What is Search Agent?
Search Agent is an AI-powered assistant inside the ApprovalMax search drawer.
Instead of selecting filters one by one, you describe what you are looking for in plain English. Search Agent interprets your request and automatically populates the relevant filters, such as document type, status, date range, amount, supplier/customer, and account.
Search Agent helps configure search filters. Search results are still returned by ApprovalMax's standard search functionality.
Manual filters remain available and unchanged. Search Agent simply adds a second, faster path to the same result. You can still use manual filters at any time.
Please note: Search Agent is switched on by default. If you prefer the classic filter-based search, switch it off under My Profile > Preferences.
How to use Search Agent
Open the search drawer and type what you are looking for in natural language, and click Search.
You'll see the filters populated based on your query. You can review them, adjust anything that doesn't look right, and then proceed, or just let the results load as is.
Manual filters remain available as before; simply click on Filters.
Both paths run the same search underneath.
Please note: If your query mentions a name that matches more than one supplier or customer, Search Agent asks you which one you meant before running the search.
Example queries:
• "Approved bills over 500 pounds from this quarter"
• "Pending purchase orders from last week"
• "Bills from Acme Ltd that are waiting for approval"
• "Credit notes for amounts between 100 and 500"
• "Expenses coded to Travel from March"
• "Sales invoices to Client X in Q1"
Supported document types
Search Agent recognises the following request types and common variations:
Request Type | Supported Terms |
Bills | "bills", "invoices" (default), "AP", "accounts payable", "vendor invoices" |
Purchase Orders | "purchase orders", "POs" |
Expenses | "expenses", "expense claims", "receipts", "reimbursements" |
Expense Reports | "expense reports", "ERs" |
Sales Invoices | "sales invoices", "AR", "accounts receivable", "customer invoices" |
Credit Notes (Payable) | "credit notes", "AP credit notes", "vendor credit notes" |
Credit Notes (Receivable) | "AR credit notes", "sales credit notes" |
Sales Orders | "sales orders", "SOs" |
Quotes | "quotes", "estimates" |
Manual Journals (Xero) | "manual journals", "MJs" |
Journal Entries (QuickBooks Online) | "journal entries", "JEs" |
Batch Payments | "bill batch payments", "Airwallex batch payments", "AmaxPay batch payments" |
Stand-alone workflow requests | the name of your standalone workflow, e.g. "IT equipment requests", "travel authorisation requests" |
Please note: If you use a generic term like "invoices" without further context, Search Agent defaults to Bills (the most common use case). To search for sales invoices, say "sales invoices" or "AR invoices" explicitly.
Supported filters
Search Agent can populate the following filters from your natural language query. Available filters vary by document type, and only relevant filters will be applied.
Filter | Description | Example |
Request Type | The type of request (see table above) | "purchase orders" |
Status | Approval status: approved, on approval, rejected, on hold, on review, cancelled, draft | "approved bills", "pending POs" |
Requester | The person who submitted the request | "purchase orders raised by John Smith" |
Supplier / Customer / Vendor | Contact names matched against your accounting system data | "bills from ABC Furniture" |
Account | Expense or revenue account name or codes. | "bills coded to Travel Expenses", "account 710" |
Date Range | Specific dates or natural date expressions such as last month, this quarter, Q1 2026, or past 30 days. | "from last month", "Q1 2026" |
Amount | Minimum, maximum, exact, or range values. | "over 5,000", "between 100 and 500" |
Item / Product | Product or service names included in the request. | "invoices for Consulting Services" |
Tracking Category (Xero) | Tracking category values such as region, department, cost centre, or service line. | "bills for North region" |
Class (QBO) | QuickBooks Online class values. | "bills in class Overhead" |
Department / Location (QBO) | QuickBooks Online department or location values. | "expenses in West Coast location" |
Number | Request or document number (eg. POs) | "PO-1158" |
Reference | Request or document reference (eg. Bills, POs) | "bill ABC-123" |
Inclusions and Exclusions | Include/exclude specific values in a filter. Allows to check single or multiple values. | "bills from ABC Ltd, Wood Harvest Inc.", "purchase orders excluding account 4200" |
Please note: Not every filter applies to every request type. Search Agent knows which ones are relevant and sets only those.
Status terms Search Agent understands
Search Agent recognises common status variations and automatically maps them to the corresponding ApprovalMax status.
Search Term | ApprovalMax Status |
pending, waiting, awaiting approval, in progress | On Approval |
approved, done, completed | Approved |
rejected, denied | Rejected |
on hold, hold | On Hold |
under review, on review, review | On Review |
cancelled | Cancelled |
draft | Draft |
Please note: When you ask for "all statuses" or "any status", Search Agent excludes drafts by default because drafts are pre-submission documents. To include drafts, say so explicitly – for example, "all Bills including drafts" or "draft Bills".
Date expressions
Search Agent understands common date expressions, including:
• "last month", "this quarter", "Q1 2026"
• "past 7 days", "past 30 days"
• "January to March 2026"
• "this week", "last year"
• "since 2024", "before March"
• "recent" (resolves to the past 30 days)
Excluding filters
You can also tell Search Agent to exclude specific values:
• "Bills not from ABC Ltd"
• "Purchase Orders excluding account 4200"
• "expenses not under Tax service line"
Stand-alone workflow requests
Search Agent also supports requests created within Stand-alone workflows that operate independently of QuickBooks Online or Xero.
The main way to search for these requests is by workflow name, as configured in your Organisation. Add other details to narrow the results, for example:
"Pending IT equipment requests"
"Approved travel authorisation requests over 2,000"
"Rejected contract approval requests"
Supported filters: Workflow name, approval status, Requester, amount and currency, request number and reference, and request name and description.
Not supported: stand-alone requests have no accounting document behind them, so accounting filters do not apply, no supplier or customer, account, tracking category, class, department, location, or item. Dates are also not supported for standalone requests, in either Regular search or Search Agent. A query like "travel requests from last month" will return all matching requests regardless of the date; instead, narrow by status, Requester, or amount.
Current limitations
Search Agent is available only for Xero and QuickBooks Online connected Organisations. NetSuite Organisations are not supported at this time.
The following limitations apply:
Searches are limited to a single organisation and document type. Cross-Organisation and cross-request-type searches are not supported
Search Agent does not search document content, descriptions, or line items.
Overdue and ageing-based searches are not supported.
Search Agent does not currently support fuzzy matching for vendor or customer names. Names must be entered exactly as they appear in your accounting system for the filter to apply correctly.
Search Agent cannot answer analytical questions such as "How many bills were approved last month?"
Tips
Be specific when you can. Include a document type and status where possible for more accurate results.
Use supplier and customer names as they appear in your accounting system. If a name is ambiguous, Search Agent will ask which one you meant.
Check and adjust. If the results seem off, check which filters were set. You can tweak them manually before searching again.
Use natural date expressions. "Last month", "Q1", "this week", "past 30 days" rather than typing dates.
One request type per query. If you need to search across both Bills and Purchase Orders, run two separate searches.
What Search Agent doesn't do
Search Agent is a filter-setting tool, not a search engine replacement. It can't answer questions ("how many Bills did we approve last month?"), and it can't find things that aren't covered by the existing filter dimensions. Think of it as a faster way to fill in the search form.
Feedback
We'd love to hear what's working and what isn't. For any questions, comments, or feedback, please contact:
Danila Timerin: [email protected]
ApprovalMax Support: [email protected]