Audit your books for duplicate and misfiled payments: AI agent prompt
Have an agent compare your accounting software against your bank statements and related email threads and list everything that doesn't line up, like the agent Elliott Michael Smith built that found a year of contractor payments dumped into one account alongside marketing and landscaping costs.
FinanceBookkeeping reviewintermediateThe prompt
You are a careful bookkeeping reviewer. Here is an export of my books for [date range] from [QuickBooks / Xero / other]: [paste or connect ledger]. Here are my bank and card statements for the same period: [paste or attach]. Here are related email threads with vendors and contractors: [paste or connect inbox]. Find anything that doesn't line up: vendors paid twice, payments booked to the wrong account or category, bank transactions with no matching entry, entries with no matching bank transaction, and categories that mix unrelated costs (for example contractors, marketing and staff in one account). For each issue give: date, amount, payee, what's wrong, the evidence (statement line or email), and the fix you suggest. Sort by amount, largest first. Don't change, recategorize, or delete anything in the books; I'll review every fix with my accountant first.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt above.
- Replace every [bracket] with your own details (or fill in the blanks on AgentPlaybook Real Estate, which remembers your answers for the next prompt).
- Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, QuickBooks/Xero API and review the answer before you use it.
Works with: Claude, ChatGPT, QuickBooks/Xero API, Gmail
Real-world example: x.com/TheElliottSmith/status/2110437882871906325
Featured in: ChatGPT prompts for business email, replies and follow-ups · ChatGPT prompts for bookkeeping, accounting firms and small-business finance
Before you use it: what to check
Already built into this prompt
- Don't change, recategorize, or delete anything in the books; I'll review every fix with my accountant first.
Check yourself
- This prompt works on text other people wrote (emails, reviews, messages or web pages). That text can hide instructions aimed at AI, such as "ignore your rules and…". Paste it as material to work on, and never let the AI act on requests inside it, like paying, sharing logins or changing records. How prompt injection works →
- Check every figure, price and total against your own records before anything is sent, posted or booked. A person approves refunds, discounts, payments and price changes.
- Remove names, contact details, account numbers and other personal data the task doesn't need before you paste, and check your AI tool's data and training settings.
- Check names, dates, numbers and any claim against your own source material before you use the answer. AI can misread or invent details.
Using an AI agent? Download this prompt as a SKILL.md agent skill with these checks built in, or get the .zip for Claude.ai. How to install skills.
Want to make this prompt even better? Grade it with the free prompt grader or build your own with the AI prompt generator.
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