Exploding Labs

Respecting API rate limits

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve just solve a long-standing issue with my system - respecting API rate limits of external integrations.

A few months into running AutoReceipts I realised I was hitting Xero’s api rate limits.

Looking into a solution, I realised it was a deep problem to solve properly. Xero has 4 rules you have to respect.

To get into Xero’s app store you need to have made an attempt at respecting their limits.

I was busy so decided on a quick and dirty solution for now - sleep for a second after each request. This worked fine because I only had one worker that was fetching from Xero. But it slowed the app down a lot.

But now I have two apps, each with its own worker fetching from Xero, that solution won’t cut it any more. What to do?

I could create a shared queue for jobs that make Xero requests, but

How to send automatic receipts only to certain Xero contacts

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

AutoReciepts sends receipts to customers, and remittance advice to suppliers – automatically.

Now you can also restrict which contacts receive emails.

Announcing a new feature for AutoReceipts – limit emails to certain customers.

You have two options here. Either:

Create a list of contacts to receive emails, or
Create a list of contacts to NOT receive emails.

Create a list of contacts to receive reciepts

For this option, create a contact group in Xero, named “Send AutoReceipts” and add contacts to it.

When this group exists, any contact not included in the group will not be sent an email.

Create a list of contacts to NOT receive reciepts

For this option, create a contact group in Xero, named “No AutoReceipts” and add contacts to it.

These contacts will not receive emails.

More information

For more detailed instructions, see Choose which contacts receive emails.

New: Choose Which Emails AutoReceipts Sends

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Now in AutoReceipts you can choose exactly which emails are sent.

Until now, AutoReceipts always sent both:

✅ Receipts to customers when invoice payments are recorded.
✅ Remittance advice to suppliers when bill payments are recorded.

Some only need one of these.

You can now enable or disable each feature independently from the settings page.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Is AutoReceipts part of Xero?

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

AutoReceipts is a Xero add-on that connects securely to your Xero organisation using Xero’s official app platform.

Once connected, your accounting data stays in Xero. AutoReceipts simply automates the emails that Xero doesn’t currently send automatically.

If you’re looking for an easy way to automate payment emails without changing how you use Xero, AutoReceipts is designed to fit into your existing workflow.

Link: https://autoreceipts.app

How to Reconcile in Xero

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reconciling your bank transactions is one of the most important tasks in Xero. The good news is that Xero makes reconciliation quick and straightforward.

What is reconciliation?

Reconciliation is the process of matching a transaction that appears on your bank statement with the correct transaction in Xero.

For example:

A customer pays an invoice.
The payment appears on your bank statement.
You tell Xero that the bank transaction matches that invoice.

Once reconciled, the invoice is marked as paid and your accounts stay accurate.

How to reconcile a transaction in Xero

Log in to Xero.
Go to Accounting → Bank accounts.
Select the bank account you want to reconcile.
Click Reconcile.
Find the bank transaction.
- Xero will often suggest a match automatically. If the suggested match is correct, click OK.
- If not, search for the correct invoice, bill or transaction and confirm the match.

The transaction is now reconciled!

If Xero can’t find a match

Sometimes Xero won’t suggest the correct transaction. In that case you can:

Search for an existing invoice or bill.
Create a new transaction if one doesn’t already exist.
Split the payment if it relates to multiple invoices.
Use a bank rule for recurring transactions.

Taking a moment to match the correct transaction helps keep your accounts accurate.

Tips for faster reconciliation

Import your bank feeds automatically.
Reconcile transactions regularly instead of letting them build up.
Create bank rules for common transactions.
Review suggested matches before accepting them.

Reconciling a few transactions each day is much easier than trying to process hundreds at the end of the month.

Send thank-you emails while reconciling

Reconciling a payment updates your accounting records, but it doesn’t tell the other party that you’ve received or sent their money.

The easiest way to do this is with the AutoReceipts Xero add-on. Once connected, it will:

Email a receipt to customers when they pay an invoice.
Email remittance advice to suppliers when you pay a bill.

That means no downloading PDFs, composing emails, or remembering to notify the other party. Simply reconcile the payment as usual, and AutoReceipts takes care of the rest.

How do I connect AutoReceipts to Xero?

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Here we’ll connect AutoReceipts to Xero, setup and ready to send receipts to customers automatically.

If you’re new to AutoReceipts

To connect AutoReceipts to your Xero organisations:

Go to AutoReceipts
Enter your work email
Click “Connect to Xero”
In Xero, select your organisation(s) to connect.
Click “Allow access”

AutoReceipts will setup your connections.

From AutoReceipts dashboard

Once in the dashboard, you can add more organisations.

Go to AutoReceipts
Click your organisation drop-down in the navigation bar
Click Add Organisation
In Xero, select your organisations to connect
Click “Allow access”

AutoReceipts will setup your connections.

