Keyword Rule Automation is useful when multiple locations or cost centres share one Lightyear account. For example, a restaurant group processing bills across several sites can use keywords such as addresses or postcodes to automatically apply the correct GL code or tracking category to each bill — without manually coding every line.
📌 Note: Keyword rules apply to bills and credit notes only, not to purchase orders (POs).
Enable Keyword Rule Automation
Before setting up your rules, you need to turn on Keyword Rule Automation in your company settings.
Click Settings, then click Company Settings.
Locate Keyword Rule Automation, then turn it on.
Add keyword rules to a supplier
Once enabled, you can add keyword rules directly on a supplier record.
Open the supplier you want to configure.
Scroll to the Keyword Rule Automation table.
Under Keyword Rules, enter a word or phrase that appears on bills from that supplier and is unique to that location, typically an address or postcode.
Set the GL code or tracking category you want applied when that keyword is detected.
Click Save.
Adjust the order of the rules to set their priority, as this determines how they are applied.
🤓 Tip: You can also copy a rule from one supplier to another, saving time by avoiding the need to configure each supplier individually.
The system scans for close matches to your keyword, ignoring most punctuation, capitalisation, and spacing, but an exact match is preferred. Hyphens must be present in both the keyword rule and the document text for a match to occur.
⚠️ Important: Do not set Keyword Rule Automation for suppliers where you use line-by-line rules at the product level. Keyword rules override product-level automation settings.
How it works
When a bill from that supplier is mapped and moves to your approvals tab, Lightyear scans the document for your keywords and automatically applies your chosen GL code and tracking category to every line on the bill. Categories and account codes on invoices are also influenced by the settings in the Accountancy section of Lightyear. These categories, linked to your accounting software, ensure accurate financial tracking and reporting.
Keyword rules override any defaults set at the supplier level or in the product list.
Limitations to be aware of
Keyword rules rely on Lightyear being able to detect a word or phrase in the document.
If a bill does not contain a recognisable keyword, it cannot be automatically coded using keyword rules.
Where keyword rules cannot be applied, consider using supplier-level defaults or conditional approvals at the supplier level as an alternative.
If new categories are added after invoices have been processed, they will not appear on re-exports of historical invoices unless the invoices are re-processed with the updated categories.
If the category or account code on an invoice doesn’t look correct, you can manually adjust it by opening the invoice in Lightyear and selecting the appropriate category from the list. This allows you to override the default mapping
If auto-publish is enabled for a supplier, keyword rules will not apply to their documents. Disable auto-publish to ensure keyword rules are applied.
🤓 Tip: Regularly review and update your keyword rule configurations to align with your financial tracking needs. Test new configurations on a small batch of invoices before applying them broadly. If recurring issues with incorrect mappings occur, review the supplier rules and update the keyword rules to better align with the invoice data.
Frequently asked questions
Do keyword rules apply to purchase orders (POs)?
Do keyword rules apply to purchase orders (POs)?
No, keyword rules apply only to bills and credit notes, not to purchase orders.
Where do I enable the keyword rules feature in Lightyear?
Where do I enable the keyword rules feature in Lightyear?
You can enable keyword rules by going to Company Settings and turning on Keyword Rule Automation.
Do keyword rules have to be added for every supplier individually?
Do keyword rules have to be added for every supplier individually?
Yes, keyword rules are set per supplier. You can copy a rule from one supplier to another to save time.
What if a bill does not contain a clear keyword?
What if a bill does not contain a clear keyword?
If no detectable keyword is present, keyword rules cannot assign a code automatically. Use supplier-level defaults or conditional approvals instead.