Document Scanner: Receipt and Business Card OCR
Snap a photo, send it to OpenClaw, and get structured text extracted and logged automatically.
What You Will Get
After this setup, you can photograph any receipt, business card, or document and send it to OpenClaw. The agent extracts the text using OCR, structures it into useful fields, and logs it wherever you want, like a spreadsheet for expenses or your CRM for business card contacts.
This eliminates manual data entry for common paper documents. Receipts get logged with the date, vendor, amount, and category. Business cards get parsed into name, company, phone, and email fields. Any other document is returned as clean, searchable text.
The workflow is especially useful for expense tracking, networking events, and digitizing paper notes. You capture the image, OpenClaw does the extraction, and the data lands in the right place without you typing a single field.
Setup Steps
Configure OpenClaw for OCR-based document scanning.
Enable Image Input
Make sure your OpenClaw channel supports image messages. Send a test photo and verify the agent can see it. RunTheAgent's vision capabilities handle the image processing, so no additional OCR software is needed.
Write Receipt Parsing Instructions
Add a prompt instruction that tells OpenClaw how to parse receipts: extract the vendor name, date, total amount, tax, and line items. Define the output format, such as a structured list or a CSV row, so the data is consistent every time.
Write Business Card Parsing Instructions
Add instructions for business cards: extract the person's name, title, company, phone number, email, and website. Tell OpenClaw to format this as a contact entry that can be added to your personal CRM or address book.
Connect to Your Expense Tracker
Link OpenClaw to your expense logging system. This could be a spreadsheet file, a notes folder, or a dedicated expense app. When a receipt is scanned, the agent should append a new row with all the extracted fields.
Connect to Your Contact System
For business cards, route the extracted contact data to your CRM, Apple Contacts, or a contacts spreadsheet. OpenClaw should create a new entry automatically or ask if you want to merge with an existing contact.
Handle General Documents
For any document that is not a receipt or business card, have OpenClaw extract the full text and return it in a readable format. You can then save it to your notes or ask the agent to summarize the key points.
Test with Real Documents
Scan a receipt from lunch, a business card, and a printed page. Verify the extracted data is accurate and lands in the correct destination. Adjust your parsing instructions if any fields are consistently misread.
Tips and Best Practices
Use Good Lighting
OCR accuracy improves significantly with clear, well-lit photos. Avoid shadows and make sure the text is in focus before sending the image.
Standardize Categories
For receipts, define expense categories like Food, Transport, Office Supplies, and Entertainment. OpenClaw will assign the category based on the vendor name.
Batch Process Receipts
If you accumulate receipts throughout the week, send them all at once on Friday. OpenClaw will process each one in sequence and log them all.
Verify Amounts
Always spot-check the extracted total for receipts. OCR can occasionally misread a digit, especially on faded or crumpled paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
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