✨ How to Send "Thank You" Emails Automatically from Xero – Easy Method

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In this tutorial we’ll setup automatic “Thank You” emails to customers, sent every time you record a payment in Xero.

The easiest way is with the AutoReceipts Xero add-on.

Go to AutoReceipts.app
Enter your email and click “Connect to Xero”
Choose your organisations and click “Allow Access”

AutoReceipts will connect to your organisations.

That’s it!

From then on, every time you record a payment against an invoice, the invoice contact will receive a nice thank you email, along with a receipt they can use for their own tax purposes.

How to Send a "Thank You" After Recording Payments in Xero

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

When a customer pays an invoice, it is a good moment to acknowledge it.

A short “thank you” confirms the payment was received, closes the loop, and makes the customer experience feel more professional.

Xero records the payment, but it does not automatically send a thank-you email when that payment is entered or reconciled.

The simplest way to do it is with AutoReceipts.

How to set it up

Go to AutoReceipts
Enter your work email
Click “Connect to Xero”

That is it.

After that, when a payment is recorded in Xero, AutoReceipts sends the customer a receipt to their inbox automatically.

Incident report: Failed notices (16-20 April)

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Between 16 April and 20 April, some AutoReceipts notices failed to send.

In total, 32 notices were affected.

What happened

The issue was caused by rate limiting from our email provider (Resend). When multiple notices were triggered in a short period (more than 2 in a second), some requests exceeded the API limit and were rejected.

As a result, a small number of notices were not sent, and some were delayed.

What’s been fixed

We’ve updated the system to respect rate limits.

This change has been deployed and is being monitored.

The failed notices have now been sent.

Impact

No data was lost, and all notices remain recorded in the system.

— Beau AutoReceipts

How to Send Xero Receipts Automatically

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

TLDR; Use the AutoReceipts addon.

If you use Xero, you’ve probably noticed something odd:

👉 You can send invoices automatically
👉 You can send reminders automatically
👉 But when a payment comes in?

You’re on your own.

There’s no built-in way to automatically send a receipt or payment confirmation when an invoice is paid.

That means one of two things usually happens:

You manually email the customer, which is time-consuming
You don’t send anything at all, which leaves the customer wondering if you received their payment.

Let’s walk through your options—and how to fully automate it.

The Problem: Xero Doesn’t Send Receipts Automatically

When a payment is recorded in Xero—whether:

via bank reconciliation
manually entered
partially paid
or paid in full

Xero updates the invoice… but doesn’t notify the customer.

For many businesses, this creates a gap:

Customers aren’t sure if payment was received
Bookkeepers spend hours sending confirmations
Communication feels inconsistent

If you’re processing dozens (or hundreds) of payments each month, this quickly adds up.

Option 1: Send Receipts Manually

The default approach is manual.

Each time a payment comes in:

Open the invoice
Click “Email”
Add a message
Send it

This works… but it doesn’t scale.

Even if it only takes 1–2 minutes per receipt, that can easily become:

10 hours/month
100+ emails
constant interruptions

Option 2: Automate Receipts with an Add-On

The easiest way is by connecting a Xero add-on.

This way, receipts are sent automatically the moment a payment is recorded in Xero.

How it works

Go to autoreceipts.app
Connect your Xero organisation
AutoReceipts listens for payment events
When a payment is recorded:
- A receipt is generated
- An email is sent to the customer instantly

No clicks. No reminders. No follow-up.

What Gets Sent?

Each receipt includes:

Invoice details
Payment amount
Remaining balance (for partial payments)
Your branding

So your customers always know:

what they paid
when they paid
and what’s left (if anything)

Handles Real-World Scenarios

AutoReceipts isn’t just for simple cases.

It works with:

✅ Partial payments
✅ Bank reconciliation
✅ Manual payments
✅ Multiple payment methods

No matter how the payment is recorded in Xero, the receipt is sent.

Why It Matters

Sending receipts automatically isn’t just a “nice-to-have.”

It:

builds trust with customers
reduces back-and-forth emails
keeps your business looking organised
saves hours of admin every month

It’s one of those small details that makes your business feel polished.

Bonus: Outbound Payments (Remittance Advice)

AutoReceipts can also send remittance advice when you pay suppliers.

So instead of just customers being notified, your suppliers are too.

That means:

fewer “Have you paid this yet?” emails
clearer communication
better relationships

Get Started

If you’re using Xero and want to stop manually sending receipts, you can get started in minutes.

👉 Connect your Xero account
👉 Turn on automatic receipts
👉 Let it run in the background

And from then on, every payment gets acknowledged—automatically.

Final Thought

Xero handles invoicing beautifully.

AutoReceipts fills in the missing piece:
what happens after the payment.

Once it’s set up, it’s one less thing to think about—and one more thing your business does right, every time.