Turn your Dext inboxes into an API

What you can build on Dext

• Get items in the Costs inbox

  Build this

  Reads the Costs inbox table for one account: each item's To review or Ready status, what needs fixing, and the extracted supplier, category and amounts.

  Takes

  Client account (optional), status (optional)

  Returns

  Status, issues to resolve, uploaded by, date, supplier, category, total, currency, tax

• Get archived cost items for a period

  Build this

  Reads the Costs Archive, where published and archived items are kept, for a date range, with the fields from each item's Details tab.

  Takes

  Client account (optional), from date, to date

  Returns

  Item ID, type, date, supplier, document reference, category, currency, total, tax amount, net amount, paid, payment method

• Find a document in the Submission history

  Build this

  Searches the Costs & Sales tab of the Submission history by supplier name and says where each document is now: Inbox, Archive, Deleted, Merged or a duplicate.

  Takes

  Supplier name, client account (optional)

  Returns

  Supplier, date, total, submitted by, where it is now

• Publish Ready items to accounting software

  Build this

  Selects the items you name in the Costs inbox that have Ready status and publishes them to the connected accounting software.

  Takes

  Client account (optional), list of items by supplier, date and total

  Returns

  Supplier, date, total, published or not, error message

Automate Dext with a workflow

A workflow runs your methods as one process, with nobody at the screen. A schedule or a call from your own system starts it, the steps run in order, and the result arrives in your inbox or in the systems you already use.

• Items in To review, every client account

  Build this

  Starts

  Every weekday at 8:00

  Step 1

  For each client account you name, get the Costs inbox items with status To review.

  Step 2

  Stop when no account has any.

  Step 3

  Email you the list, one section per client account, with what each item needs.

• Last month's published costs, sent to your system

  Build this

  Starts

  On the 1st of every month at 7:00

  Step 1

  For each client account, get the archived cost items dated in the previous month.

  Step 2

  Post each item's Item ID, date, supplier, document reference, category, total, tax, net amount and payment method to your webhook.

• Items still waiting in To review after a week

  Build this

  Starts

  Every Friday at 15:00

  Step 1

  For each client account, get the Costs inbox items with status To review.

  Step 2

  Keep the items that were also in To review on the last run.

  Step 3

  Post them, with client account, supplier, date, total and issues, to your Slack webhook.

You can run a workflow by hand on every plan, Free included. Schedules and webhook triggers come with the paid plans, from $29 a month.

Once built, one call from your code

Once you have built a method, it is one POST to /v1/runs from your backend, or a tool an AI agent calls over MCP. This is what “Get items in the Costs inbox” would look like.

curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "method": "app.dext.com/get_costs_inbox_items",
    "input": {
      "client_account": "Northwind Trading Ltd",
      "status": "To review"
    }
  }'

{
  "status": "completed",
  "data": {
    "client_account": "Northwind Trading Ltd",
    "items": [
      {
        "status": "To review",
        "issues": [
          "Category is missing"
        ],
        "uploaded_by": "Accounts team",
        "date": "2026-11-09",
        "supplier": "Acme Office Supplies",
        "category": null,
        "total": 148.2,
        "currency": "GBP",
        "tax": 24.7
      }
    ],
    "count": 1
  }
}

An example with invented data, not a ready-made endpoint. The method exists in your organization once you build it, and its name, inputs and fields follow your request.

Dext’s own options

Dext's help centre documents no API for the receipts and invoices in your inboxes. A request for one has been Under Review in Dext's feedback forum since March 2021, and staff pointed to Zapier. For practices, a Data Health & Insights API returns client data from that add-on, not your documents.

Read on November 12, 2026: How Dext works with Zapier, Data Health & Insights API, How can I export my documents from Dext?.

Signing in to Dext

Dext signs you in with your email address and password, or with Google, Microsoft, Apple, Xero or a passkey. Two-factor authentication asks for a code from an authenticator app, by SMS or by email; a trusted device can skip it for 30 days. With Fous you sign in once through Dext's own sign-in with your own account: the login is sealed with AES-256, an emailed code is handled, and an expired session is signed back in.

Worth knowing

Only Ready items can be published

An item stays in To review until Category, Supplier and Total amount are complete. Hovering over the To review badge shows what needs to be fixed.

New uploads wait in Processing first

Documents being extracted sit in the Processing section, with an estimated time remaining, before they reach the Inbox. A check right after an upload may not see them yet.

Standard users see their own submissions

By default a Standard user sees only the documents they submitted in the Submission history. The Access all documents permission shows every item in the account.

Exports have limits and expire

A PDF export holds up to 250 items and a ZIP up to 1 GB. A CSV export fails if any item has no total amount. Exports can be downloaded again for 1 month.

More in Accounting, tax and ERP software

• CONTPAQi
• Comarch ERP Optima
• Cegid Loop
• Domínio Sistemas
• Xero Practice Manager
• a3innuva
• Confirmation
• MyCodabox
• Xero bank feeds
• Exact Online
• Twinfield
• Sage Intacct
• CCH Axcess
• TallyPrime
• TaxDome
• Drake Tax
• Lexware Office
• MYOB Business
• 弥生会計
• SAP Concur

Other industries: Zillow Premier Agent, RepairLink, USS CIS, Paycom, United Rentals Total Control, IndiaMART Seller Panel.