At Tofu, we’ve made invoice syncing more flexible by introducing Auto-Publish and Auto-Import. These controls give you granular control over how documents sync between Tofu and your accounting software.
You can configure these settings per document type. For example, you might enable Auto-Publish for AP Bills, enable Auto-Import for AR Invoices, or mix and match based on your workflow.
Supported Document Types
📌 Take note:
🧾 AP Bills, AR Invoices, Direct Expenses — supported for per-document-type settings
📄 Direct Expenses — Auto-Publish available; Auto-Import not available (Import is manual only)
📄 Bank Statements — configuration settings are coming soon
This article explains:
What changed from the old Auto-Sync feature
How Auto-Publish and Auto-Import work
How each document type behaves under different settings
The Changes: From Auto-Sync to Auto-Publish & Auto-Import
Previously, Tofu used a single Auto-Sync toggle that handled both publishing to and importing from your accounting software.
We’ve now split this into two independent controls that you can configure per document type:
Auto-Import
Automatically pulls updates from your accounting software (e.g., Xero or QuickBooks) into Tofu, including status changes, edits, and newly created bills or invoices.Auto-Publish
Automatically pushes documents and updates from Tofu to your accounting software after you save, no need to manually click Publish.
This gives you more control while still supporting fully automated workflows.
What Do the Import and Publish Buttons Do?
The Import and Publish buttons in Review mode are manual sync actions. They’re available for supported document types such as AP Bills, AR Invoices, and Direct Expenses.
Here's a breakdown of what each button does:
Import
Manually pulls updates from your accounting software into Tofu.
Example:
If a bill status changes in Xero from Awaiting Approval to Paid, clicking Import updates that status in Tofu.
📄 Direct Expenses: Import is always manual. Auto-Import is not supported.
Publish
Manually pushes documents or updates from Tofu to your accounting software.
This is useful when Auto-Publish is OFF and you want full control over when data is sent.
Understanding Auto-Publish & Auto-Import
1. Auto-Publish
When Auto-Publish is ON for a document type, Tofu automatically sends documents to your accounting software after you save.
Example:
Creating or editing an AP Bill, AR Invoice, or Direct Expense in Tofu will automatically publish the update after saving.
2. Auto-Import
When Auto-Import is ON, Tofu automatically pulls updates from your accounting software into Tofu.
Example:
If an invoice is marked Paid in Xero or QuickBooks, Tofu will automatically reflect that change.
⚠️ Important:
Auto-Import applies only to AP Bills and AR Invoices. Direct Expenses require manual Import.
Recommended Setup ✅
For the smoothest, low-maintenance workflow, we recommend enabling both Auto-Publish and Auto-Import for:
AP Bills
AR Invoices
This closely mirrors the old Auto-Sync behavior while giving you more flexibility.
Can I Manually Override Auto-Publish or Auto-Import?
Yes. You can turn either toggle OFF at any time.
Auto-Publish OFF → Use Publish to push changes manually
Auto-Import OFF → Use Import to pull updates manually
Even when automation is ON, manual actions may still appear if attention is required (for example, sync errors or unpublished changes).
When Would You Use Auto-Publish & Auto-Import?
AP Bills & AR Invoices
You can choose:
Auto-Publish only
Auto-Import only
Both Auto-Publish + Auto-Import (most automated)
Neither (fully manual)
This table applies to AP Bills and AR Invoices.
Action | Auto-Publish ON Auto-Import ON | Auto-Publish ON Auto-Import OFF | Auto-Publish OFF Auto-Import ON | Auto-Publish OFF Auto-Import OFF |
Create invoice in Tofu | New invoice automatically created in accounting software after extraction | New invoice automatically created in accounting software after extraction | Click Publish after extraction to create invoice in accounting software | Click Publish after extraction to create invoice in accounting software |
Edit invoice in Tofu | Auto-published update after clicking Save draft | Auto-published update after clicking Save draft | Save draft → click Publish to update in accounting software | Save draft → click Publish to update in accounting software |
Edit invoice in accounting software | Auto-imported into Tofu | No auto update → click Import to update invoice in Tofu | Auto-imported into Tofu | No auto update → click Import to update invoice in Tofu |
Verify invoice in Tofu | Xero: status → Awaiting Approval / Awaiting Payment
QuickBooks: no action | Xero: status → Awaiting Approval / Awaiting Payment
QuickBooks: no action | Xero: No auto update → click Publish to update invoice in Xero
QuickBooks: no action | Xero: No auto update → click Publish to update invoice in Xero
QuickBooks: no action |
Change status in accounting software (e.g. Awaiting Approval → Paid) | Auto-imported into Tofu | No auto update → click Import to update invoice in Tofu | Auto-imported into Tofu | No auto update → click Import to update invoice in Tofu |
Delete bill in Tofu | Auto-deleted invoice in accounting software | Auto-deleted in accounting software | No auto update → click Publish to update invoice in accounting software | No auto update → click Publish to update invoice in accounting software |
Delete invoice in accounting software | Auto-deleted invoice in Tofu | Xero: No auto update → click Import to mark the invoice deleted in Tofu
QuickBooks: auto-imported into Tofu | Auto-deleted invoice in Tofu | Xero: No auto update → click Import to mark the invoice deleted in Tofu
QuickBooks: auto-imported into Tofu |
Create new invoice in accounting software | Auto-imported new invoices into Tofu | No new invoices to Tofu | Auto-imported new invoices into Tofu | No new invoices to Tofu |
Direct Expenses (Auto‑Publish Only)
Direct Expenses support Auto-Publish, but Auto-Import is not available.
If you delete a Direct Expense in Tofu after it has been published:
Auto-Publish ON:
The Direct Expense is also removed from your accounting software.Auto-Publish OFF:
The deletion only applies in Tofu.
If you also need it removed from your accounting software, you must delete or void it there.
Action (Direct Expenses) | Auto‑Publish ON | Auto‑Publish OFF |
Create/Edit in Tofu | Automatically publishes after you save | Click Publish to create/update |
Changes made in accounting software (edits/status/deletes) | No auto update → click Import to update in Tofu | No auto update → click Import to update in Tofu |
Create new in accounting software | Not auto‑imported | Not auto‑imported |
Summary
Auto-Publish and Auto-Import give you fine-grained control over how documents sync.
Settings can be configured per document type.
Direct Expenses: Auto-Publish supported; Auto-Import not available (manual Import only).
Bank Statements: automation controls coming soon.
For most users, enabling both Auto-Publish and Auto-Import for AP Bills and AR Invoices provides the best experience.
You can always switch to manual Import or Publish when needed.