked as disconnected
What happens when you disconnect:
  • Gmail Watch is stopped
  • OAuth tokens are invalidated
  • Historical transactions remain in your account
  • The account can be reconnected later

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Email Import (Seed)

The Email Import feature allows you to process historical emails to extract past transactions.

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Starting an Import

1

Open Import Modal

In Settings, click “Import Emails” next to a connected account
2

Select Date Range

Choose how far back to import:
  • Last 7 days (recommended for first import)
  • Custom date range
3

Start Processing

Click “Start Import” - processing happens in the background
4

Monitor Progress

The Dashboard shows real-time progress:
  • Total emails fetched
  • Emails processed by AI
  • Transactions found
  • Emails skipped

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Import Status

Imports can have these statuses:
  • Processing: Currently fetching and analyzing emails
  • Completed: All emails processed successfully
  • Failed: Import encountered an error - you can retry
Imports run in the background using Edge Functions, so you can close the page and check back later

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Import Limits

  • Maximum 500 emails per import session
  • Imports only INBOX emails (not SPAM or TRASH)
  • Duplicate transactions are automatically prevented

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Gmail Watch Management

Gmail Watches are Google’s mechanism for real-time email notifications.

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Watch Lifecycle

  • Creation: Automatically created when you connect a Gmail account
  • Expiration: Watches expire after 7 days
  • Renewal: Money Tracker automatically renews watches before expiration

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Watch Status Warnings

You’ll see warnings on the Dashboard if:
  • Watch will expire within 72 hours
  • Watch has already expired
  • Account is missing a watch
If a watch expires, you’ll temporarily stop receiving real-time notifications until it’s renewed. Historical emails aren’t lost and can be processed with Email Import.

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Permissions and Privacy

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What Access Does Money Tracker Need?

Money Tracker requests these Google OAuth scopes:
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly - Read email messages
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.metadata - Access email metadata (sender, subject, date)
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email - Identify your Gmail address

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What Emails Are Processed?

Money Tracker only processes:
  • Emails in your INBOX
  • Emails not marked as SPAM or in TRASH
  • Emails that arrive after you connect your account (unless you run Email Import)

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Privacy Guarantee

Your Privacy Matters

  • Emails are only analyzed for transaction data
  • Email content is not stored permanently
  • Only transaction metadata is saved (merchant, amount, date, etc.)
  • OAuth tokens are encrypted at rest
  • You can disconnect at any time

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Troubleshooting

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No Transactions Appearing

  1. Check account status: Ensure your account shows “Connected” in Settings
  2. Verify watch: Look for watch warnings on the Dashboard
  3. Check email content: The AI only extracts clear transaction information
  4. Run Email Import: Try importing recent emails manually

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”Needs Reconnect” Status

  • Click “Reconnect” and complete the Google authorization
  • If it persists, disconnect and reconnect the account

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Watch Expiration

  • Money Tracker automatically renews watches
  • If you see expiration warnings, refresh the page or wait for automatic renewal
  • As a last resort, disconnect and reconnect the account to create a new watch

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