What this article covers:
How Auto-export after approval works
Enabling the setting in Folder Menu
How approval affects the supplier / customer contact auto-export toggle
Creating a fully hands-off approval flow
Limits of the Auto-export after approval feature
How Auto-export after approval works
👉 What does "Auto-export after approval" do?
When the "Auto-export after approval"setting is enabled, Datamolino automatically exports a document to your accounting software the moment it is approved — no manual export step needed. This works whether the document was approved by a person, approved in bulk, or approved automatically via the auto-approve setting on a contact.
The export is triggered as soon as the document reaches the Approved state. From there, Datamolino queues it for export immediately.
👉 Where is this setting found?
If you are the folder administrator, you will find the Auto-export after approval setting in Folder Menu → Accounting & Automation → Approval tab → Auto-export after approval. It is a folder-level setting, so it applies to all documents in that folder.
The feature is available only for folders connected to Xero, Quickbooks or FreeAgent.
👉 What happens if I turn off invoice approval for the folder?
If you disable Invoice approval for the folder, the Auto-export after approval setting resets to off automatically. It only works when approval is active for the folder.
Enabling auto-export after approval
If your folder is connected to Xero, Quickbooks or FreeAgent, and you are the folder administrator, take these steps to enable Auto-export after approval:
Go to Folder Menu → Accounting & Automation for the folder you want to configure.
Open the Approval tab.
Make sure the main Invoice approval toggle is enabled.
Inside the approval settings panel, turn on Auto-export after approval.
Save your settings.
Once saved, any document that gets approved in this folder will be automatically queued for export.
When a document is waiting for approval, an info notice on the approval detail page will confirm: "Approved documents in this folder are automatically exported." This gives approvers a clear heads-up before they act.
The supplier / customer contact Auto-export toggle
👉 Why can't I see the Auto-export toggle on my supplier / customer contact or document anymore?
When approval is enabled on a folder, the supplier / customer contact auto-export toggle is hidden. This is intentional.
Your existing settings are not lost. If you disable approval on the folder, the supplier / customer contact auto-export toggle will reappear with its previous value intact.
Example of document detail when approval is disabled and auto-export for supplier / customer is available:
Example of document detail when approval is enabled and auto-export for supplier / customer is not available:
👉 Is there a warning about this?
Yes. When you enable approval on a folder, a warning appears beneath the approval toggle:
"When approval is enabled, the Auto-export setting on individual contacts has no effect. For a fully automated flow, enable Auto approve on trusted contacts and turn on Auto-export after approval below."
This guides you toward the correct setup if you want documents to move from submission to export without any manual steps.
Fully automated approval flow
👉 Can I set things up so documents are processed completely automatically when using approval?
Yes. You can combine two settings for a fully hands-off approval workflow:
Auto-submit document for approval enabled on the folder. Read more here.
Auto-approve enabled on a contact (the document is approved automatically when submitted from that contact). Read more here.
Auto-export after approval enabled on the folder (the document is exported automatically once approved).
With all three settings active, a document imported from a trusted contact will be captured, coded, submitted, approved and exported without anyone needing to intervene.
👉 What happens if a document is rejected?
Rejected documents are not exported. The auto-export only fires on approval.
Limits of the Auto-export after approval feature
The Auto-export after approval feature has the following limits:
Only folder administrators can change the setting. More about roles here.
The setting is available only for folders connected to Xero, Quickbooks or FreeAgent.
The setting applies to documents from all suppliers and customers in the folder. It is not possible to exclude specific suppliers or customers. You can however exclude certain document types. Read more here.
The document has to pass standard export validation to be auto-exported successfully. E.g. Supplier / Customer contact has to be selected, ledger account and tax code selected, checksum aligned.